Since 1864, six generations of winegrowers have endeavored to perpetuate the ancestral agricultural vocation of this small region in the North of Catalonia and to make the most of a predestined terroir. In 1989, Pierre and Marie-Claude FONTANEIL created the DOMAINE FONTANEL, the fruit of the merger of their two families.
In 2017, Elodie and Matthieu Collet took over, accompanied by Pierre. You will continue to find the cuvées that make up the identity of the Domaine.
In 2017, Elodie and Matthieu Collet took over, accompanied by Pierre. You will continue to find the cuvées that make up the identity of the Domaine.
Elodie grew up in the North. She got to know Matthieu during his studies at the Institut Supérieur d’Agriculture in Lille at the end of the 90s. Numerous internships and a semester in the wine industry at L’École supérieure d’Agriculture in Angers brought the youngster couple to unite around a common passion: wine. Elodie has worked for more than 10 years in sensory analysis. Today, she works with a sensitivity acquired from her experience and knowledge in the food industry.
Matthieu has his roots in Picardy. Lover of the land and passionate about agriculture, he grew up in a family of breeders and farmers. Agronomist engineer, he worked for a time in the filtration of wines in Alsace, Champagne and Burgundy; then in the agro-food industrial processes, before choosing out of passion a wine route. Back on the school benches and on an internship for the couple, who followed the Oenologist training at the Faculty of Pharmacy of Montpellier in 2015/2016 before choosing Roussillon as their home base. Antoine and Agathe, their children, accompany them on the adventure and willingly help out.
Matthieu has his roots in Picardy. Lover of the land and passionate about agriculture, he grew up in a family of breeders and farmers. Agronomist engineer, he worked for a time in the filtration of wines in Alsace, Champagne and Burgundy; then in the agro-food industrial processes, before choosing out of passion a wine route. Back on the school benches and on an internship for the couple, who followed the Oenologist training at the Faculty of Pharmacy of Montpellier in 2015/2016 before choosing Roussillon as their home base. Antoine and Agathe, their children, accompany them on the adventure and willingly help out.
The Terroir
Limestone clay
Composed of gelifracted limestones and soils sitting on a sort of sandstone, with pebbles rolled over 40 cm deep, it gives open wines with melted tannins combining finesse and personality.
Established on the collapse of Fenouillèdes, the schistose marls of the Albien-Aptien are interspersed with sandstone beds that are often blackish. Composed of gel-hard limestone installed on black marl and thick layers of clay. They give acidulous, mellow wines with a lot of delicacy.
PHILOSOPHY
Since we are talking about wines, we have chosen to settle in Tautavel for the quality of the terroirs bordering Agly and its tributaries in Tautavel, Vingrau and Maury. In particular in Tautavel, where the richness of the terroirs is unusual. A diversity that offers possibilities for creating exceptional blends and vintages. But well beyond a job, the wild atmosphere, unspoiled nature, between sea and mountains and our desire to anchor ourselves in a territory rich in meaning and history have brought us here. A valley in which so many generations have worked the land, to give the best of itself.
Wine is the fruit of the earth and today more than ever, the preservation of the environment is our daily concern. First of all in the vineyard. We have decided to limit any cultural intervention to what is strictly necessary. Beyond labels, which sometimes get bogged down in insane administrative shackles, we work with peasant common sense. The earth speaks to us, the sky speaks to us, the plants bear witness, and we are in the midst of a balance as complex as it is fragile. We do not claim to master nature, but quite simply, to accompany it in its changes, and to help it bring us the best, to produce the most beautiful grapes possible. We adopt the most virtuous practices, mainly following the BIO specifications, with the use of interces to weed without chemicals. We no longer use any active ingredient presenting a proven major risk for our environment or our health (no longer any product classified as CMR). We adopt the principles of sexual confusion to ban the systematic use of insecticides. Our goal is therefore to produce very good, well, and with the lowest possible environmental impact, even if it costs more, is riskier, and requires more work. Our estate has been certified High Environmental Value at the highest level (level 3) since our 2018 vintage.
In the cellar, our work is quite simple. Simple because we bring in grapes of excellent quality, healthy and at optimal maturity. After traditional vinification, for our red wines we proceed to long aging. On average, our wines have spent 18 months in the cellar and 6 to 12 months in bottle before sale. The exceptions are our whites and rosés which offer the best of themselves in their youth. We remain well below the sulphiting ceilings adopted by the BIO specifications. In addition, we only use rare oenological products, compatible with organic winemaking.
À consommer avec modération.