Céline Desperques & Michaël Georget – Le Temps Retrouvé
Laroque des Albères - Roussillon
Céline and Michaël’s domaine is situated in Laroque des Albères in the “blue mountains of piedmont” as the slopes around Banyuls and Port Vendres are called.
Michaël is originally from Chinon and at the age of 15 started to work with a nearby winemaker and quickly grew an interest in biodynamic agriculture. He decided to increase his knowledge and travelled around France learning from people who were using Steiner’s methods, and in 2009 decided to settle in Pyrénées-Orientales to help the conversion of a 65 hectare Domaine in Montesquieu des Albères.
He really struggled to find his own vineyards but by chance discovered the family run domaine of Mas Rancoure in Laroque des Albères. The wine maker tragically died in the mid 90s and since then time had stopped in the winery. All the domaine’s young vineyards had been pulled up; only a few parcels of older vines remained. In 2012 Michaël took control of the vines and the winery.
The vineyard is one parcel of 4.5ha on 2/3 terrasses; 3.5ha are 100 year old Carignan (post-phylloxera) but unfortunately many of vines are missing as rows have been pulled up in the past to facilitate mechanisation. On the top terrace is the Macabeu (some are 40 y.o.), Grenache Gris, Blanc & Noir (all about 90 y.o.). The soil is mainly clay and sand with some mica, quartz and gneiss. Michaël has a couple of horses to work in his vineyard (Goliath & Paco). He also has beehives all around the vines and he believes “bees are companions to the vines”. He uses the tractor 4 times a year and mainly to treat the vines or while harvesting to transport the fruits.
In 2016 they embarked on a project to reclaim the overgown land around his house in the hills above Laroque. Here at higher altitude what were vineyards had been abandoned and the forest has taken over. Once cleared Michaël is going to replant with vines and set up shop with amazing views to the Mediterranean. We can’t wait to try the results.
