"I come from the Mosel, after all, and I don't like big, fat alcohol bombs. I want freshness in wine": that is how Florian Busch describes his mission at
Domaine Flo Busch in the Terrasses du Larzac. The son of Clemens Busch left his home on the Mosel to write his own story in the wild Hérault. The would-be rocket engineer became a winemaker who crafts
biodynamic wines with a southern French soul and Mosel elegance from eight hectares among laurel woods. His rows of Mourvèdre, Grenache and Syrah grow on limestone scree, while his partner Paola produces aromatic herbal waters under the name "Fleurs de Garrigue". An estate that unites Provençal dreams with German precision.
From rocket dreams to a passion for wine
What links aerospace engineering with viticulture? Florian Busch could answer that question. As the son of
Clemens Busch he grew up among Mosel vines, but at first he dreamt of the sky. After his first degree, however, he was drawn back down to earth, or more precisely to Geisenheim, where he studied viticulture and oenology. In 2011 an internship took him to Domaine l'Aupilhac in Montpeyroux, where he got to know not only the
wildness of the Languedoc but also his future partner, Paola Ponsich. What began as an internship became a love story with the land and its people.
Terrasses du Larzac: where limestone meets laurel
In 2018 Florian founded his own domaine in Jonquières, at the heart of the AOC Terrasses du Larzac. His eight hectares extend over a
geological mosaic of limestone scree, limestone marl, quartz rock and sandstone, a diversity reflected in every one of his wines. The valley, surrounded by wild laurel woods, not only shelters his vines from the winds but also gives them a unique microclimate. Here Grenache Blanc and Grenache Noir, Rolle, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Syrah thrive in
biodynamic harmony. While his brother Johannes is taking over the family estate on the Mosel, Florian is writing his own story among Mediterranean herbs and the Provençal sun.
Mosel genes in a Languedoc body
Two worlds merge in Florian's wines: the minerality and finesse of his Mosel genes with the power and spice of the south. His
uncompromising cellar technique relies exclusively on spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts and dispenses entirely with fining, chaptalisation and filtration. His wines mature for at least six months in oak or stainless steel before being bottled with minimal sulphur. The results are wines such as
Let it Flow, which lives up to its name, or
Lou Bragalou, named after the Occitan word for iris, a nod to Paola's passion for herbs.
Fleurs de Garrigue: when wine meets wild herbs
Alongside the wines, something else special is made on the domaine: Paola's "Fleurs de Garrigue" project turns the
aromatic wilderness of the garrigue into herbal oils, teas and aromatic waters. This passion for herbs also runs through Florian's wines; you can taste the wild thyme and lavender meadows that surround his vineyards. His
L'Odyssée de Flo tells exactly this story: the odyssey of a son of the Mosel who found his
winemaking home in the Languedoc without ever forgetting where he came from.
