Aymeric Paulet plays one of the more interesting roles we’ve seen amongst the community of growers based around the village of Cassagnes - overlooking the Albères at the foothills of the Pyrenées that separate Spain from France’s Vallée de l’Agly. Almost a tiny co-op unto itself, Domaine la Vigne Grande is a rustic paradise amidst the looming mountains and wind-swept switchback roads of this part of the Roussillon. Aymeric’s house, which he constructed himself, sits atop a hill under which lies a small expanse of pristinely farmed vineyards and a small winemaking facility that houses both his own chai that he shares with other young growers in the area. He says he fell in love with this spot between the mountains and the sea. He devoted over ten years to cultivating the vines, diversifying the biological environs, and building his home and small winery. Aymeric is more than a vigneron, though no doubt we adore him for that; he is also récoltant selling his fruit to other growers, olive farmer, stonemason, and top-notch host. But Aymeric is primarily a wine grower, working tirelessly in the vines to maintain their striking appearance in an area that hardly receives any rain, doing so in a super clean and traditional fashion. He organically farms 11 ha of vines, putting a premium on biodiversity and polyculture, cultivating tree, shrub, and flower populations to complement the vines and the soils in which they grow. In addition, he has 2 ha of olives with which he makes a wonderful olive oil. Aymeric also works closely with animals, utilizing chickens and pigs on the property and working with local bergers, allowing their sheep to graze seasonally in the vines as a kind of natural plowing and fertilization. He also works the vines by horse. 

Everything here is done by hand, and the lack of modern technological equipment that so often flattens the profile of wines and homogenizes their character is notable. In fact, on his label Aymeric writes that his wines are simply the product of soil, sweat, and collaboration. We couldn’t have said it better or more matter-of-factly ourselves. Much of the work here is done in accordance with the lunar calendar. He sells fruit to many young, local winemakers who rely on him to build out their own projects. As we mentioned, since 2019, he has started to make a little of his own wine. We were thrilled to unveil the mystery source behind these no-sulfite cuvées. Luckily, we are bringing these wines to the US for the first time to share with an international audience. Aymeric is one of the most generous people we know and we admire his independence and self-reliance. His domaine has been a boon to the young local vignerons, and his charming character comes off in the wines as much as the unique sites from which they come.