Domaine de Chamans
Our Story
Chamans is a family-owned vineyard sited in the south-facing foothills of the Montagne Noire in the Minervois region of the Languedoc. Our 15ha of vines, surrounded by garrigue and woodland are isolated from other vineyards which allows us to pursue our own non-interventionist farming philosophy, based on organic and biodynamic principles. EcoCert certified since 2007.
Our symbol, the black sheep, is there to remind us the Languedoc is a region that offers the opportunity to make exciting wines if you don’t follow the crowd.
“We may not please everyone, but hopefully we can reward the adventurous.”
— Sir John Hegarty
Our Philosophy
To grow our grapes biodynamically, treating the vineyard as a whole, to achieve balance through a relationship of the soil, native vegetation, olive trees, lavender, bees for biodiversity and Universal rhythms. We aim to produce wines that are elegant yet complex and a true expression of the land.
All wines are vinified, varietal by varietal in oak barrels, foudres, concrete tanks and a concrete egg. Bottled with minimal use of sulphur for stability and freshness. Our wines are vegan friendly.
The vines are pruned to 25/30hl per ha to produce high quality fruit. All grapes are hand-harvested and go through an additional hand selection on a table de tri. Having our own bottling line allows us the flexibility to bottle in harmony with the cycles of the moon and weather conditions, when the wine is stable.
Our Land
Domaine de Chamans is sited in the foothills of the Montagne Noire ~ 30mins from Carcassonne in the Minervois region of the Languedoc. Being isolated from other vineyards allows us to follow biodynamic principles without drift contamination from other vineyards.
We have 15ha under vines composed  of limestone and clay with several parcels of schist. The advantage of clay is it retains moisture, essential when you experience the heat of the Languedoc. The vines root deeply which results in rich and fruity aromas.
Vines are pruned following the Marco Simonit Method to encourage health and resist disease.
Another important aspect is elevation – 320m above sea level at the highest point of the vineyard. This coolness helps retain acidity in the wines.
Legume cover crops are planted in between the vines to give nitrogen back to the soil, improve structure and encourage microbial activity. Nature’s way of fertilising.
We collect our rainwater and this softer water increases the efficiency of the biodynamic preparations when dynamised.
Our red grape varieties range from 10-75 years old.
Grenache/Syrah/Carignan/Mourvèdre and Cinsault.
For the white, we have 30+yr old Marsanne, Roussanne and younger plantings of Grenache blanc, Clairette and Roussanne.