The road into Domaine Fond Cypres ends in an avenue of cypress trees and opens onto something closer to a secret garden than a conventional estate. Here Laetitia Ourliac and Rodolphe Gianesini make natural wines that capture the warmth of the Languedoc.
Backstory
The couple's story began in 1998, when they found a forgotten vineyard at Escales, near Lezignan in the Corbieres. Over six years they trained in winemaking while rebuilding the land in the old way, rebuilding terraces and replanting. Fond Cypres has been making natural wine in the Corbieres since 2004.
The Region
Fond Cypres sits at the northern edge of the Corbieres appellation, in the southern French Languedoc. It is a sun-drenched Mediterranean landscape of garrigue and scrub, and the wines are made to express that heat and luminosity.
Vineyards and Farming
Fond Cypres spans roughly 15 hectares set among lush, wild vegetation. The plantings reflect the southern French palette: Carignan, Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, and white varieties including Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Viognier and Muscat. Farming follows natural, low-intervention principles developed over years of hands-on work.
The Wines
The range is generous and varied, from the fresh Premier Jus and the Cypres de Toi blanc to varietal reds such as a Syrah de la Pinede, alongside several blends. Across the lineup the wines aim for the soulful, lush character the couple set out to capture when they first cleared the overgrown vines at Escales.
