Arsac,
Ardeche, France
Domaine Arsac was founded by the current owners Sébastien and Dimitri Arsac’s grandparents Therese and Gaston Arsac after Gaston was freed in 1945-1946 from being a prisoner in Austria and Germany in WWII. Upon returning to Ardeche, the farm was filled with a lot of different animals, cultures, fruit trees, and vines. At the time, farms made their own wines to drink during the year without selling, but Gaston decided to plant vines to make and sell his wine in 1946. Since then, Sébastien and Dimitri’s uncle and father followed in Gaston’s path, and in 2008 Sébastien and Dimitri decided to make the domaine totally organic, biodynamic, and natural. They keep the cows on the estate to make compost for the vineyard and provide food. Sébastien says that he is simply a witness and a messenger to the next generation, and he wants to leave it to the next generation like his father and grandfather left it to him.
The soil there is one part volcanic (basaltic stone) and one part clay limestone, and the average altitude is 400 to 650m. All the harvest are done by hand, including selection on the vineyard and in the winery. They work with concrete tanks, inox, oak barrels, and Amphora. Their wine is produced only with indigenous yeast to keep the identity of the terroir. They produce a lot of different red, white, rosé, and orange wines, looking to make them with low alcohol, zero sugar residual, and minimal sulfites.
Coteaux de L’Ardeche, Les Galets de la Condamine, IGP
- varietals: Grenache 65%, Syrah 20%, Carignan 15%
- avg age of vines: 35 years
- soil type: Grenache/Carignan on clay limestone, Syrah on volcanic
- fermentation: skin contact 4 weeks in tulip-shaped concrete tanks, aging in same place
Coteaux de L’Ardeche, Les Aoutres, IGP
- varietals: Syrah 100%
- avg age of vines: 40 years
- soil type: volcanic
- fermentation: skin contact 3 weeks in tulip-shaped concrete tanks, aging in same place
Coteaux de L’Ardeche, Volcanik Pinot Noir Amphora, IGP
- varietals: Pinot 100%
- avg age of vines: 20 years
- soil type: volcanic
- fermentation: amphora
Coteaux de L’Ardeche, Rose La Chaumette, IGP
- varietals: Grenache 60%, Cinsaut 20%, Syrah 15%, Viognier 5%
- avg age of vines: 30 years
- soil type: Syrah/Viognier on volcanic, Grenach/Cinsaut on clay limestone
- fermentation: 10% aging in barrel, 80% in concrete tank eggs, 10% in amphora, wines stay on lees for 6 months
Coteaux de L’Ardeche, La Petite Chaumette, IGP
- varietals: Chardonnay 100%
- avg age of vines: 40 years
- soil type: clay limestone
- fermentation: 600 L barrels, grows 8 months lees in same barrels
Coteaux de L’Ardeche, Les Amandieres, IGP
- varietals: Viognier 90%, Sauvignon 10%
- avg age of vines: 40 years
- soil type: volcanic
- fermentation: amphora 50%, concrete eggs 50%, aging 6 months on the lees
