In the Tarn Gorges, in Lozère, the Cabridelles estate is harvesting its next vintage of organic wine

In the Tarn Gorges, in Lozère, the Cabridelles estate is harvesting its next vintage of organic wine

Elisabeth Boyé et Ségolène De Boisgelin, du domaine des Cabridelles. Midi Libre – STEPHANIE BOULOIR

Les vendanges sont en cours dans les gorges du Tarn, en Lozère. Le domaine des Cabridelles produit 28 000 bouteilles par an.

For the grapes ripening on the slopes of the Tarn Gorges in Lozère, it is time to be harvested.

At the Domaine des Cabridelles, created by Élisabeth Boyé and Bertrand Servières, the operation began on September 21, 2024, and should continue until the end of next week. A shift of about ten days on the usual calendar, linked to weather conditions, and a very wet month of September. “You have to be patient to pick nice grapes”, say the winegrowers. This weather “a bit atypical” has an advantage for grapes: “The vines have not suffered from water stress, and that is very important. We will not have the biggest harvest, but it will be of high quality, with a beautiful maturity."

Five grape varieties

Depending on the maturity of each grape variety, the Cabridelles estate will harvest Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamaret, Syrah and Marselan in turn. In total, the estate cultivates 5.3 hectares of vines, divided into thirty-one plots belonging to seventeen owners. "A configuration that changes everything, admits Élisabeth Boyé. There cannot be the same mechanization as on large plots of plains."

In the Tarn Gorges, in Lozère, the Cabridelles estate is harvesting its next vintage of organic wine

The Syrah has reached maturity. Midi Libre – STEPHANIE BOULOIR

That day, a plot of Syrah is being harvested in Céret, just opposite Castelbouc, near Sainte-Énimie (Gorges-du-Tarn-Causses commune). The vineyard is difficult to access and steep. The individual buckets are poured into crates placed at the end of the row, themselves collected using a small towed trailer mounted on tracks. Stored in the van, they head to the Ispagnac cooperative cellar.

Biodiversity

Launched in 2006, the Cabridelles estate produces 28,000 bottles of red, white and rosé wine each year. The rosé will be released in March 2025, while the more elaborate red, which will mature in oak barrels, will not be available on the market until 2026. All the wines are certified organic, but also HVE, for high environmental value. “When you are in a setting like this, it is a natural choice, says Élisabeth Boyé. And our customers are sensitive to this approach."

In the Tarn Gorges, in Lozère, the Cabridelles estate is harvesting its next vintage of organic wine

The vines are planted on the slopes of the Tarn Gorges. Here, opposite Castelbouc. Midi Libre – STEPHANIE BOULOIR

The estate is also an Esprit Parc brand, supported by the Cévennes National Park. A guarantee of biodiversity. "It's nice to see life in our vines. We don't plow. This gives a great diversity of flora at the foot of the vines. And there are even birds that nest on the vines. Throughout the seasons, when we come to work, we see them building the nest, then incubating. We spot the nests so as not to disturb them, and we wait for the little ones to fly away."

Locally

This is how the vine lives in the Tarn Gorges. All the wine will be sold locally. "We are short of wine, so why sell ours elsewhere ?", smile the winegrowers. The short circuit is also a component of the global environmental approach advocated by the Cabridelles estate.

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