Château Le Geai - Henri Duporge

Following a course in economics and rural law, then an experience in the creation of a natural park in collaboration with nature enthusiasts (naturalists, landscape architects, geologists...), in 1996 and 1997 in Paris (yes, rue de Vaugirard!), I immersed myself again in the family domain that I had fled — not the domain itself, but the atmosphere that surrounded the vineyard in the 1990s: yield, medals, Parker, etc.

I rediscovered the vineyard and winemakers thanks to friends, as well as a magazine dedicated to passionate winemakers in the South. So I settled there in 2000, after a year of working in the United States, where I participated in planting a vineyard on an island near Seattle.

In 2000, I planted hedges; in 2001, Carménère; in 2003, Malbec. We then built our own winery, as we had previously been part of a cooperative winery. Between 2003 and 2009, I produced my first small batches of wine, destemmed by hand using sieves (vintages 2003, 2004 and 2005, then up to 2009).

In 2008, I created an orchard composed of local species. From 2009, the estate obtained organic certification, then Demeter certification in 2014 (controlled by Ecocert).

I have always made natural wines, using a sulfur-free winemaking process. I have never used insecticides, even those permitted in organic farming, nor yeasts, even organic ones.

I love grass, trees and vines, and we only intervene to allow this ecosystem to flourish as best as possible.

For me, the ideal wine is a very expressive wine, rich in flavor, that hides its aging potential behind great smoothness, silky tannins, and a deep purple color. I mainly produce red wines, which must rest after fermentation, in barrels or amphorae, for at least a year.