Gaillac rouge, Les Gravels, Domaine Rotier - 2018

The Domaine Rotier is now run by Alain Rotier and Francis Marre, brothers-in-law in life. Francis looks after the cultivation of the vineyard and Alain is responsible for the production and marketing of the wines. They are assisted by a team of five people to cultivate and vinify the 35 hectares of vines, 25 of which are red.

The history of winegrowing in the region is not new: people were already living in the area known as Petit Nareye (which today forms the major part of the estate) a long time ago, as numerous quartz tools have been found there dating back to the Paleolithic era, i.e. a respectable age of 150 to 200,000 years. But the cultivation of vines in the Gaillacois region dates back to the 1st century BC.

Since 2005, the choice has been made here for ecological viticulture. Quite naturally, in 2009, the estate moved towards organic conversion, with certification being obtained from the 2012 vintage. The vineyard is planted on gravel soils located on a plateau formed by the middle alluvial terrace of the river Tarn. These ancient alluvial deposits rest on even older marl. The Gaillacois terroir, halfway between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, has a predominantly oceanic climate with a marked Mediterranean influence, due in particular to the action of the Autan wind. This dry and often warm wind blows from the south-east and allows for very good...