The domain's short story
Between the sea and the mountains, the Madeloc estate extends over 16 hectares of hillsides. The landscape of the Côte Vermeille is unique: the Pyrenees, on a raw soil of dark schist, plunge into the Mediterranean Sea. The wines we produce are the very expression of this atypical terroir: the strength of the Mediterranean climate and the freshness of the schist slopes. Pierre Gaillard, a winemaker from the northern Rhône Valley, has always been fascinated by the terroir of Banyuls: schist terraces plunging into the sea. In 2002, he acquired a vineyard there that he began to restore little by little. Attracted by these landscapes and by this strong terroir, he bought an abandoned estate from the Pagès family. The vines are maintained in the traditional way. The wasteland was replanted, the grape varieties were diversified and certain techniques used in the Rhone Valley were transposed to Roussillon. Since then, he has rebuilt the estate in his own image, combining the Banyulencque tradition with Rhone Valley techniques. In 2009, his daughter Elise joined him on the estate, she perpetuates the maintenance and development of the vineyard and the range. Today, the Madeloc estate extends over 18.5ha of seaside and mountain vines, a range of 12 wines has been built in Collioure and Banyuls. The estate continues to rebuild its vineyard and tests new experiments each year to improve the quality of its products.
