05/18/2022 | Guilain Latournerie, winegrower in the Graves appellation, is also developing public reception on his property.
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Originally from southern Gironde, Guilain Latournerie returned to the land of his childhood a few years ago and, in the process, bought Château Caillivet in Mazèzes. An agronomist by training, he offers “wines for laying down” but is also considering other, more confidential cuvées. Breeding and wine tourism are also part of the projects of this young winegrower who chose, from the outset, to switch to organic.
Nestled between the fortress of Roquetaillade and the valley of the Garonne, the Caillivet castle, located in Mazères, in the south of Gironde, benefits from a breathtaking view of the Gironde countryside. Owned since August 2020 by Guilain Latournerie, this Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) produces red (Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon) and white (Sauvignon blanc and Sémillon) Graves wines under the watchful eye of this young 31-year-old winemaker.
A childhood dream for this trained agronomist, former manager of Château Agassac in the Médoc, trained in some of the great Bordeaux châteaux, and who completed his knowledge by working in vineyards in the New World, particularly in Australia, in Chile or California. The opportunity for the future winemaker not only to discover new winemaking techniques, but also to train in another approach to the profession, that of welcoming the public to the properties, a concept “much more developed in these countries”. A professional career that opens up new horizons and “allows you to have a broader range than what he would have had by staying in Bordeaux”.
The switch to organic: obvious
Rich in this teaching, this native of Bazas who wanted to return to his native land and buy back Caillivet, whom he had known since childhood, ended up realizing his dream. Helped by the Chamber of Agriculture of the Gironde and the Crédit Agricole, he moved there 18 months ago, encouraged in this by his family, including some cousins, themselves winegrowers in Bordeaux.
Then in decline and commercially loss-making, the farm has since experienced a resurgence of activity, despite a difficult start, including the frost of 2021 which burned a third of its harvest. But whatever. Far from being discouraged, he persevered and continued his momentum, even going so far as to decide to switch to organic as soon as he set up shop. A risky choice but one that he assumes and claims for solid reasons: “We practice eco-grazing. A herd of ewes from the Pyrenees (Tarasconnaises) comes to graze on the estate during the winter months, then goes back to the summer pastures; which allows them to fertilize the vines while enjoying the fresh air all year round without having to remain confined in a sheepfold. We reproduce what was done in the past. In addition, we also have beehives from which we sell the honey, as well as the meat of the lambs during the Easter period. Practices incompatible with the use of pesticides”specifies the young entrepreneur, openly refractory to the “all viticulture”.
A field full of potential
With an area of 37 hectares, including 10 hectares of vines, a lake and a “beautiful and wild” forest, a veritable ecosystem that protects the grapes, the estate also welcomes the public to “to benefit as many people as possible”. To this end, a reception room and a character cottage are now rented for professional seminars, weddings, or to city dwellers and tourists wishing to discover the beauties of southern Gironde. It was also an opportunity for Guilain Latournerie to organize visits, tastings and to publicize its products as well as its way of working, in order to build up a clientele. Of the 40,000 bottles on average produced each year on the property, “60% are sold to professionals, wine merchants or restaurateurs and 40% to individuals”specifies the winegrower who favors direct sales and contact with the customers to whom he wishes to transmit his approach to the profession.
A castle and projects
Became a winemaker “out of passion”Guilain Latournerie harvest « 50% machine, 50% main » and vinifies himself. Manufacturer of a wine for laying down, a classic product in the Bordeaux region, he also plans, following the new expectations of the clientele, to offer “more fruity and light wines for which it is not necessary to wait to consume them”. Wines in casks such as pigeage (Burgundian vinification technique) which makes it possible to obtain different profiles, or aged in amphora (a method which micro-oxygenates the wine without adding any woody or structuring character) should therefore soon enrich its range.
At the same time, Bazada cows, a breed endemic to southern Gironde, should soon appear on the property. A project that touches his heart because “they are part of the local heritage” and that “is really in line with the territorial logic” he wants to highlight. This would allow him to enhance his 17 hectares of pasture.
Another project and not the least: wine tourism. “We have created an offer that did not really exist in the surrounding areas and we are in the process of developing a synergy with other players in the South Gironde, (historical monuments, accommodation providers or outdoor activities) to bring people of Bordeaux so that we enhance the whole of our territory from a heritage point of view”, he says. Biodiversity-oriented visits, themed tastings allowing you to go back in time over several vintages or geo-sensory tastings bringing to mind the different terroirs present on Caillivet to raise awareness and educate the consumer are also on the program. “Through all these offers, we hope to bring as many people as possible to share this place and be recognized for it”concludes the young owner who wishes above all to share his love of the vine with everyone.
More info:
Aqui publishes a series of portraits of young people settled in agriculture ahead of the Installation Transmission Day, on May 24 at 2 p.m. Hall 4 of the Bordeaux Exhibition Center as part of the New Aquitaine Agricultural Show.
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By Emmanuelle Diaz
Photo credit: ED
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