The domain

Since 2019, Joé Chandellier has been established in the communes of Saint-Côme-et-Maruéjols and Souvignargues, in the Gard region, between Nîmes and Sommières, and today cultivates approximately 7.5 hectares of vines.
The grape varieties planted are Grenache Noir and Blanc, Carignan, Aramón, Cinsault, and Syrah. The vineyard comprises very old plots, some over a hundred years old, vines of intermediate age between 20 and 40 years, as well as younger plantings. Three main soil types structure the estate: recent alluvial deposits, calcareous sands and gravels, and a plateau of rolled pebbles. The entire vineyard is managed organically: part is certified, the other part is in conversion.

In the vineyard

Yields are deliberately controlled in order to obtain sufficient concentration in the grapes.
The soils are worked mechanically only in the spring. The rest of the year, they are left fallow, sometimes grazed in winter by the village shepherd's sheep. Treatments are limited to Bordeaux mixture and sulfur, used only when necessary to avoid excessive stress on the vines, particularly leaf loss, and to preserve the harvest. The grapes are harvested by hand, in 30-liter crates, to guarantee their integrity and perfect health at the time of vinification.

In the cellar

No additives are used during vinification, except for a very small dose of sulfur, approximately 15 mg/l, added only after fermentation. The entire process, from vatting to bottling, is carried out using gravity flow. Aging takes place in a combination of old Burgundy barrels and tanks, depending on the cuvée.

Philosophy

All of these practices, deliberately simple and always open to improvement, aim for a single objective: to express as faithfully as possible the place from which the grapes originate. Joé Chandellier seeks to produce pure, sincere wines, deeply rooted in their terroir.