DOMAINE LA MONARDIERE

At the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail, Martine and Christian Vache created the estate in 1987 by bringing together family vineyards. 20 years later, their son Damien joined them. From there, a new approach to viticulture began: conversion to organic farming in 2007, but also replanting using massal selection to benefit from diversified genetic heritage, promoting cover cropping for the protection of native flora and fauna, then maintaining hedges and planting trees and shrubs around the plots to preserve biodiversity.

The winegrowing heritage has been in the family since the early 1900s. Half of these plots are made up of old Grenache vines, planted between 1945 and 1965. Most of the Syrah and Mourvèdre plantings date from the early 1990s. But since 2005, the focus has been on planting white grape varieties or "accessory" red grape varieties (Cinsault, Counoise, Carignan, etc.), which yield less alcoholic and more acidic wines. Around fifteen grape varieties are now cultivated; this diversity is a guarantee of personality and significant freshness in the wines.

In addition to a vineyard managed with care and thought, winemaking is very low-intervention to offer healthy, lively wines that are true to their origin.