History

The agronomist, oenologist and wine enthusiast Jocelyn Chudzikewicz has left an indelible imprint on the spirit of the estate.

Since his death in 1997, the team at the estate continues to perpetuate this tradition of exigency and respect for the work in the vines and for the wine itself.

After his death in 1997 the team at the estate, Patrick and Pascale Gras, kept the legacy alive until the return of Igor Chudzikewicz, one of Jocelyn's sons.

Together, they continue to perpetuate this tradition of exigency and respect for a natural approach towards the vines and the wine itself. Thus the entire vineyard has been certified organic since 2014.

The Site

Thanks to the quality of its wines, this exceptional terroir of 1400 hectares located between Vacqueyras and Sarrians was classified in 1990 as the Vacqueyras "cru" i.e. in the highest category in the Côtes du Rhône.

The vineyard

The estate covers 30 hectares, partly in the Vaucluse IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée – i.e. Protected Geographical Indication), the rest in AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée – i.e. Protected Designation of Origin) Vacqueyras.

The age of the vines (average age 50 years) with very low average yields between 25 and 35 hectolitres per hectare depending on the year and appellations, and their perfect adaptation to the diversity of soils, are the key elements that give the wines such elegant, rich, complex and balanced flavours.

The recent planting of the white varieties grenache blanc, roussanne, viognier and clairette for the Vacqueyras AOP, and roussanne, vermentino and viognier for the IGP, will complement an already extensive range.

The philosophy

We grow our 30 hectares of vines to obtain the purest expression of the various terroirs.

To preserve the rapport between our vineyard and its environment, we favour tillage and grass cover planting; the use of synthetic products is prohibited.

When making our wines, we allow the quality of our harvest to express itself in a natural way.

Therefore, we have turned to organic agriculture and the production of organic wines.