Le Casot des Mailloles - Jordi Pérez
ROUSSILLON
Between the foothills of the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean, Roussillon forms a large amphitheater open to the sea, with on its edge the steep slopes laid out in the terraces of Banyuls and Collioure. The schist terroir, with a hot, dry and windy climate, is remarkably favorable to southern grape varieties, which reveal all their character in wines that are both warm and imbued with finesse. In the hinterland, the valleys of the Têt and the Agly are different, in particular with terroirs made up of granite arenas and higher in altitude, which bring freshness and balance to the wines.
Created in Banyuls in 1994 by Alain Castex and Ghislaine Magnier, Le Casot des Mailloles has established itself as a pioneering natural wine estate in the Roussillon vineyard. Hard to work on its very steep plots, the estate was sold in part (3.5 hectares, Alain Castex keeping 1 hectare on Trouillas, with a less steep slope) in 2015 to Jordi Pérez, who continues (and improves on) the work previously undertaken by Castex: pastoralism, planting olive and almond trees following agroforestry techniques, plant cover of the soil, and winemaking without inputs. The vineyard (certified organic) now covers 5 hectares, including plots far from the coast and located at altitude (550/600 m.) in Tarerach, on a terroir of granite arenas. Grenache Gris and Blanc, and Vermentino for the whites, Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre for the reds are part of the blends that make up the estate's different wines from Collioure or Tarerach. Low yields, “gentle” vinifications, no added sulfur or filtration: perfectly natural cuvées that tell the story of the terroir directly.
