Petit Domaine de Gimios - Anne-Marie & Pierre Lavaysse
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On their land in Gimios, a locality which adjoins Saint-Jean-de-Minervois, Anne-Marie Lavaysse and her son Pierre make natural wines without restrictions: theirs is first and foremost a philosophy of life, placing harmony and freedom at the forefront of their agricultural approach. Whether in their vineyard, vegetable garden or orchard, everything speaks of balance, which is transferred into the perfectly natural produce of the farm.
At first a polyculturalist, Anne-Marie acquired 5 hectares of vines in 1993-94 – notably 100-year-old coplantations of numerous varietals – in the terroir of Saint-Jean-de-Minervois, in the northeastern part of Minervois, with its limestone soil ideal for the finest Muscat (à petits grains), but also for Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault and various other red grape varieties that are little used or little valued, such as Aramon or Terret Rose. She quickly moved on from the cooperative to begin producing her own wines in 1999, and was soon assisted by her son, Pierre. No treatments find favour in her eyes (not even sulfur or copper against vine diseases) and she practices very free, plant-based biodynamics. It is the vines' own ability to protect themselves that regulates their health and allows – at very low yields (10/12 hl/ha) – to harvest healthy and ripe grapes essential for natural vinification with no interventions. From this, pure, bright, and energetic wines are born, marked by the strong imprint of the terroir.
