Domaine de Chamans is sited 30 minutes outside of Carcassonne in the Languedoc, Southern France, it is run by Sir John and Philippa Hegarty who are Co-proprietors and their winemaker is Jessica Chardron. It is Organic certified and Biodynamically farmed, the vines are planted on the foothills of the Black Mountain.
The philosophy of both Philippa and John is to produce wines that are elegant yet complex – a true expression of this unique piece of land. The vines are pruned following the Marco Simonit Method to encourage health and resist disease. The vines are planted on land that is composed of limestone and clay with several parcels of schist. The advantage of clay is it retains moisture, essential when you experience the heat of the Languedoc, this forces the vines to root deeply which results in rich and fruity aromas. The highest point of the vineyard is 3200m above sea level, this elevation means the vineyard benefits from a cooling influence which retains acidity in the grapes.
Adhering to the biodynamic methods, Chaman’s compost uses organic manure and biodynamic preparations which, when spread on the soil, encourage a rich microbial life that nurtures the vines. The importance of the land being nurtured for generations to come was what inspired them to be biodynamic.
The predominant wind, le Cers, helps to dry out any humidity on the grapes and allows a reduction of the number of preventive treatments, a benefit of being in the Minervois region. To maintain a sustainable vineyard and winery, Chamans consciously adapt practices within both the vineyard and winery to minimise their environmental impact such as the collection of rainwater. This is part of the process for biodynamic practices as this pure water increases the efficiency of the biodynamic preparations when dynamised. Practising Biodynamics sees the enhancement of the “spirit of the farm” means seeing it as working in unison with nature, for example, planting legumes as cover crops in between the vines to bring more nitrogen into the soil, improve soil structure and encourage microbial activity as a natural way to fertilise the land.
