Mas de Gourgonnier
Mouriès | Provence
When people talk seriously about “natural” wines, they talk about the organic wines of Mas de Gourgonnier. In the heart of Provence in the 1970s, this family estate was one of the first officially certified organic wineries, back when such a practice was seen as foolish for vine growers trying to make a living.
Yet Mas de Gourgonnier’s organic roots go back even further. Since the eighteenth century, the Cartier family has worked these fields, providing the local abbey with freshly grown fruits, vegetables and grain. It was in the 1950s when the family planted its first vines.
The rest, as it is said, is history. Here in Mouriès, you’ll find a direct, unadulterated connection between the land and each bottle. The earthy aromas of flowering rosemary, wild sage and juniper and the mountain freshness of the cooling “mistral” winds are all echoed in the estate’s organically raised wines.
Mas de Gourgonnier has been a North Berkeley partner for more than 25 years. In this unassuming, rugged appellation, the integrity and consistency of the family’s philosophy and products mirrored our own as an importer. This is a vine-growing family that doesn’t have to “sell” a natural philosophy; it’s simply who they are, and who they’ve always been.
This purity of focus and flavor is still true today. Mas de Gourgonnier is one of the bedrock estates in southern France and certainly one that has few peers.
FARMING & WINEMAKING
The vineyards of Mas de Gourgonnier make up a mini-paradise just south of the granite Alpilles Mountains. The estate is certified organic (Ecocert) and has been since 1975; in fact, it was one of the first in the region.
Soils are a mix of decomposed granite and limestone, very rocky and dry. Vineyards are surrounded by pine trees and the natural scrub (garrigue) of the south, perfuming the area with rosemary, thyme and lavender. The estate makes its own compost (from cow/sheep manure) and plows between vineyard rows; beneficial herbs are planted to control pests and moderate vine growth.
Grapes are harvested by hand in the early morning hours or late in the evening when temperatures are cooler, and are fermented on indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled tanks. Very little to no sulfates are added during the fermentation process (for their “Cuvée Sans Soufre,” no sulfates at any stage are added.)
Wines are aged in tank for the white and rosé; and in a combination of tank, large oak barrel and older French oak barrels, depending on the vintage, for the reds. All reds are bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Alpilles Blanc
What could be more lovely than a lazy afternoon, a picnic spread and a chilled bottle of white wine from Provence? A field blend of older-vine white grapes, this white is as captivating and thirst-quenching as can be — perfect for summer sipping.
Les Baux de Provence Rosé
While rosé wine is often mentioned in the same breath as the beauty of Provence, Mas de Gourgonnier’s rosé is a cut above, a textured, spicy wine that echoes the rustic beauty of the estate’s reds while capturing a silky elegance that makes rosé wine so pleasurable to sip in the hot summer months.
Les Baux de Provence Rouge
A richly flavored red with autumnal aromas, plush red/black fruits and peppery spice. Few other Provençal reds can match the power and grace of this bottle (its form a traditional Normandy “Calvados” shape that only Gourgonnier uses).
- Download fact sheet (2018 vintage) (PDF)
- Download fact sheet (2019 vintage) (PDF)
- Download fact sheet (2020 vintage) (PDF)
- Download fact sheet (2021 vintage) (PDF)
- Download fact sheet (2022 vintage) (PDF)
Les Baux de Provence Rouge 'Cuvee Sans Soufre' (no added sulfites)
A wonderfully textured and fresh red blend, crafted with similar grapes that the estate uses for its Les Baux de Provence Rouge, but with no added sulfites. Sulfites act as an antioxidant and antibacterial agent. The Cartier family believes if grapes are healthy and winemaking careful, a winemaker doesn’t need to also add them to the wine (as sulfites are also thought to potentially mute a wine’s natural aromas and flavors). The proof is in the bottle!
- Download fact sheet (PDF)
Les Baux de Provence Rouge ‘Clés du Paradis’
A special organic red blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon that the estate calls the Keys to Paradise! That’s the translation of the French ‘Clés du Paradis.’ Ripe with purple fruits and velvety in the glass, you’ll be surprised how quickly this bottle disappears.
- Download fact sheet (PDF)
OLIVE OIL
Huile d'Olive Extra Vierge, pas filtré 750ml
A field blend of cultivars Grossane, Verdale, Salonenque and Béruguette, grown in the foothills of the Alpilles mountains in Les Baux de Provence. Grossane is native to Les Baux and is a hardy variety; it contributes citrus and herbal notes. Verdale is a common French olive variety, fruity and slightly nutty. Salonenque is native to the village of Salon-de-Provence and is often used as a table olive; it contributes notes of fennel. Béruguette (also called Anglandau) is a popular variety in the south of France, and contributes fruity, refined aromas. Unfiltered and farmed organically.
- Download Fact Sheet (PDF)
Established: 1950
Winemaker: Luc Cartier and daughter Eve Cartier
Region: France • Provence • Mouriès
Vineyard size: 111 acres
CERTIFIED ORGANIC (PDF)
