Domaine de la Pépière

The estate was established by Marc Ollivier in 1984, Remi Branger joined him in 2007, followed by Gwénaëlle Croix in 2012. Marc had experience in the winemaking world from working for several years with his uncle in his winemaking estate which is in the same area as Domaine de la Pepiere. Remi studied viticulture and then joined Marc at his estate. Gwénaëlle never had any contact with the winemaking world (she was trained as an engineer, and had worked in industry for ten years before entering the world of wine). In 2006, they stopped using herbicides, opting instead to plough and lightly rake the soil. In 2007, they took their organic work a step further by treating vines only with copper, sulphur and several plant-based preparations. They harvest nettles, comfrey and horsetail along the Maine River and use these plants by steeping them, fermenting them or in the form of decoctions. Biodynamic preparations are used to reinforce the vines against disease and help the micro-biological life of the soils. The whole estate is certified in organic vitculture and is in transition to a biodynamic certification.