Portraits of winemakers

LA GRANDE MAISON: AOC MONBAZILLAC WINES ‘FOR EVERY PALATE

"Love at first sight" in the Dordogne

Originally from Normandy, Benjamin lived for many years in the South-East of France. Very attached to this region, it was quite natural for him to travel around Provence and its surroundings when he started looking for a wine-growing estate to buy. "I wanted a beautiful building, with quality wines at good value for money. But unfortunately I was unable to meet these three criteria", says Benjamin. He therefore extended his search to the South-West and soon fell in love with an old fortified house from the 14th century, located in the heart of the Monbazillac region, on the banks of the Dordogne and near the historic city of Bergerac: Domaine La Grande Maison. Without hesitation, Benjamin and his wife left the South-East to settle in this part of France and embark on the adventure.

La Grande Maison: AOC Monbazillac and AOC Bergerac wines

Spread over an area of 14 hectares of vines cultivated using organic viticulture, the Domaine La Grande Maison vineyard specializes in the production of Monbazillac, but also red wines and dry rosé wines in AOC Bergerac. Ten hectares of vines are devoted to white grape varieties (60% Sémillon, 25% Sauvignon, 15% Muscadelle) and four to black grapes (90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc). "We have kept the same range of Monbazillac as our predecessor, which presents sweet wines with various grape varieties and varying sugar levels. Our wines are therefore ideal to accompany a Christmas meal: you can start with a slightly sweet wine with foie gras, so as not to saturate the taste buds with sugar, then sweeter at the end of the meal, particularly to accompany chocolate or fruity desserts," explains Benjamin.

As for red wines, however, the range no longer has much in common with that of the former winemaker at Domaine La Grande Maison. "We wanted to produce wines that were more in line with our consumption preferences and those of our customers: in this case, wines that were rounder in the mouth with silkier tannins," Benjamin emphasizes. The winemaker therefore replaced some of the wooden barrels with stainless steel vats, in order to obtain less woody and more fruity wines.

Free tour of the vineyards

Concerned with "giving life to the micro-organisms present in the soil", Benjamin also practices biodynamic viticulture, in particular by timing the winemaking processes according to the cycles of the moon and administering natural plant-based treatments to the vines. The wines are matured with as few inputs as possible (fertilizers, phytosanitary products, seeds, etc.). "I strive to produce real terroir wines, which first and foremost involves cultivating healthy soil," says Benjamin.

Also a father, Benjamin pays tribute to his granddaughter Milla, born last summer, by creating the “Milla Bulles” vintage, a wine produced using the Champagne method that will be released next summer. If you visit Domaine La Grande Maison during the summer, you will also have the opportunity to discover a free trail through the 20 hectares of the estate, crossed by a large pond. “The names of the grape varieties are indicated on each plot: it is an opportunity for visitors to discover our vines and our estate, in addition to our cellars which remain open for visits throughout the year,” explains Benjamin.