Domaine Mont de Marie
winemaker
Thierry Forestier
TYPE OF AGRICULTURE
Organic uncertified
VINEYARD AREA
12 ha
Country, Region, Subregion
Wines
A former IT consultant, in 2002 Thierry decided on a life change; to work with the land. His family had previously been farmers in the Nimes area, but he had one problem... he didn’t know how to farm.
He chose Souvignargues - a small village located between the Cevennes and the Camargue, 20km from Nimes - and started in 2004 with five hectares of old vines. A friendship with Eric Pfifferling was the catalyst for working as gently as possible, minimal intervention in every sense of the word.
Today Thierry is farming 12ha of Aramon, Carignan de Cinsault, Grenache and Viognier on clay-sand. The parcels benefit from cool nights in summer, with cold air currents coming down from the Aigoual massif.
Farming old vines in co-planted parcels surrounded by forest, prioritising soil health and diversity, Thierry has become something of a luminary in the area. Now nearly twenty years into his journey, he's a champion of zero-sulphur winemaking and careful farming, he's helped fledgling growers with vinifications, lends a hand in re-training their vines back to traditional goblet pruning, or helping sourcing grapes when growers hit hard vintages.
In the cellar, Thierry keeps macerations short for the reds, whole bunches rarely stay in tanks for more than 5 days, presses are gentle, ageing is simple. A light touch is the order of the day in the cellar, and it shows.
A Grenache and Cinsault blend. Maceration for 4 days. Aged 6 months in concrete vats. No added sulphur.