Domaine Causse Marines

France, South West

The Story

In Southwest France, about a half-hour drive northeast of Toulouse is the historic town of Gaillac. Where the Tarn River reaches Gaillac, the hills open up, the river becomes navigable and the path goes on all the way to the Atlantic. While its name is still not well known, Gaillac is one of the oldest wine regions in France– producing one of the first ‘Grands Crus’ of ancient Roman Gaul– and was a millennium ahead of Burgundy and 1500 years ahead of much of Bordeaux in establishing quality wine. But sadly, since the 17th century, the region suffered from over planting of popular but poorly-suited grapes, and its reputation faded.

Progress is often made when order is disrupted, and Patrice Lescarret, a non-conformist from birth, has pushed the bureaucratic and oenological boundaries of the AOC, hoping to roll back the calendar and return to the ancient grapes and simpler practices of the time of glory for Gaillac.

Along the dusty, windy roads of this quiet region, Patrice has created a 15-hectare clone-free, rare grape viticultural preserve. Most of Domaine Causse Marine’s holdings are of old vines dating back to the early 1940’s, and the vast majority are indigenous varieties. Grapes that are hardly household names: Mauzac, Loin de L’Oeil, Ondenc and Braucol, most planted using selection massale– a traditional method that uses grafts of older vines to create new plants, not clones. This is essential for maintaining the history and integrity of old cépages, and increases vineyard diversity. Patrice felt strongly that these grapes were the rightful heirs to his terroir, but the process to establish vineyards with them was arduous, challenged by many and required battles with both bureaucrats and fellow winemakers.

Since these historic varieties are not officially recognised by the appellation regulations, all of Patrice’s wines are sold as Vin De France. Due to regulations on using clones, he has also had to create a clever naming system that uses anagrams of the grape names on the labels, i.e. his Dencon cuvée is the grape Ondenc. His labels also feature a small icon using the “no symbol”– a circle with a strike through it– over an image of a badger, which in French is blaireau, and slang for an idiot. This prohibition against idiocy is a reference to the many regulations and restrictions of the AOC. And a further glimpse into his rebellious nature.

Across the Domaine pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and artificial fertilisers are banned. All grapes are hand-harvested, and Patrice limits the yield of most of his vineyards to around 35 hl/hectare. Fining and filtration are kept to a minimum, and only a small level of sulphites is used. He champions organic, biodynamic and regenerative farming, but abhors the dogmatic regulations of certification bodies and prefers to let his own conscience and opinions guide his work. Like many of our producers, he abides by a simple philosophy: Look after the land, and let the wines reveal themselves.

Patrice’s old-vine, low-yield, high-density vines create intense fruit, which he chooses to harvest early for lower levels of sugar and the chance to show the true character of these unique grapes.

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It is enough to just respect the grape…the winegrower should only be in the cellar to accompany his grapes and finalise, without oenological inputs, the fruit of his peasant labour. Let the ground and the life express itself!

Patrice Lescarret

The People

Patrice Lescarret

Patrice grew up in Bordeaux, and studied oenology there, but knew he never wanted to make wine in that region. He explored various regions, eventually working for wineries in Provence and Sancerre. After several years, he, like so many winemakers, yearned to create his own Domaine. In 1993, he purchased a small estate from a retiring farmer. While that seems like a traditional path, Patrice jokes that after learning ‘the wrong way to do things’ in oenological school and then spending a few years applying this conventional winemaking for others, he wanted to reverse all of that and make wine his way, the right way.

Naturally, Patrice does all the work himself. His deputy at the Domaine is a large black dog named JaJa, who roams freely among the vines and has a special love for antagonising the rabbits and sheep. The sheep belong to a neighbour who uses them to train dogs, but Patrice allows them to graze in his vines until bud burst, preferring their mowing skills to that of a tractor and allowing their fertiliser to further enrich his nutrient-rich soils. Evidence of these woolly beasts can be found in the small tufts of white fur that cling to many of the Domaine’s vines.

The animal menagerie also includes an astonishing array of insects. A study by a scientist from a nearby university found that the Domaine’s soils have 3 to 4 times the usual amount of insects. These rich soils and plentiful life also attract serpents and rats. Less picturesque than the sheep but great for sustainable farming. Patrice says his soil fertility is entirely thanks to 25 years of biodynamic farming and proof that caring for the land above all else is the best path to great wine.

Patrice has long been a vocal advocate of both historic grapes and biodynamic farming and is considered one of the leaders of the rebirth of this small region. However, he has decided it is time to get off his soap box and wants to instead focus on just creating his wines. He says, “I don’t want to take my baton and convince people anymore… I just want to make my wine and nothing else”.

Patrice is also prioritising rest and travel. During a trip to Myanmar a few years ago, he fell in love with the country and eventually built bungalows on the beach and set up a restaurant. He loves to return there each year after the harvest, and says he was inspired by the late winemaker Didier Dageneau, who took similar sabbaticals each year to do dogsledding in Canada. “I used to think one had to be dedicated 100% all the time to making wine, but I’ve learned the value of time away and being in other countries and cultures.”

We can make organic wine without having long hair and smoking grass! One can make natural wines that don’t smell like a cow’s fart.

Patrice Lescarret

Street sign and vineyards in the background

The Place

South West France

Gaillac is one of those hidden gems that makes the world of wine so endlessly appealing.
Just a few kilometres from the small village of Vieux, the Domaine is a postcard-perfect spot in the middle of a hilly, woody region where trees outnumber roads 1000:1. It feels isolated in a nostalgic way and is (for now) spared the blight of commercial shopping centres and urban sprawl.

The name Causse Marines was inspired by the Domain’s geography. The dramatic visual of the many causse (limestone plateaux) is part of the region’s identity and fundamental to the strength of his vines. Marines is the name of the river that flows past the Domaine.

The original estate was 8 hectares of vines with an old farmhouse in the middle. Patrice was attracted to this site because it is enclosed by a forest, which limits contamination from other farms. He also liked the idea of living among the vines– which would allow him to keep a watchful eye on his grapes and ensure a short commute. He built a winemaking chai a few hundred meters away, and over the years cultivated his own oasis of flora and fauna. He grows lavender for use in vine treatments, encourages snakes, rats and bats, and has planted a small forest of truffle oaks. On our recent visit, a soundtrack of birds chirping and sheep bleating accompanied us while walking amongst the vines.

A severe frost in the region in 1956 killed almost everything and most of the vines were replaced with “encouraged” grapes like the now ubiquitous Syrah. Many of the heritage grapes Patrice champions are low-yielding and/or prone to disease, so they were not supported by government replanting schemes and had virtually disappeared. This broad-sweeping replanting led to a proliferation of clones, no genetic diversity and grapes not suited to the terroir. But most of Patrice’s vines date from before World War Two, and one hectare of hybrid vines from the former Domaine were uprooted in favour of indigenous varieties. Both old and newer vines are planted with massale selection, so there are no clones at all at Causse Marines. Each new plant was hand-selected by Patrice, including several varieties that were virtually extinct and required extensive efforts to track down cuttings. The massale process is so tightly controlled by the appellation that Patrice had to establish the Domaine also as a nursery in order to cultivate these vines!

When asked about what happens in the cellar, Patrice replies, “Nothing exciting! All you have to do is respect the grapes and the winemaking is complete. The winegrower should only be in the cellar to accompany his grapes and finalise the wine, without oenological inputs… Letting the soil and life express itself is a difficult art!”

The winemaking cellar has just enough space to manoeuvre between parts of his collection of equipment. Patrice has an old, wheeled press and de-stemmer, but no pumps– the grapes are pressed and juice falls into temperature-controlled tanks via gravity. Enameled stainless steel vats are used for fermentation, then fibreglass is used for ageing whites and concrete vats for ageing reds. He also has some old oak barrels used for special experiments, including a sur voile oxidative style of Mauzac.

His hands-off approach, combined with his high standards, yields exhilarating, authentic wines that defy description and must be tasted to be understood. Causse Marines is truly a reflection of Patrice– uncompromising, rebellious, idealist, and with a strong personality. A creator of wines without artifice– a pure expression of place and purpose. And the ideal guardian of a priceless viticultural heritage.

The important thing is not to know if this vintage is good or not, but rather to realise if this juice suits your taste buds (or not).

Patrice Lescarret