Gaël Petit - Domaine Moulin La Viguerie

Domaine Moulin La Viguerie is located in the heart of the Tavel appellation, in the southern Rhône Valley, an exceptional wine-growing region where the history of the Roudil family has been intertwined with that of wine for centuries. Founded in 1572, the wine estate has stood the test of time, and its legacy has been embodied since 1992 by Gaël Petit, who succeeds his mother Mireille Petit-Roudil and his grandmother Gabrielle Roudil, names intimately linked to the history of the Tavel appellation.

Indeed, the Roudil family played a key role in the recognition of the Tavel appellation. Gaël Petit's great-grandfather, Aimé Roudil, was president of the Tavel winemakers' union in the 1930s, and played a decisive role in local negotiations to obtain recognition of the Tavel AOC in 1936, ensuring the preservation of the terroir and traditional viticultural practices. Working closely with his friend Baron Pierre Le Roy de Boiseaumarié, President of the Syndicat des Côtes du Rhône, they worked for the legal recognition of AOCs, including Tavel among the first six AOCs as the first rosé AOC in France. It is this winegrowing tradition, marked by respect for terroir and history, that Gaël Petit has been able to bring to fruition in his turn, while introducing modern, environmentally-friendly practices.

Today, the wine estate covers 10 hectares on four of the appellation's most renowned terroirs: Les Vestides, Le Vallon de Manissy, Le Plateau de Vallongue and several particularly chalky plots. The soils on our wine estates are varied: clay, limestone, pebbles, sand and alluvium, allowing us to produce terroir-based wines, where each grape variety finds its place and flourishes. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Bourboulenc and Clairette are grown here, each on soil that is specifically adapted to it. Grenache and Cinsault, for example, thrive on clay and limestone soils, while Syrah flourishes on clay soils covered with pebbles. Mourvèdre and Bourboulenc prefer sandier, alluvial soils, while Clairette, a typically Mediterranean grape variety, thrives on very chalky soils.

This respect for terroir is at the heart of Gaël Petit's philosophy, who converted the wine estate toorganic farming in 2021. On the sound advice of Claude and Lydia Bourguignon, two recognized experts in soil microbiology, the wine estate uses only techniques that respect ecosystems, adapting its methods according to the specific characteristics of the soil and vines. Trained and advised by Éric Pfifferling, winemaker at Domaine de l'Anglore and a leading figure in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gaël Petit uses semi-carbonic maceration as his basic method. This process involves fermenting the grapes in a carbon dioxide-saturated environment, delicately extracting fruity aromas while preserving a soft tannic texture. The specific "mille-feuille" technique is used for maceration: the grapes are stacked in alternating layers with the fermented must, optimizing aroma extraction while minimizing the risk of overly aggressive tannins. To promote slow, harmonious ripening, the wines are then aged in large wooden tuns, without filtration or fining, to maintain their natural purity and complexity. The addition of sulfur is reduced to a strict minimum, ensuring the purest expression of terroir aromas.

This natural, minimalist approach, combined with the care we take with our terroir, results in cuvées that reflect the image of Domaine Moulin La Viguerie: rooted in a rich winegrowing tradition, but with an eye to modernity and reasoned innovation. Fons Singularis is a free-flowing, precise cuvée, whose fine body expresses the saline freshness of the terroir. La Combe des Rieu is a vibrant, fleshy rosé from old vines, combining tension, ripeness and an assertive minerality. Les Falaises de Braise is dense and structured, expressing the encounter between the energy of Mediterranean grape varieties and the mineral verticality of the hillsides. Postérité 70 is a tribute to Aimé Roudil, Tavel's living memory.

For several years now, Domaine Moulin La Viguerie has been a major player in the Tavel appellation. Its meticulous work, rigorous viticultural practices and respect for family and regional traditions make it a model of sustainable viticulture and excellence. Gaël Petit has built on his family's heritage by adding his own personal touch, in the tradition of the region's great winemakers.