Domaine Garrabou

It was on the 2016 vintage that I finally decided to launch out and produce my own wine on my vines. After more than 10 years of making wines for others, I decided to use all my various oenological experiences and put them to use within my estate to produce wines that I love and want to share.Anyway, I knew that sooner or later this day would come... That's why I took all my time to train myself, learn from others and really refine the style I wanted to give to my wines: respect for the grape variety, freshness, elegance, integration and drinkability... The first step of my training was done in Burgundy, my adopted country that I love so much and which gave it back to me so well. I had the opportunity to work alongside François Parent from Domaine A-F Gros and Jean-Pierre Confuron within Domaine Chanson. These two emblematic houses of the Côte taught me to respect the terroirs, the maturities and instilled in me the cult of the single grape variety. Without blending, there is no net; it is the terroir and vintage that mark the wine, and then it is in Bordeaux that my suitcases settled for two years. I also had the opportunity to learn a lot by working with extraordinary teachers and winemakers such as Denis Dubourdieu who was my oenology teacher at the ISVVV in Villenave d'Ornon. After these few years spent in these two extraordinary regions, I wanted to discover the world and so I made a series of vinifications as an oenologist in Australia, California and New Zealand. All these years of moving from one country to another, from one grape variety to another, from one way of understanding wines to another, have really allowed me to understand that in oenology, even if it is essential to have models in mind, and preferably the best ones to make great wines, respect for the grape variety and its pedoclimatic context is essential to make great wines. 2014, I therefore returned to my native lands, the Gardie terroir in the Limoux sector. My father and grandfather had made the estate prosper and grow to today's 22 hectares. Until I arrived, they delivered the harvest to the cooperative cellar. When I arrived, I decided to regain my independence in order to work the vineyard as I wished with a Limoux Blanc orientation for the Chardonnays and IGP Haute Vallée de l'Aude for the Pinot Noir, so I prepared my first two vintages for the 2016 vintage: a Limoux Blanc PDO based on Chardonnay and an IGP Haute Vallée de l'Aude based on Pinot Noir. After having vinified so much for the others, it is very special to make my own parcels. When you vinify for others, you always feel a sense of detachment and detachment, even if you are deeply involved. When you vinify on your land, you give yourself up, you reveal yourself, you take risks, I hope now that you will enjoy my wines as much as I enjoyed making them.

Our story

I arrive on the estate after three generations of viticulture dedicated to the cooperative cellar. My passion for wine in general, for viticulture but also my desire to vinify my own land has been stronger than tradition. I had to get out of this cooperative environment, which is based on very beautiful values but which did not satisfy me. I therefore present to you from this 2016 vintage my production from two parcels.