L'Esperluette - Jean-Claude & Anne Beirieu
Anne and Jean-Claude Beirieu's estate looks like them, made up of small plots surrounded by scrubland and an old stone cellar, it is on a human scale. Located in Roquetaillade, in Aude, in the Occitanie region, the 6 hectares of vines are perched on the first Pyrenean foothills.
Since its creation in 1981, the estate has been run in accordance with the AB Nature & Progrès specifications, known for being one of the most demanding and for defending peasant agriculture. Although the vines are in the "Limoux" appellation area, the PDO is no longer claimed by Anne and Jean-Claude who are no longer found in its specifications tailor-made for the agro-industry.
The plots are, for the most part, isolated in the scrubland or bordered by woods and planted with Mauzac, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The rows are grassed with an alternation of sown cover and wild cover in order to perpetuate the flora and fauna. The treatments used are Bordeaux mixture, sulfur and essential oils and plant manure.
For us, being winegrowers means producing in harmony with natural and wild space and always asking ourselves whether it is really useful to do things. Sharing with those who live in our countryside is also part of our Nature & Progress approach. And finally, it's about taking action for everyone's health and creating joy over a good drink. "
The vinification is carried out in the same logic as the practices in the vineyard: the wine is made plain without input or preservative, with as a guideline the fact of harvesting by hand healthy and very ripe grapes, low yields, and little 'interventions during winemaking. Most cuvées are thus produced without added sulphites.