SHALE TERROIR
MILLENNIUM OF SAINT-CHINIAN

The LANYE-BARRAC VitiFarm® wine farm is located on shales dating from the primary Ordovician era (-488 to -443 million years ago). During the Quaternary, erosion formed glacis on which the vines are planted today. A metamorphic rock characterized by a flaky texture, schist drains water without creating runoff and allows the roots of the vines to descend to depth. Its acidic soil poor in organic matter produces low yields.

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Schist has the property of restoring the heat stored during the day at night but can also keep cool under the first layer of its shards. The soils are draining without creating any runoff phenomenon.

 

Our vines thus benefit from exceptional sanitary conditions allowing the grapes to mature without drying them out or causing them to rot. The South-South-East exposure of our hillsides, the Mediterranean climate, the hot summers and Cévennes episodes marked by heavy rains on our relief, offer us optimal conditions for developing sunny wines which present a lot of freshness.

The terroir is also influenced by the Tramontane, a powerful wind coming from the North and the Marin, a humid wind coming from the Gulf of Lion.

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This land is suitable for organic farming. It gives our wines balance, minerality, freshness and power. We ban most inputs during winemaking in order to give it the opportunity to express itself as best as possible. Our first vintage “La Coulée des schistes” pays homage to this exceptional terroir.

 

Since 2017, we have been a member of the international Terroirs de Schistes association, which organizes professional tastings to promote the typicity and quality of these wines.