The wines of the Bergerac region were among the first to be awarded Appellation d'Origine
Contrôlée status, in 1936, in recognition of the age-old winemaking traditions of the Dordogne.
Geographically, these wines can be grouped together into four broad areas: Bergerac, Monbazillac,
Montravel and Pécharmant.
BERGERAC RED wines must have alcohol content of at least 10°. The maximum yield allowed by the regulations is 55 hl/ha and total production is in the region of 170,000 hectolitres. These are wines that slip down very easily - fine, generous wines with good bouquet. The grapes are often partially or totally de-stemmed before the vinification process and the wines tend be at their best after about 4 years and through to 8-10 years of age.
BERGERAC ROSE wines are made in much much smaller quantities: 3,000
hl (400,000 bottles).
BERGERAC DRY WHITES are becoming increasingly popular. Nervy and aromatic, these wines must have alcohol content of no less than 10°, and the level of residual sugar must not exceed 2g/l.
There is a gradual shift in the vineyards towards the SAUVIGNON grape variety. This, combined with technological progress, is leading producers to make increasingly light, fruity wines.
BERGERAC dry white wines are preferably drunk within 18 months of harvesting in order to enjoy them at their freshest.
Monbazillac
Located on a north-facing slope to the south of Bergerac, the vineyards of MONBAZILLAC lie at the foot of the château, covering some 2,500 hectares divided between 5 villages (Monbazillac, Pomport,
Saint Laurent des Vignes, Colombier, Rouffignac de Sigoulès).
The clay-limestone soils and particular orientation of the vineyards create a very specific micro-climate favouring the over-ripening of the grapes and growth of the noble rot (botrytis cinerea) thanks to the combination of morning mists followed by hot sun later in the day.
Guarantees
We have been producing ORGANIC WINES since 1968. This means our vines are grown without any chemical fertilizers or weedkiller and without any synthetic pesticides. The wines are preserved without any chemical treatments other than SO2 in the smallest possible doses.
We have had the NATURE ET PROGRES label since 1981.
Our wines are aged and bottled on the estate and, thanks to the methods we use, have very low sulphur content, thus making them much easier to digest.
Quotation from Dr DELBET:
"No activity, not even medicine, is as important to human health as farming".
Château Le Barradis
is a family-run estate located in the heart of Monbazillac, at the top of the hillsides.
The surface area of the vineyard is 38 hectares, the soils are clay-limestone and we have been applying organic farming techniques since 1968.
No chemical weedkiller has ever been used on the land here and the fertilizers we use are compatible with microbial transformation by the soil.
This method of organic farming (Nature et Progrès) is subject to a quality specification covering both vine-growing and winemaking methods. There is an official body in charge of monitoring compliance with the specifications.
The Monbazillac and Bergerac Red wines are kept in oak casks and vats for at least 1 year.
The Bergerac Rosé and Dry Whites are all bottled within a year.
History of Le Barradis
The name "BARRADIS" in the old Oc language means a protected, closed place, sheltered either by the forest, a hedge or some other type of enclosure.
As late as the 1950's, Le Barradis was indeed surrounded on its northern side by woods and by hedges on the other sides. The woods are still there but only a few bits of the hedges have survived.
In prehistoric times, the place was already inhabited and we have found a number of carved, polished stones.
The ruins of a stone-built press (in two parts) to the north-east show that vines were grown in Monbazillac back in the 14th and 15th centuries.
200 metres from this press, the so-called "Fountain of the English" bears testimony to the English presence in the region. It lies at the foot of a small cliff that was once topped by a beautiful house which was destroyed by bombing, unfortunately, in 1944.
Only one wing still remains of this Maison des Rigaudins (15th century). It was within these walls, on 10 July 1843, that was born Joseph Eustache CROCE-SPINELLI, the famous aeronaut (his life story was told by Jean DALBA in the "Journal du Périgord" on 22 November 1969).
The main building, known as the "Château", has a central section dating from the 17th century. The wings were then built on in the 18th century.
The balconies, box windows and other exterior woodwork in neo-colonial style bear witness to the extensive travels and exotic tastes of the families that lived in the house up to the end of the 19th century.
Among these families, we will mention the BEYCELANCES in the 18th century and, in the 19th century, the DE LABATTUTS, LABEYRIES and DE LA FAYES, etc... the best-known of whom, Ferdinand de LABATTUT, was the Mayor of Monbazillac and Senator for the Dordogne for 40 years.
The author Jules ROMAIN (Louis FARIGOULE) stayed here in 1907 and 1908.
The Estate
The Maison de la Cloche served as stabling for horses in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. There were two rooms set aside as lodgings for the stable boy, while another was used as a refectory for the grape-pickers.
The round tower was built in the 19th century to support the water-tower (built in copper).
This water-tower was supplied with water from 3 springs via a storage tank 50 mettres below.
Thanks to this system, spring water was distributed to all the buildings on the estate, a considerable advantage at a time long before public mains water supply became available.
Our parents bought the estate in 1963-1964 from the 17 heirs and relatives of the LABATTUT family.
Little by little, they set about replanting the vineyard.
Then they passed the estate on to their 4 children grouped together in a GFA (Groupe Foncier Agricole).
Organic Farming
This method uses only organic and mineral fertilizers. The plentiful natural flora in the soil is maintained by adding humus and by working the soil with specific equipment all year round.
This organic farming excludes the use of chemical weedkillers and fertilizers. The only treatments we use are:
- white oil to keep the branches healthy in late winter.
- copper and sulphur for mildew, oidium and excoriosis
- rotenone in combination with sulphur against leafhoppers
- bacillus thuringiensis against grape-worm
Winemaking is also conducted without the use of synthetic additives and we use temperature control techniques during fermentation; the wine is clarified without ferrocyanide, simply by fining and filtration.
This organic method has been used at Château Le Barradis since 1968 and brings us very close to the way wines were made in the past; the absence of residues and low SO2 content make ours a wine of quality (cf the oenological studies).
Why organic farming?
No matter what some people might claim, organic farming is the,
"agriculture of tomorrow". It is being adopted by an increasing number of winegrowers and farmers.
It considers the soil as a living habitat in which the most important thing is to develop organic activity using fertilisers made with NATURAL PRODUCTS and excluding chemicals of all sorts.
Organic methods provide the plants with normal living conditions by using species that are perfectly adapted to their environment. In this way, the plants that are grown are stronger and are capable of resisting most parasites alone.
The method recognises animals as living beings in their own right. It works in collaboration with the soils, plants and animals themselves to enhance soil fertility and achieve plentiful, sustainable production of healthy foodstuffs.
Organic farming respects plants and animals as living beings, reared harmoniously and healthily thanks to feed and living conditions which comply with the physiological laws of nature.
To conclude, we remind you that this method gives us produce with excellent flavour that can contribute to protecting our health. We will finish by repeating the quotation from Dr DELBET in 1934: "No activity, not even medicine, is as important to human health as farming"..
