In the vineyard

More than anywhere else, this is where it all comes down to! Making wine from grapes without any oenological additives requires a flawless, vibrant harvest. Somewhat uncompromising but not dogmatic, Patrice Lescaret is increasingly working with Lulu and Sissi, the Comtois horses at the Causse Marines estate.

There are still no clones on the estate. All the pre-war vines were ‘grafted in situ’. The new plantings come from meticulously selected massal selections. The Causse Marines estate has had to register as a nursery with the authorities.

There are more than fifteen grape varieties grown at the Causse Marines estate:

• White wines: Mauzac (various colours), Ondenc, Loin de l’Œil, Verdanel, as well as Petit Manseng, Chenin, Muscadelle, Sémillon…
• Red wines: Duras, Braucol, Prunelart, as well as Syrah, Jurançon, Cinsault and even Alicante Bouchet.

In the cellar

The philosophy at Domaine Causse Marines is simple: all you need to do is respect the grapes, and the winemaking is complete. The winemaker should only be in the cellar to guide the grapes and bring the fruit of his labour to fruition, without the use of oenological additives. Allowing the soil and life to express themselves is a difficult art.

Patrice Lescaret tells you all about it …

“Humility demands that we constantly question our beliefs. To observe, to feel, and even to imagine (when we cannot understand). To respect our Earth, its fertility, its balance, its very breath. To embrace simplicity. To embrace our identity, without pretence. Free from dogma or dogmatism, Causse Marines is proud to tend its garden, with full awareness.”

The history of the Causse Marines estate

Some malicious tongues refer to it as the ‘Grosses Narines’ estate. Others claim the name comes from his daughter, Marine. Not at all! Causse Marines was given this name when it was purchased in 1993, in reference to the stream, Marines, which runs along the lower edge of the property. As the entire vineyard stretches across a very poor limestone plateau, the ambiguity of the name was a natural fit …

And Lescarret – where does that name come from?

Lescarret drank nothing but Bordeaux until he was 16. That didn’t help. And when you consider that shortly afterwards he attended the Bordeaux Institute of Oenology, you can understand the young man’s biases and lack of objectivity. Fortunately, a fateful accident left him with amnesia. First employed as a bottle filler in Sancerre and then as a cellar master in Provence, he naively cut his teeth before unconsciously taking the plunge in 1993 in Gaillac.

(source: Causse Marines)

A few photos of the Causse Marines estate