Tucked into a valley of the Montagne Noire north of Carcassonne, Les Vignes du Domaine du Temps takes its name and its patience from the place itself: an 18th-century former priory at Font Juvenal, surrounded by wild scrubland that shelters the vines.
Backstory
The estate, an old priory and its land, belongs to Jeremy Gobert and Lauranne Plegat, who took it over in 2014. Lauranne trained with the renowned Burgundy natural winemaker Frederic Cossard and leads the cellar work, while Jeremy manages the vineyards. The estate has been dedicated to natural wine since 2015.
The Region
The domaine sits at Font Juvenal in Conques-sur-Orbiel, about 10 km north of Carcassonne in the Cabardes area, where the Languedoc meets the foothills of the Montagne Noire.
Vineyards and Farming
Around the priory, some sixty hectares of forest and scrubland protect roughly thirteen hectares of terraced vines on rocky clay-limestone soils. The estate has been organic since the late 1990s and is farmed biodynamically, with animals allowed to roam the land.
The Wines
The reds draw on Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah and Grenache, the whites on Muscat, Viognier, Semillon, Roussanne and Chenin. The wines are made naturally with no chemical additions; notable cuvees include Sans Ordonnance and Cosmopolite.
