It’s fun/provocative to expand the scope of terroir beyond its base elements of soil, weather, elevation, and aspect - and even beyond wine and vine. Justine Vigne’s hometown, Richerenches, has some pretty heady terroir.
Ideal, in the Late Middle Ages, for the Catholic Church. “The Good Pope” (John XXII),originally from Cahors, followed his predecessor’s path to nearby Avignon. On the journey, the 72-year-old new pope collapsed from fatigue, yet was revived by the local wine, a miracle he wouldn’t forget. In 1317, he acquired Richerenches (along with a few neighboring towns) and established L’Enclave des Papes (the Popes’ Enclave) to promote the production of his favorite elixir. Later, in 1136, the Knights Templar established their Commandery in Richerenches.
Also ideal for another holy entity, the black truffle - "the black diamond of French cuisine,” in the words of Brillat-Savarin. Richerenches is ground zero for tuber melanosporum (shh! - if you know, you know!). Since 1923, it hosts the largest truffle market in the country.
And for Justine Vigne’s family, who planted their first vines here in 1826; she’s her family’s sixth generation to farm in L’Enclave des Papes. She grew up playing music, making ceramics, and drawing, so she studied art at university.
Yet life drew her back to farming. The taste of an artisan baker’s bread struck her - the artisanal scope (naturally leavened bread with local, organic grains) and the remarkable quality - and reminded her of her childhood on her grandparents’ farm in the Ardeche, where they grew everything they needed as a way of life, not as a job. They lived, and thrived, in unison with nature, unlike her father, who used pesticides and herbicides to control his family’s natural heritage.
Richerenches, Vaucluse,
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
She studied biodynamic agriculture in Burgundy. She baked bread from ancient grains that she grew on her family’s farm. She planted a permaculture garden in a monastery. She began to envision, and seek out, a culture of life that embodied agriculture and art. Then she discovered natural wine while working harvest at Remi Pouizin’s Domaine de la Fourmente - just one town over from her.
She enrolled in winemaking school in Dijon in Burgundy, where she got her Master’s under Jacques Mell, one of Burgundy’s preeminent, and original, biodynamic consultants. She moved to Australia in 2017 to work harvest with John Nagorcka of Hochkirch Wines in Victoria - a biodynamic practitioner and disciple of Alex Podinsky, one of the wine world’s biodynamic pioneers and diligent practitioners. Justine calls him a spiritual grandfather; she returned to stay with him in 2019 (shortly before he passed), when she had the opportunity to learn hands on with him - reading, discussing, visiting other farmers.
She returned home and jumped at the chance to carve out 3.5 hectares of her family’s vines as her own. The terroir here is unique for Catholicism and black truffles; and most importantly for grapes. This limestone land sits at the confluence of the Mediterranean and the Alps. This is Provence, yet it’s northern Provence, where the Mediterranean climate sucks in the cold mountain air from the Alps - a cool wind that blows through the Provencal sun, which, coupled with the four small rivers that encircle Richerenches, makes for an ideal climatic balance for growing Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault, and Marsanne.
With carte blanche, her vision is coming to fruition - she farms biodynamically with horses (and the occasional light engine) and makes her wines in amphora and Georgian qvevris, a winemaking practice she learned from her neighbor, Philippe Viret,. She perpetuates a lifestyle at nature’s pace, tapping into geobiology, energetics, spirituality, and a slow pace.
Her cuvees reflect this:
“Sensation” for the poem that Arthur Rimbaud wrote about the sensuality and freedom of the natural world.
“Anitcha” for the Buddhist concept referring to the impermanence of all things. Recognizing this impermanence is considered a crucial step in the path to enlightenment in Buddhism.
"Ultreia" for the Latin term used as a pilgrim's greeting and rallying cry on the Camino de Santiago. It translates to "onward," "further," or "beyond," encouraging pilgrims to keep moving forward, both physically and spiritually, towards their destination of Santiago de Compostela.
“Yoga” for the mind-body practice that originated in ancient India, encompassing physical postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation.
“1826” for the year her family planted their first vines.
MERCI!!
