Winegrower Côtes du Rhône
A family-owned estate founded in 1928 by Gabriel Fabre, in this region suffused with history, Château des Coccinelles is located between Nîmes and Avignon, in the Côtes du Rhône area. Back then, the Fabre family already grew vines and fruit trees in Domazan. At the end of the 1970s, René Fabre, Gabriel’s son, took over the management of the estate. Extremely concerned about protecting nature and dealing with environmental problems, even though ecology was only in its early stages, René Fabre gave precedence to tradition instead of excessive production.
Along with a number of other growers who had also decided to take fate into their own hands and refused to let themselves be influenced by those who championed vine treatments, they set down their commitments in a specifications list, in partnership with the association ‘Nature & Progrès’.
Organic growing methods were just beginning to take off. Very much a minority, pioneers of these techniques preferred to make their own Bordeaux mixture (bouillie bordelaise); they avoided chemical and synthetic products by using organic and mineral treatments which respect nature’s own pace …
Assisted by his sons Raymond and Paul-Henri, René Fabre gradually devoted all his time to his vines, while his wife, Marie-Claire, dealt with making their wines. In 1982, they gave a name to their organic production, “Le Domaine des coccinelles”.
These days, the whole family still remains loyal to this principle of respecting nature, as much for reasons of common sense as for personal philosophy. The 37 hectares of vines are now cultivated according to the rules of organic farming. The wines are certified ‘Qualité France SA’, and Ecocert guarantees the ‘AB’ (organic farming) indication by regularly monitoring production.
René Fabre has also modified his vineyard to incorporate varieties which improve the quality of his wines, in the Côtes du Rhône appellation. 70% of the vines produce red wines. Varieties planted in majority are Syrah and Grenache, but there are also Cinsault and Mourvèdre vines too. Mourvèdre is very aromatic, giving a hint of raspberry, so it is also used for making rosé wines.
Château des Coccinelles really is a family estate, whose history is recounted in the wine museum created last spring.
Paul-Henri Fabre has recently taken over the management of the estate. For the past twelve years, he has ensured the presence of the wines of Château des Coccinelles at Organic markets.
His sister, Christine, is responsible for wine sales at the estate. She offers a wide range of wines: ‘Château des Coccinelles’, whose roundness can be appreciated over a period of ten years, as well as the selections of ‘Domaine des Coccinelles’, a wine with fruity, delicate aromas, which is at its peak after three years of ageing. Not forgetting a primeur Côtes-du-Rhône, that was presented on November 15th during a ‘castagnade’ evening, animated by musicians and a storyteller. The merchant Ogier Cave des Papes, based in Châteauneuf des Papes, deals with wine sales, using the Satoriz network, specialised in organic products and direct sales.Fax : 04 66 81 41 18
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