Roc des Anges
Roc des Anges farms 25 hectares across twenty parcels in Montner, in Roussillon — slate terraces on the north face of the Força Real, rising to 400 metres. Marjorie and Stéphane Gallet built up the estate and farmed it biodynamically; its name comes from a white quartz rock standing in the vineyards. Today Thibault Ponthier runs Roc des Anges. The white wines are made from Grenache gris and Macabeu, the reds from Carignan, Grenache and Syrah, much of it from vines a hundred years old or more. Average yield stands at 15 hectolitres per hectare.
Montner on the north face of the Força Real
The village of Montner lies on the north face of the Força Real, and the mountain shields the vineyards from the strongest Mediterranean sun. The slate soils formed over millennia from clay and silica; the rock sits vertically and holds water through the dry weeks. Add to this the altitude, up to 400 metres, where the nights cool down. Mediterranean warmth and cool winds off the Pyrenees meet here, and Roc des Anges' twenty parcels are spread across these terraces.
Marjorie and Stéphane Gallet, today Thibault Ponthier
Marjorie and Stéphane Gallet built up Roc des Anges; Marjorie Gallet shaped the wines, and Stéphane Gallet joined her at the estate from 2008, bringing experience in oxidative ageing. That experience fed into the Maury, Roussillon's sweet wine, and to this line belongs the Alquimia, a vin de voile made from Macabeu and Grenache gris. Alongside Roc des Anges, the Gallets established Terres de Fagayra. Today Thibault Ponthier carries the estate forward as successor to its founders, and the biodynamic farming of the slate terraces remains its foundation.
Grenache gris and Macabeu on the Agly's terraces
The estate's white wine, Llum, meaning light, combines Grenache gris and Grenache blanc from vines up to a hundred years old with portions of Macabeu, Carignan gris, Carignan blanc and Malvoisie. The parcels lie in the eastern Pyrenean foothills on slate, ochre clay and limestone, within the terraces of the Agly river. The wine ferments spontaneously and ages in used barriques and tonneaux.
As a single varietal, the Iglesia Vella is made from Grenache gris, while the Cioran brings together Macabeu, Grenache gris and Grenache blanc. Grenache gris and Macabeu give the estate's white wines their Mediterranean character. All age in neutral barrels.
Carignan from ungrafted vines
Among the red varieties, Carignan held a special place for Marjorie Gallet. The Carignan comes from ungrafted vines planted over a hundred years ago, and yields are correspondingly small; the wine gains depth and composure from this. Reliefs brings together old parcels of Carignan, Grenache, Syrah and Lladoner Pelut on weathered slate; the vines were planted between 1911 and 1944. Ageing takes place in tonneaux, with a small share of new barrels. Carignan alone also produces the Isabal.