South West - L'Enclos des Braves
The South West region of Gaillac, has produced wine for over 1 thousand years and is the most eastern appellation in the South West. The right bank of the Tarn offers clay-limestone slopes exposed to the Southeast. There are many microclimates and endemic grape varieties that can bring a true identity to the wine. It is these rare qualities that made Ms. and Mr. Lebrun come to Gaillac in 1994.
In 2005, after ten years as an oenologist, they bought 6 hectares of vines, built a cellar that launched them into a new adventure. That of becoming winemakers ... the ultimate stage of their passion, back to the roots and reality of the work of the earth.
The estate is located in Vertus, on a deep clay slope facing south, on the edge of the Tarn valley. The microclimate is sunny and swept by the winds. These conditions make it a terroir with great potential.
To highlight this terroir they have oriented their work towards biodynamics. Today the area of 8 ha (70% red and 30% white) is composed of 5 ha of old vines (25 to 40 years) and 3 ha of young vines that they planted between 2007 and 2018. After 11 years of organic farming and 8 years of biodynamics (certification Demeter, then Biodyvin), the vine has found its balance and native grape varieties offer wines that are above everything else harmonious.
Each plot is harvested by hand, and vinified separately, with native yeasts and without inputs. The breeding aims at preserving the purity of the wines and keeping the mark of the soil and the vintage (aging of 6 to 18 months on the lees, in concrete vats and in concrete eggs or sandstone egg). Everything is done in the vineyards and the cellar to produce wines that the almost forgotten grape varieties of Gaillac can produce.