Bruno Duchêne lives much of the year on his boat, the Odin, moored off a stretch of the Mediterranean coast where the vines climb almost straight out of the sea.
Backstory
Duchêne came to wine by an unusual route. A former wild-mushroom distributor from the Loire Valley, he moved to Banyuls-sur-Mer in 2000 and made his first vintage in 2002. He has worked the steep terraces of this corner of Roussillon ever since.
The Region
Banyuls lies at the southern edge of Roussillon, where the Pyrenees meet the sea near the Spanish border. The ancient terraced vineyards face the Mediterranean on steep, mountainous slopes, terrain that rules out machines and makes every task a matter of hand labor.
Vineyards & Farming
Duchêne tends four hectares spread across four parcels, all on schist soils. The plantings are low density and notorious for tiny yields. He farms organically, though without certification. The local climate is so favorable that he applies only about three sulfur treatments a year and uses no copper at all, since powdery mildew is not a problem here.
Winemaking
The grapes ferment spontaneously in tank and then age in barrel. No sulfur is added at any stage, making these wines about as natural as wine can be. The parcels are field blends of Grenache Noir, Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, and Carignan.
The Wines
La Luna comes from grass-grown parcels, while La Pascole is a hand-plowed single vineyard. L'Anodine, bottled only in magnum, draws on the oldest vines and entirely hand-worked soil. Vallpompo is a dry white from Grenache Blanc, and Le Banyuls de Moman is his take on the region's classic fortified wine.
