We planted the majority of our vineyards ourselves between 2002 and 2007 and have purchased alongside it some old vine plots to complete our holdings. Our first, small, harvest was in 2005, and the following year we bought and renovated an old cellar in the center of the medieval town of Faugères. All our vineyards have been in full production since 2012.

The beginning In 1999, we started to create our domaine from the scratch. Our two wives, Peggy and Verena sutained our project from the very beginning.

After visiting many winemaker friends in Languedoc, France, Italy and Spain, we started to prepare two and a half hectares of wasteland for the first planting. What we wanted to do was in many respects a pioneer project. From the very beginning we choosed to work biodynamically, making use of high density of planting, old and less productive rootstock and the massale selection cuttings. All these quality mesures were not known in the Languedoc during that time. We planted grains and legumes to improve soil structure for two years. When the soils were ready, we planted our first five plots of Mourvèdre, Grenache and Syrah at “Jardins” and «Bouzigues” in March 2002.

The first harvest In September 2005 we harvested for the first time a small quantity from our young vines. Since we didn't have our own cellar facilities yet at that time, we vinified at a friends cellar in the neighboring village of Cabrerolles. This first wine was made with very modest means. But the first results were already very encouraging - our wines clearly showed the freshness and minerality we wanted to achieve from the start. The first production was very small and were distributed the first bottles to a handful of wine merchants and restaurants. In 2006 we had the chance to buy old vines of Grenache and Carignan from a winemaker who was retiring and had taken care to keep his vineyard with respect. During the same year, we also bought and renovated an old wine cellar in the heart of the old village of Faugères. And the following spring, we planted another four and a half hectares at “Fenouillet”, “Lentillières” and “Magnoux”, and completed as well our vineyards at “Bouzigues” and “Fruitiers” with new plantations. Realisation of our vision after thirteen years In 2012, for the first time we harvested a full production of 30,000 bottles in total. In the same year we also started selling our wines all over Europe and worldwide, working with a handful of selected partners. After thirteen years, our vision became reality.

Development of biodiversity In the vineyard, we have looked for ways to create more biodiversity in our plots and to help limiting the drying effect of the wind. This is why we started in 2013 to plant olive trees and hedges around our vines. Later, we also installed a pond that collects rainwater from the surrounding hills. --------- Beginning of ageing in terracotta amphora In the cellar, we began to look for ways to reduce the “woody” taste in the “Réserve” and the “Grande Réserve” and to bring more freshness and precision to our wines. This is why we started in 2015 to age our first wines in terracotta amphora and concrete eggs. In addition, we renovated the existing concrete vats in our old cellar in Faugères. After three years of experience with terracotta amphorae, we have successively replaced them with sandstone amphora, to promote a slower oxygenation and evolution of our wines. Creation of the “Grande Réserve de Schiste” In 2015 we began to age the Mourvèdre from our best vineyard “Bouzigues” in an amphora. The following years we continued the trials with the ageing in terracotta amphora and sandstone amphora. We waited for the convincing results of the four consecutive 2015 to 2018 vintages and decided during the blending tasting in March 2019 to start selling the new wine and to give it the name “Grande Réserve de Schiste”. Construction of a new cellar and a photovoltaic installation Following the evolution of the space needs for vinification and aging of the domaine, we built a new cellar just outside the village of Faugères in 2020. The year next we also installed 60 square meters of photovoltaic panels on the roof of the cellar, with which we produce a large part of our energy needs ourselves.