Domaine de La Grange Des Pères
Languedoc Roussilon
Laurent Vaillé passed away on April 30, 2021. We will always remember his hard work whenever we open a bottle of his beautiful wines. Our condolences to the Vaillé family.
Domaine de la Grange des Pères, founded in 1989 by Laurent Vaillé, continues to be one of the most cult wines of France. Located in the appellation of Vin de Pays de l’Hérault within Languedoc, along the Provence border, Grange des Pères is beloved for its blending of Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Cabernet Sauvignon. This extreme location along the gorges of l’Hérault creates a windswept vineyard that is cooled by the winds flowing south, much like in the Rhône Valley.
It was not by chance that Laurent Vaillé chose this location for his winery. Years prior, Laurent had apprenticed with Jean-François Coche of Domaine Coche-Dury, Gérard Chave of Domaine Chave, and Eloi Durrbach of Domaine Trévallon. With encouragement from Eloi Durrbach and an appreciation for limestone-based soils, Laurent made the decision to create Grange des Pères in l’Hérault, on a property his grandfather had owned on the edge of Aniane, west of Montpellier.
From his time working with Chave and Trévallon, Laurent was permitted to take cuttings from their vineyards to create his own massale selection at Grange des Pères. The Syrah came from Chave, and the Cabernet Sauvignon from Trévallon. Domaine Tempier, Château Beaucastel, and Domaine Gauby provided the Mourvèdre. Much like Durrbach at Trévallon, Laurent was creating a vineyard from scratch, clearing massive amounts of rock, galets, and boulders from the chalky-limestone-based slopes.
The Vaillé family is deeply attached to the terroir of Aniane, and they know exactly how to unlock its full potential through constant work in the vineyards and by keeping yields low (20-25 hl/ha). The total production is tiny (2,500-3,000 cases annually).
The Domaine produces two wines:
- Vin de Pays de l’Hérault Blanc: A blend of 80% Roussanne, 10% Marsanne, and 10% Chardonnay (1 hectare). The blending is done before putting the wines into barrel for malolactic fermentation.
- Vin de Pays de l’Hérault Rouge: A blend of 40% Syrah, 40% Mourvèdre, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Counoise (Total planted area: 9 hectares). The various varieties are harvested and vinified separately and aged in barrels. Blending is done only before settling and bottling.
