Visiting the Domaine des Dolines, in Aubussargues
- Par nbesse
- Le 04/02/2025
- Dans Local products & recipes
FR - Let's go to the village of Aubussargues to visit a winery like no other.
Want to find out more? Join us for our wine tasting session!
WINE TASTING
Hello,
You embarked on the Domaine des Dolines adventure in January 2024. What triggered this very personal and captivating project?
The love of vines and wine passed on by my paternal grandmother enabled us to envisage our project with peace of mind.
After working for many years in the IT world and then in the organic and fair trade sector, where Delphine and I met, we decided to make a 180º turn together. A great challenge!
‘Authentic, committed wines with a heart and an organic approach’... Domaine des Dolines: A project in line with our values, with degrees in oenology and viticulture in hand and a determination to : To reinvent the vine! (Stéphane Noet)
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Today, the Domaine des Dolines is both a professional and a family project, with the aim of turning our passion for wine into our new profession. Everyone is involved in their own way, from work in the vines, the cellar and the future accommodation, to sales, marketing and communication.
You had to go back to school. What was the main thrust of your training?
My training alternated between university (Université du Vin de Suze-La-Rousse) and the winery. I was lucky enough to be able to work with the Domaine de Gournier, in Boucoiran-et-Nozières. It was a formative and very rewarding experience, while Delphine took care of other aspects of the project.
How did you find what was to become the Domaine des Dolines?
It took us around... 3 years of research and site visits. We finally settled on what was to become Les Dolines.
We had to completely rethink and transform a vast winery and 15 hectares of vines, between Aubussargues, Bourdic and Garrigues-Saint-Eulalie, which gave us a fine harvest last year and our first cuvées.
The result is our FACE and VOLTE FACE collections, which represent the different facets of our love for this Gard region that we've grown to love.
Three FACE references, still, in red, rosé and white, two VOLTE FACE sparkling, white and rosé... Several faces for IGP Cévennes wines with a marked yet delicate character, unique temperaments.
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3 FACE references and 2 sparkling wines, the VOLTE FACE. How did you go about creating these crus, all with the Cévennes PGI?
Our approach to the land and to farming is designed to respect the environment - we're eco-entrepreneurs first and foremost, so we cultivate our plots organically using ecopastoralism (see our article) to maintain the vines and we work with biodiversity to protect the vines.
Agroforestry is also an important aspect of our project. We are going to plant almond, pistachio and prickly pear trees, which will serve both to diversify our production and to protect our land through hedges, which help drainage while preserving soil moisture, maintaining the soil and stimulating local biodiversity.
We are also working on phyto-purification of the water in our winery (a totally natural filtration process, using plants in particular), recycling and converting an old 30,000-litre wine vat into a rainwater harvesting tank, reusing as many of the building's materials as possible for its renovation and using second-hand materials for its restructuring.
‘Sustainable, authentic and eco-responsible organic farming? For example... 1- the decision to remove the capsules from the corks of the different vintages. The Marianne (yes, that's the name of the little sticker) is no longer compulsory! 2- the desire to reinvent the vine and wine, to discover new aromas and flavours with organic, fruity and lighter wines. 3- regenerative viticulture, by increasing biodiversity in the crop and the soil, the basis of the estate's winegrowing philosophy...
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You are going to diversify your offer by proposing guest rooms and gîtes. A move into wine tourism that will only strengthen your link with the region and your values. Can you tell us about the future of the Domaine des Dolines in terms of accommodation?
5 guest rooms and 3 gîtes are planned in the half of the building that we will open in November or December 2025.
Here too, the restructuring of the building has been thought through in a sustainable way, working exclusively with local architects and contractors: raw materials and cement, exposed beams, ‘brutalist’ architecture... but also the opening of several bay windows on the ground floor to let in the light and warm the interior. Patios will be added upstairs to enlarge the gîtes and give them a modern touch, with each one having its own outdoor space.
The decor will be pared back, but will leave plenty of room for works by local artists, both classical and avant-garde, in the spirit of the Anselm Kiefer foundation in Barjac, for example. You'll feel inspired by the Pont du Gard when you come face to face with our arched openings!
We also plan to offer themed breaks, workshops to discover tastes, food and wine pairings or, at the very least, to recommend ideas for walks around the Domaine and in the region, in relation to tourist attractions, the terroir, etc, and in collaboration with local players.
What's more, this interest in the Gard region will be reflected in our cellar, alongside our wines. In this way, we hope to develop a fine range of products, again in partnership with local businesses. And, to top it all off, we'll be opening a table d'hôtes, by reservation only, where you can discover that you can eat healthy, organic food and still have a great time!
That's what the Domaine des Dolines is all about!
Many thanks to Delphine and Stéphane for their warm welcome and collaboration on this article.
Photo@Saloméwithacamera.
The right address: Domaine des Dolines, 2b Place de l'Église, Aubussargues. Open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 12pm and 2pm to 6.30pm, Saturday 9am to 12.30pm. Contact: stephane@domainedesdolines.com, tel: 06 85 60 93 19. Follow Domaine des Dolines on Instagram and Facebook.