Domaine de La Grange Des Pères

Languedoc Roussilon

Laurent Vaillé passed away on April 30, 2021. Our condolences to the Vaillé family.


Grange des Pères traces its roots back to 1958, when Vaillé’s grandfather bought a property near to Aniane. However, Vaillé and his family replanted vines and established new vineyards in the area in 1988.  The Vaillé family is deeply attached to their Aniane’s terroir, and they know exactly how to unlock its full potential by constant work in the vineyards and keeping low yields (20-25 hl/ha). The total production is tiny (2,500-3,000 cases annually).

Laurent, the one who was called the Mozart of wine. Invisible, Laurent Vaillé had chosen to live hidden, like his wines that he distributed confidentially. It takes patience and perseverance to be able to own one of his mythical stails.

Today, his brother takes over the queens of the Estate with courage and emotion. And he will continue for Laurent, and to make one of the greatest wines in France. Its wine achieves the very difficult harmony between power, freshness, delicacy and a long-lasting taste.


 

Laurent Vaillé started his career training in the cellars with Jean Francois Coche-Dury (Meursault), Gérald Chave (Hermitage), and Eloi Durrbach (Domaine de Trévallon, Provence), before settling in the l’Hérault of the Langedoc where he purchased his first land in 1989. His choice seemed at the beginning a bit odd; because the nature of the poor, hard limestone soil, which required massive work in order to enable planting vines on them at all. But soon after, it became clear that he actually discovered a great and very unique terroir under these hard rocks.

Choosing the right clones was obvious to him. He sourced his Syrah, Marsanne, and Roussane cuttings from Gérard Chave, his Chardonay from Coche-Dury and his Cabernet from Domaine de Trévallon.


The Domaine produces two wines:

  • Vin de Pays de l’Hérault Blanc: a blend of 80% Roussanne, 10% Marsanne and 10% Chardonay (1 hectare). The blending is done before putting the wines into barrel for the malolactic fermentation.
  • Vin de Pays de l’Hérault Rouge: a blend of 40% Syrah, 40% Mouvèdre, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Counoise (Total planted area: 9 hectares). The various varieties are harvested and vinified separately and aged in barrels. Blending is done only before settling and bottling.