Domaine de Rapatel Wines from Nîmes region by Gérard and Christine Eyraud Le (tthe) Domaine de Rapatel was created in 1905 by Louis Guiot, Gérard Eyraud's grandfather who produced wine and raised lambs on an ancient monastery farm site. Louis decided to keep its name, Rapatel, that means "warm sun" in Catalan language. By the end of the sixties, It is Gerard's father, Pierre Eyraud, who takes over the property and start market gardening, selling the grapes to cooperatives. In 1979, it's Gérard Eyraud's turn to take over Rapatel. Because he is passionate about his Terroir, because of his belief in natural products, he will let the soil rest with no chemicals addition before starting to make wine. Ten years later, Gérard Eyraud signs his first vintages and put his family name on his first bottles, winning gold, silver and Prestige prizes during the Costières de Nîmes wines contest on this very same year.... A promising start! Ever since Gerard kept growing complex, rich natural and alive wines, only putting in bottles the wines that he is proud of, being on a perpetual quest of excellence. THE TERROIR - Surface area : 30 ha - Location: Languedoc, in between Nîmes city and Arles city at the Camargue National Park gates. - Exposition : Nord/Sud/Est/Ouest - Soil : Sandstone, large pebbles, Limestone-clay GRAPE VARIETIES : Red Wines :Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Cabernet, Merlot, Marselan (27 ha) White Wines : Roussane, Bourboulenc, Chasan (3 ha) - Age of the vines : 30 and 60 years older - Yield: 20 hl per hectare SOIL WORK PHILOSOPHY - No pesticides, no chemical fertilizers - Only Organic products are used to prevent and cure the vines (nettle manure, ewe whey, horsetail decoction are sprayed on the vines) VINES TRIMMING - The vines are trimmed by using the « Cordons de Royat » or the « Gobelet » cuts to enhance the quality of the wines, not the volume of grapes produced. - From December to March, woods are cut, crushed and left at the vines base to feed the soil by bringing natural humus! VINES HARVEST - Manual process - Each group of grapes are harvested separately - Harvest on ripe fruits only WINE-MAKING PROCESS Each plot is processed separately - Red wines and White wines are also promesses differently but all with natural yeasts, wines are not filtered with no added sugar or added sulfur - No oak barrels for Rapatel wines! - Wines will ferment and evolve in fiberglass or concrete tanks for 3 to 5 years before being bottled, once Gérard Eyraud is happy with their evolution.