Mas d’Espanet, Polyculture and biodynamics in the Cévennes
Le Mas d’Espanet is a wine estate located in Saint-Mamert-du-Gard, between Uzès and Sommières, managed by Agnès and Denys Armand since the 1980s.
Surrounded by garrigue, the estate covers about 20 hectares, with vines over 60 years old for some. In 1999, the couple left the cooperative cellar to vinify the grapes of the vineyard in the estate’s own winery, certified organic and biodynamic.
The estate is distinguished by its polyculture, integrating sheep, donkeys, chickens and cereal farming, reflecting a respectful approach to the surrounding ecosystem. The vineyard benefits from a cool microclimate with Cevennes influences, ideal for the production of white wines.
Le Mas d’Espanet is recognised for its commitment to sustainable viticultural practices and respect for biodiversity, producing wines that faithfully reflect the region’s unique terroir.
Biodynamics at the Mas d’Espanet
Working in biodynamics means first of all finding the common sense of the peasant, that which brought man and his close environment into harmony.
The Mas d’Espanet is a coup de foudre for this 19th century farmhouse, a living witness of subsistence farming. Denys and Agnès Armand, followers of the “produce what we consume and consume what we produce”, wanted to go far beyond the vines to restore the land to its primary and nourishing function; old variety of wheat, beehives, olive trees, truffle oaks, sheep farming for their benevolent and beneficial presence for the vines, not to mention the vegetable garden and the farmyard.
Interventions on the vine according to the lunar calendar (e.g. pruning of Grenache when the February moon is descending, preferably at the beginning of the weeping of the vine). The vines are plowed in fruit or root days. Dewatering at the foot of the vines and shallow plowing 3 times a year. Partial grass cover in summer and total in winter, flock of sheep grazing from October to March. Treatment with copper, sulfur and maceration of plants (horsetail, nettle…).
The terroir
Under two climatic influences at the North-East border of Languedoc, the vineyard offers a wide variety of soils, exposures and grape varieties (with old vines of more than 50 years).
The Mistral, cold nights, the natural approach to vine cultivation (tillage), controlled yields depending on the grape varieties (short pruning, de-budding) bring freshness, concentration of aromas and above all the winemaker’s first wish to the wines of Mas d’Espanet: ” let the terroir express itself “.
Winemaking
Manual harvesting with sorting of the berries in the vineyard. The semi-underground cellar allows gravity vinification.
- Red wines: traditional, aging in tanks and casks. The duration of maceration depends on the grape variety and the cuvées.
- White wines: destemming, direct pressing, then vinification and aging in demi-muids, foudres and amphorae on lees.
- Rosé wine: destemming, direct pressing and vinification in tanks on the lees.
(Source : Domaine Mas d’Espanet)