Dominik Benz

(2 customer reviews)

The winemaker

From most of the plots, it's with immense pleasure that we contemplate the Pyrenees and the Plantaurel massif every day. The vineyards stretch over 3 communes in the Ariège department: Le Fossat, Carla Bayle and Lézat-sur-Lèze. They are planted on the clay-limestone and sometimes clay-gravel hillsides on either side of the Lèze, a sub-tributary of the Garonne. The region's undulating terrain offers a wide variety of exposures, and its rotating geology provides a great diversity of soils. Vines were planted in the late 90s on former cereal plots. The numerous windmills that dominate the landscape at around 300 meters above sea level bear witness to this. The vines are particularly exposed to the wind, which helps to keep the bunches dry and thus naturally combat the appearance of certain fungal diseases. Our vines are nestled in the heart of confidential green spaces. Spontaneous grassing of the plots is our ally and that of biodiversity. In some winters, we use eco-pasture by sheep to maintain this plant cover. The woods and copses surrounding the vines are also home to local wildlife: roe deer, weasels, wild boar and birds of prey. To preserve this exceptional working environment, the vines have been farmed organically since 2009. They are worked by hand all year round (pruning, green harvesting, etc.) and have a reasoned yield of around 33 hectolitres per hectare. Guyot simple pruning is used, and on some plots the vines are trained in lyre-shaped espaliers. This arrangement ensures maximum sunlight and aeration of the bunches and leaves, which favors ripening by limiting the risk of mildew. The need for treatments can therefore be reduced to a minimum. Finally, the estate is remarkable for the diversity of the grape varieties grown: endemic varieties such as tannat, more classic varieties such as merlot, syrah or cabernet sauvignon, and more exotic varieties such as nebbiolo or petite arvine.