Our History

A BIODYNAMIC FAMILY VINEYARD

A 50-hectare family domain close to Avignon in the southern Rhône Valley

Organic wines ECOCERT certified and biodynamic wines DEMETER certified

Leperchois Family Origins

The Leperchois family originated from Santa Croce sull'Arno, a small village south of Tuscany about 40 kilometers from the sea. The family’s ancestors emigrated to France due to the economic crisis that struck Italy in the 1920s. In Italy, their forebears produced table grapes and grapes destined to become wine. Part of the family also worked in leather tanneries three generations ago.

The Birth of the Domain

The family made a fresh start when they arrived in France. They started by being wine-growers for different domains. Afterwards, they acquired 3 hectares in the 1930s. At that time, their grapes would be taken to the village cooperative. In 1974 when Christian Leperchois took over the vineyard, he extended it to 9 hectares and started selling the wine in bottles. First Côtes-du-Rhône in 1974, then he sold Tavel and Lirac in 1980. The wine cellar was also constructed at this time.
In the 1980s, Christian acquired 11 additional hectares followed by another 10 in the 1990s. Since the 1990s, the entire vineyard adopted organic farming and became ECOCERT certified in 1997. The family’s fifth generation, Magali and Fabien, Christian’s children, increased the domain in the 2000s to reach its current 50 hectares.

The Domain’s Name

In the 14th century, the Papacy resided at the Palais des Papes in Avignon. The region was watched over by Italian guards on horses known as the Carabinieri. Since then, the area has been known as "Carabiniers". Because the cellar was constructed on the site of a former horse stable where the Carabinieri kept their horses, the family kept its name. The horse became the symbol for the domain.

The Location

The domain is located in the commune of Roquemaure in the Gard department, an ancient river port on the right bank of the Rhône. In the 17th century, Côte du Rhône wines, which the king couldn’t get enough of, left from Roquemaure. This name was given to the wines of the right bank of the Rhône, and then became Côtes-du-Rhône (plural) by including left bank wines. The more southern right bank crus, Tavel and Lirac, draw their heritage from the second and third epochs. Their terroir is composed of earthy layers dating back to the Pliocene epoch several millions of years ago. Sand, colluvium, clay, limestone and the famous rolled pebbles are associated with this period. This period was marked by the retreat of the Mediterranean Sea, some areas of the Alps collapsing and changes with the Rhône’s riverbed.

The Domain Today

Today, Magali and Fabien are the fifth generation to work the domain. Fabien joined his father in 2006 as Maître de Chai. He converted the entire property to biodynamic, receiving Demeter certification in 2009. Demeter International is the only international certifying body for biodynamic farms and products. In 2013, Magali joined to handle administration and sales. In 2015, the company Biodynamic Wine was created to allow Fabien and Magali manage the domain and sell the vineyard’s wines.
They now manage the domain and team, which includes 6 people, helped by seasonal workers that work the vineyards.

The Domain’s Philosophy

The domain has always had a vision looking towards the future:

Organic viticulture since 1990. ECOCERT certified in 1997;
Biodynamic viticulture since 2006. DEMETER certified in 2009;
Cellar improvements are underway including increasing the winery, storage and shipping as well as a new tasting room.

We work Tavel, Lirac, Côtes-du-Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellations as well as IGP Pays d’Oc. We make wine using natural yeasts without additives and without sulphites. An adjustment is made during bottling, only for certain products. The goal is to reduce the amounts of sulphur dioxide as much as possible to preserve aromas for the greatest pleasure to consumers.

Biodynamic winemaking goes much farther than organic:

Less inputs used in the vineyard, including reducing the use of copper and sulphur;
The only preparations other than sulphur and copper are natural (e.g., plant infusions, silica, horn manure);
Little to no inputs used during vinification (e.g., little to no sulphur);
The biodynamic philosophy is similar to homeopathy: bring plant infusions to the vines to reinforce them and their natural defences as a preventative solution;
Pay attention to the environment to identify the ideal moments to treat the vines (e.g., weather forecasts, observing life and lunar calendar);
Everything is natural, thus little to no risk to human beings (e.g., winegrowers, maîtres de chai, consumers);
A focus on the health and strength of the plant, soil as well as biodiversity;
A long-term vision, which gives the best attention to the vegetation, fruit, vines and wines!
As with the greatest chefs, for whom the secret to a great recipe are good ingredients, a good wine is first and foremost good grapes to us;
Preserving and valuing the earth’s balance. A terroir can’t create itself, which is why it is important to respect it, the earth and its quality in order to not impoverish it.
500P is horn manure, which develops the ground. It is a very nutritional compost that is applied to soil to stimulate the roots and nourish supportive underground life. Root growth is a major element to the health and quality of vines. Applying horn manure stimulates microbial life, which is required to provide natural reserves during winter to the vine stocks;
We also spread 501, also known as silica quartz, on foliage to help the plants capture light intensity, a source of heat and the moonlight. This supports photosynthesis.

The Future

The domain is growing! The winery, storage, shipping and tasting room are being expanded and should be finished by 2020. We also are hoping to acquire 10-15 hectares of vines at most, all while still remaining at a manageable, family size vineyard. This will allow us to continue to concentrate on quality while working the entire vineyard as biodynamic in the best conditions as well as to keep it family owned and operated.