Casot des Mailloles ( Banyuls )

Alain Castex with his press

Even though Casot de Mailloles has vineyards strictly on Banyuls Appellation zone, its wines are labelled as Vin de Table (table wine) . But they made their way into the world of fine wines nonetheless . About 10 years after its foundation, this small estate by its surface has reached an envied position on the Banyuls wine market with its 100% natural wines . "Casot" is the local name for the vineyard stone shelters that dot the mountain and allowed workers in the past to rest and hide from the weather's hardships ( heat, cold or rain) [see picture below].

Guislaine standing near a "Casot" (Banyuls and the Mediterranean in the background

We arrived the previous evening, spent the night in a near empty old hotel in the center of the little town. Very quiet town in winter. Many appartments are occupied on the high season only. Casot des Mailloles's chai is very close, right in front of the church . We had an appointment for 9 am.

Alain Castex taking wine from a vat

Chai/cellar building

Ghislaine Magnier is in the place when we show at the door. We could rightly say here they make a garage wine, as the high ceiling space they use as chai and cellar was formerly a Citroën garage repairshop. When Alain Castex looked for available buildings or storage facilities around here, the real estate agent showing him this empty repair shop on street level was sure it would not be suitable. But Alain Castex saw immediately this was the right place. In the chai, a few casks and tronconic vats, and the tiny vertical press with which all the juice is extracted . Whites are vinified in 1/2 muids casks , 4 hectoliter and 6 hectoliter . Reds in tronconic vats, 15 hectoliter and 20 hectoliter.

The inside

Ghislaine taking a sample of white in a barrel

Before coming in the region, Alain Castex was a vigneron in the Corbières region, where he spent 15 years in wineries. That's where he met Ghislaine Magnier. She was originally a city dweller ( Paris region ), until she moved to the south of France and settled in the countryside with her two children. The two of them loved this region they visited as potential location to buy vineyards. Like most vineyards in Banyuls, they are on very steep terrain, with small walled terraces, and need an awful lot of manual work. The estate's surface is about 4 hectares.The smallest of Banyuls domaines by its surface. But consider everything is done mostly by the two of them, sometimes with a third worker, everything including tilling by hand. Much more work here as they don't use chemicals at all. For the harvest, in 2003 they worked for example 24 days, at 6 people. Clusters sorted out on the plot, one by one. Yields : some thing between 10 and 15 hectoliter/hectare. About 5000 bottles a year altogether.

Young Syrah This picture with Banyuls in the background shows a 5 years old Syrah spot . Not grown chemically, need more time and lots of hard work to have them take their marks and root deeply. The traditional mattock used in the region is called the "chadic", common tool used all over the catalonian vineyard ( Spain is about 6 km from here ). Most of the vineyard at Casot is 50 to 60 year old.
Speaking about why their wine is with "Vin de Table" labels instead of AOC : In the region, the final decision is taken every year for the AOC labels, from samples of wines the vignerons must present to the agreement commissions. The tasting board overlooking the wines for the agreement is a panel of vignerons of the region, and even though it is a blind taste, they recognize immediately Casot's wines, are they are so outstanding among the Banyuls wines. They keep being excluded, every year.
After a short drive inland and uphill from Banyuls with Ghislaine, we walk on narrow stone/dirt paths to see several vineyard plots. Here they follow organic viticulture without compromise. Short pruning. Destemming sometimes. Depends of the conditions. No fining, no fitration. As we walk in the cold made even worse by a fierce wind, she says this is the coldest winter ever, this year. The destabilizing wind is the "tramontane des Pyrenées", a wind coming from the Pyrennéean mountains. Showing B. an ageless water reservoir on La Goudy La Goudy Closeup on La Goudy We climb to a high perched plot named "La Goudy", exposed on south. Once on the top of the hill, the wind is even more furious. Beautiful vista on the mediterranean sea on one side, on the mountains on the other side. Ghislaine shows us the ingenious system built in the past to collect rain water [ picture ]. On this hill top overlooking the steep vineyard plot, they could fill vats built in the rock with the rain and streaming water of winter and spring. The whole mountain is molded by centuries of viticulture. While on this little cliff with its inbuilt water tank, just over "La Goudy" plot, we can take advantage of the view on other vineyards on far away slopes, and on the impressive Pyrenees mountain range. View on Banyuls from the parcels

We then reach another plot, named "Gratalloups" [ picture below ]. Very steep and fragmented plot, with tiny terraces surrounded by low schist walls, some holding as few as 3 or 4 vines ... Just because of the difficulty we have to reach the place, I understand the work must be painful. The black shist stones walls keep the ground from being washed away and they need constant repair year around. An orange plastic box on the ground : A hormone trap for maybugs that parasite the vines. Males are caught in the traps. Only 4 such traps per hectare and it does the job.

Gratalloups

Pheromon trap
Back in Banyuls , we taste some of the wines :
__1 White . Casot des Mailloles "Blanc du Casot" 2004. From a cask. Colour, clear honey. Some turbidity. Aged on its lees. Makes CO2 which protects the wine. Very tannic. Harvest when grapes are ripe, at 15° or 16°. At the same time "thirst wine" and a well balanced wine. Grenache Gris 60%, Grenache Blanc 30% .There will 1200 bottles of white wine this year.
__2 Red . Clôt de Taillelauque 2003. Nose : Corinth grapes. Non agressive tannins. Grenache Noir, Carignan, Mourvedre. Iodized aromas, Seaweed Oak tree orchard near the vineyard that give some aromas too.
__3 Same cuvée but in 2004. From a cask.
While we enjoy the tasting a small Fox Terrier keeps asking for our attention ...Did'nt join us in when we went in the mountain but knows all the vineyard plots and paths.
Casot des Mailloles, Banyuls Phone: 33(0)4 68 88 59 37Fax 33(0)4 68 88 54 03

Playing boules in nearby Collioure
Enjoying a sunny march day in nearby Collioure

Comments

[Etienne]

I have a question, we have some bottles from 2001 and 2002 vintages.
Do these bottles need aging, or do they need some air before drinking?

Regards,

Etienne

[Lorretta Holmes]

Hi, I'v ben looking for my best friends favorit wine... Can you help me? I'm looking for 1994 Domaine de La Rectorie " BANYULS" .....

[philippe]

I will need some help.I would like to buy some bottles of "le casot des mailloles" blanc du casot,banyuls sur mer.Strange enough it is a vin de table but I loved it.thanks

[Francisco Bosco]

El niño rocksssss

[Pin]

Casot des Mailloles "Blanc du Casot" is fantastic. I like the natural-wines very much. would you please recommand me some your favorite natural wine? thankssss!!! (without too much barrica effect)