Domaine des Maels
On the banks of the Canal du Midi, in Argens-Minervois, Morgane and Frédéric Schwertz run a 15-hectare family estate divided into several blocks, in the Minervois terroir, in the Aude. Settled there in 2002 to make a living from winegrowing on a human scale, they began converting to organic farming in 2010; the vineyard and the wines have been certified since 2011.
Agroecology shapes the work: planting hedges around the plots and trees among the vines, including on new plantings. A cover crop of vetch, faba bean, black oat, fodder radish and mustard is sown at the end of August, then destroyed at the end of winter and left as mulch to limit soil cultivation and retain moisture, a major constraint in the Mediterranean environment. The estate also applies shredded green waste, at a rate of 20 tonnes per hectare per year, to raise organic matter levels; the soils are described as mycorrhizal. Gentle pruning, respectful of sap flow, aims to limit wood diseases. An audit measured the vineyard's regeneration index at 61 out of 100.
The soils vary from plot to plot: stony limestone with yellow sandstone in the Pech Laurié valley, iron-rich red clay-limestone soil on the Montesclat hill, where old Carignan vines are planted, silt-clay-limestone at the foot of the hillside for Roussanne, and clay-silt-limestone on the banks of the canal.
The cuvées follow these terroirs: Le Clos du Pech Laurié, a monopole, Le Montesclat, Les Matelles based on Roussanne, Monsieur Poulpe in Cinsault, Cuvée M in Syrah and L'Aigle de Bonelli in Roussanne, with no added sulfites, the Minervois des Maels red and rosé, the Rouge des Maels in Merlot and the Blanc des Maels in Colombard. In the cellar, interventions remain limited and vinifications are carried out without sulfites.
Tasting and sales take place at the tasting room, avenue des Platanes, and the family offers guest rooms at La Bastide des Maels, on the banks of the Canal du Midi.
Details gathered from the estate's website and public sources, for information only.
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