Magali Tissot & Ludovic Bonnelle, Domaine du Pech
Buzet, France
A family owned and run domaine in the heart of south west France focus on terroir expression, biodynamic processes and crafted quality.
Domaine du Pech lies deep in the heart of south-west France in the Buzet appellation. So, it lies to the west of Toulouse and to the east of Bordeaux. Domaine du Pech is located on the eastern border of the AC of Buzet, 100km south east of Bordeaux, on the hills to the north of Gascony. The estate was planted in 1978. When we took full responsibility for the estate in 1997, we turned to biodynamic production to settle it all over the domaine in 2003. We produce wines using no chemical interference in the vineyard or winery, including sulphur, a risky strategy, but one we can take due to the hight quality of our raw ingredient.
The wines are produced from the typical varieties of our region: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc for the reds and Sauvignon Blanc for our limited release white. We greatly believe in terroir expression and each variety is paired to the perfect soil to maximize its quality potential.
The label art work is designed by our two daughters.
he domaine:
. 17ha of vineyard planted on gravel, limestone and clay soil using cordon training
. Average yields of 10-25 hl/ha due to careful pruning, bud removal and selection (no green harvesting)
. Active natural predator encouragement program (note the ladybird on the label)
. Hand harvested by a team of 30 trained pickers who have worked at the domaine for many years and who provide the first tranche of fruit selection
. Only wild yeasts are used to ferment, made possible because chemicals do not kill them in the vineyard
. All fruits goes through a strict selection regime at the crusher and sorting table (a long process but worth it)
. No enzymes or chemical additions adding during fermentation and elevage
. Long maturation in wooden casks and demi-muid (depending on the cuvee) up to 4 years in some cases, allowing nature to work her magic
. No filtration or fining required so we don’t use it
. All wines are bottled in our winery using our own bottling line