An organic winery in South Ardèche

Our roots

LES GARIDELLES is a wine estate in the South of Ardèche. It covers 27 hectares, nestled between the Païolive Woods and the hillside village of Banne. Our vineyard is fortunate in combining three very distinct terroirs: clay-limestone, sandstone-schist, and deep silty loam, offering us a great variety of aromatic expressions.

Our entire vineyard is farmed organically. The soils are preserved as much as possible by using plant cover and organic fertilizers. This soil ecosystem and regular observation of the plants’ natural needs, allow us to produce harmonious grapes and therefore balanced and fresh wines.

Winegrowing has been a family tradition, from the great-grandfather to Sébastien today. For a long time, we dreamed of vinifying our own grapes so that the personality of our wines would fully convey the careful attention we devote to our grapevines. This dream became a reality in 2023 with the construction of an innovative winery. Our underground tanks, fitted with baskets, allow us to vinify red wines without pumping, while taking advantage of the soil’s temperature. This modern technique, inspired by ancestral Georgian vats, is a return to the origins of gentle vinification.

A respected terroir

Plant cover

The soils of the plots are preserved as much as possible by using plant cover and composted manure. Field beans are sown between the rows after the harvest. They form a plant cover that captures carbon and nitrogen from the air. In the spring, we grind it to release these elements and create a rich and living soil. Respecting the life of the soil and carefully observing the plants’ natural needs allows us to produce harmonious grapes and therefore balanced and fresh wines.

Plot-by-plot vineyard management

We vinify on a plot-by-plot basis, separating the cuvées according to their richness and the terroir from which they come.

We grow and vinify nine different grape varieties, half of which are over 25 years old. This legacy comes from our grandparents, whose first names are given to our cuvées.

Three whites: Viognier, Sauvignon, and Chardonnay

Six reds: Merlot, Cabernet, Marselan, Syrah, Grenache, and Plant de Brunel.

The grape varieties express themselves differently depending on the plot, as the Domaine des Garidelles spans distinctly different geological zones: deep clay-limestone, schistose sandstone, and riverbank alluvial deposits. To make the most of this great opportunity, we vinify by plot, separating the cuvées according to their richness and the terroir from which they come.

An innovative winery

Gentle winemaking

From the moment the harvest arrives at the winery until bottling, our focus is on preserving the fruit’s natural aromas by avoiding mechanical contact and friction. It was while observing Georgian underground vats that the idea was born to design a gravity-fed winery that enables gentle winemaking, fully respecting the fruit from our vineyards.

Our winery allows us to vinify red wines without pumping the pomace, and racking is done using a vacuum suction system. We can therefore carry out our winemaking gently, minimizing the extraction of astringent tannins.

Enhancing quality

The winery is equipped with 14 underground concrete tanks, each with a capacity of 90 hl. Removable perforated baskets facilitate devatting. White and rosé wines are also vinified in these tanks, but without maceration.

Our facility supports our mission: to respect the fruit and enhance the quality of our grapes.