Chateau Bousquette

The Integrity Take

Isabelle and Eric are gentle people overseeing a 100 year old vineyard in Saint-Chinian. They have lived on the property with their family (and two donkeys) for 30 years crafting delicious wines from Syrah, Granache, Mourvedre and Cinsault for the Reds and Vermentino and Viognier for the Whites. In addition to their vineyads, Eric is an avid painter and Isabelle makes beautiful pottery.

Farmed by the local Abbey since before hte French Revolution
Eric and Isabelle Perret fell in love with this centuries old vineyard in 1996 and began their Bousquette story.
The vineyards is 25Ha at an elevation uo to 150 meters and benefits from teh Tramontane wines that keep the clouds away

The Story

The History:

Until 1789 (the onset of the French Revolution) the Domaine of Bousquette belonged to the Abbey of Fontcaude. After the Revolution and the expropriation of the Church properties it was then acquired by Sieur Moustelou of Cessenon.

He was the first of a long succession of wine-makers. The family Fabre-Ginoulhac owned the property until 1996; but already in 1972 they began to follow the principles of the “Nature and Progress” approach to vine cultivation. Since then the Domaine has been certified organic by Ecocert.

In 1996, Eric and Isabelle Perret, a Swiss couple, fell in love with the area and the vineyard and purchased it. They too were totally convinced of the great value of “biological” farming and since they took over Chateau Bousquette, they have continually restructured and improved all aspects of the property – always aiming at producing even better biologically grown wines.

The Bousquette Philosophy:

“Let the Earth bring forth the best it can give, without artificial stimulation, while respecting Nature and the health and well-being of those who consume her. Get the help of the light, the warmth of the sun and the stimulation of the wind to produce healthy grapes and wines which give both well-being and great pleasure.”

Producing Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault on clay, limestone soils, the vineyards of Chateau Bousquette are situated on the flanks of a valley, above the Orb river and the town of Cessenon, 15 km north/west of the City of Beziers in the South of France, Saint-Chinian AOC.

The family’s 25 hectares of vines are surrounded by the “Garrigue” wilderness, which greatly helps to keep the vines within the norms of biological cultivation. The vineyards are located between 100 and 150 m above sea level and the vines are pruned according to traditional methods (called “en cordon de Royat”) and Guyot. The average age of the wines 30-35 years. Grape harvesting by hand and by machine. The Perrets use traditional minimalist vinification methods with careful temperature control.