Domaine du Carrelet: a family, a passion, an attachment to the land
Just 2 hectares of vines nestled in the commune of Galgon, north of Saint-Émilion and Fronsac, but a great terroir, a family passionate about their dream and committed to the quality of their wines and respect for nature… This is Domaine du Carrelet, founded by Jérémy, a state sailor for 20 years, and his father, Frédéric, a winemaker in Fronsac for over 30 years. They acquired this small vineyard in 2017 and poured all their energy and enthusiasm into working the land without any chemical inputs, respecting biodiversity and nature, to produce a distinctive wine that unites them. Without giving up their respective jobs, father and son work hand in hand and created their cuvée the very year they acquired the vineyard.
The name of their wine also reflects family traditions and refers to their land and heritage. A carrelet is a stilted hut, typical of the Gironde estuary, that overlooks its waters and allows fishermen to catch fish and shellfish with a net of the same name. Since February 2021, these carrelets, numbering 660 in the Gironde estuary, have been listed as part of France’s national intangible cultural heritage. The carrelet that gave its name to the estate overlooks the Isle River and serves as a fishing platform, a place to host family events, and also welcomes individual or professional clients for wine tastings.
The philosophy of Domaine du Carrelet is based on respect for life, precision, and meticulous handcrafting from vine to cellar, allowing for complete control of the entire process. From winter onward, each vine receives special attention to ensure it yields the best possible fruit at harvest time. Bud thinning, trellising, and leaf removal are just some of the vineyard tasks undertaken to distribute the future grape clusters, aerate them, promote grape ripening, and concentrate the vine’s energy on the grapes themselves, rather than on the growth of leaves and shoots.
Next, nature dictates the precise moment for harvesting the fully ripe grapes, entirely by hand. Nature also creates the wine’s clarity and expressiveness: natural yeasts carry out fermentation in tanks without temperature control, accentuating the terroir and determining the final stages of vinification.
Thus, the winemaker’s work at Domaine du Carrelet is dictated by nature and the conditions of each vintage, with minimal intervention. This is why each year this unique, 100% Merlot wine is different and representative of its blend, not of grape varieties, as is the Bordeaux tradition, but of the nature, the terroir, and the winemaker’s respectful approach.
To complement the fruits of nature, the wine is enhanced by 24 months of aging in concrete tanks and barrels. A year of bottle rest after bottling then harmonizes and develops its organoleptic profile.
The Merlot vines, an emblematic grape variety of Bordeaux’s Right Bank, grow in silty/sandy soils with a clay subsoil. They produce a wine with a firm structure, a silky texture, and beautiful complexity and harmony of flavors, which will evolve gracefully over the years. The challenge for Domaine du Carrelet is to create a precise, informative wine that represents the pure expression of the Merlot grape (soon to be complemented by Carménère) while respecting nature, with the goal of converting to organic farming and planning for future climate change. To be even closer to nature and create a haven of biodiversity, the estate has acquired 4 hectares of meadows surrounding the vineyards. Furthermore, in the spring of 2026, 150 truffle oaks will be planted on 0.5 hectares to diversify production.
Web site of Domaine du Carrelet
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