Laurent Cazottes is many things at once: vigneron, distiller, and committed steward of a living farm that his family has worked for twelve generations in the village of Villeneuve-sur-Vère, one hour northeast of Toulouse in the Tarn. His wines are inseparable from his spirits and his land, and that unity of purpose is precisely what makes them remarkable.
Backstory
The Cazottes family distilling tradition stretches back generations, carried by Laurent's father Jean who worked as a traveling distiller across the Gaillac territory with a mobile alembic still he purchased in 1960. Laurent took the next step in 1999, establishing a stationary distillery at Le Carlus near Villeneuve-sur-Vère. In 2010, he went further still, reviving the family vineyards planted with grape varieties unique to the region and rarely found elsewhere.
The Region
The domaine sits in the Tarn department within the broader Gaillac wine country, a landscape of limestone and clay soils that has supported viticulture since antiquity. The estate's white calcareous soils, with active limestone exceeding 70 percent in some plots, are ideally suited to the rare indigenous varieties that Laurent has chosen to champion.
Vineyards and Farming
The farm is certified organic and informed by biodynamic principles throughout. Laurent cultivates vines, fruit trees, shrubs, and vegetable plants side by side in a deliberate permaculture ethos. Pest management relies on pheromone disruption rather than synthetic treatments. Grape varieties include Prunelart, Mauzac Blanc, Mauzac Rosé, Duras, Braucol, Jurançon Noire (Folle Noire), and Syrah, all largely confined to the Gaillac region and its surrounding hills.
Winemaking
Fermentation is entirely spontaneous, relying on wild indigenous yeasts. Wines are raised in a range of vessels including concrete tanks, old oak barrels, stainless steel, and amphora sourced from Barcelona. Since 2019, the majority of his wine cuvées have been bottled without any added sulfur dioxide. Distillates are aged in glass demijohns to preserve freshness and control oxidation.
The Wines
The range includes still wines such as Rackham, Adèle, Harley Durasson, and single-varietal expressions of Prunelart and Mauzac Rose. Beyond wine, Laurent produces over six eaux-de-vie from estate fruit, six liqueurs including his celebrated tomato liqueur made from more than 200 heirloom tomato varieties, and two wine-based aperitifs. Each release, whether a bottle of Folle Noire or a Poire Williams eau-de-vie, reflects the same hand-crafted logic.
