A biodynamic vineyard

Understanding our environment and taking direct action to encourage the return of biodiversity

Along the meanders of the Canal du Midi, the imposing silhouette of Château d’Argens rises up over the medieval village of Argens. Long in the dominion of the lords of Sérame, it was formerly the Villa Arsefii (in 881) and derives its name from the geology of the site, made up of sandstone and clay reputed for their quality (argilla in Latin).

Perched on a promontory dominating the village, its rich and turbulent history goes back some 900 years.

For many years it remained in the possession of the Archbishop of Narbonne, but passed into the hands of Simon de Montfort in 1215 during the Albigensian Crusade before being sold to pay the ransom of Jean II Le Bon, taken prisoner by the English. At this same period, it also escaped the ravages of the Black Prince who was unable to cross the river Aude in flood. A succession of owners followed, before Antoine de Niquet, Vauban’s right-hand man and President of the Toulouse Parliament, took possession of it in 1722.

A commitment to

S’engager et agir pour

Protecting natural resources

Protecting natural resources

We began our road to conversion to biodynamic agriculture by trialling these methods in certain parcels. Having been inspired by this approach since 2020 (the year of transition between generations and the arrival of our new technical teams), our “official” conversion took place with the 2021 vintage and our work was rewarded by Demeter certification in 2022.
Day after day, we work in synergy with nature to regenerate the organic life in our soils and encourage biodiversity of wildlife, vegetation, and landscapes in our vineyard.

Biodynamics is founded on ancestral practices and based on practical experience and empirical results. In our lived experience in the vineyard we have seen in these last years that vines farmed biodynamically are more in phase with their terroir, by respecting the environment and participating in the enrichment of the soil.


Before intervening actively on the soil, the grapes, or the vines, biodynamics enables us to make precise decisions and take targeted curative action. It is a holistic and pragmatic approach that takes into account the environment and the health of all elements of the vineyard’s specific ecosystem.
The watchword in biodynamics is balance. Balance between plants and earth, and between human and the environment, which also leads to balance in the wines.


We employ a series of techniques that augment the vines’ capacity for autoregulation, and helps the vines to draw what they need from deep in the soil and the substrata. What is done now, is done for perpetuity.

In biodynamics, it is above all a case of working differently, and taking a totally different approach to cultivating the vines.
Using infusions of horsetail and nettle as natural fertilizers, and preparations incorporating cow horn manure, silica, or compost, we stimulate the vines’ vegetative cycle and protect them by restoring natural balance.

We apply these preparations according to astral rhythms, and particularly the lunar cycle, as our ancestors did, and by adjusting our biodynamic calendar in this way we increase the vines’ resistance to disease and parasites. Each of our interventions takes place during a particular phase of their development.

Developing biodiversity

A commitment to

Developing biodiversity

We have adopted the practice of grassing over in our parcels. This has many beneficial effects as the grass enters into symbiosis with the vines, forcing them to plunge their roots deeply into the soil, which renders them less susceptible to drought.

The presence of grass also slows down evaporation, but above all it sequesters carbon in a completely natural way by assimilating the CO2 in the air.
It improves the stability of the soil, which limits surface runoff and erosion. This is particularly useful in our vineyards in limiting the effects of extreme Mediterranean storms.

We have sown bee-friendly varieties of plants over 10 hectares of land to attract pollinators, and installed beehives close to the vines.

We have also created wildlife corridors for indigenous fauna whose presence is extremely beneficial in reducing insect and acarian populations that have a detrimental effect on the vines.

We keep mechanical work on the soils to a minimum, and we have opted for viti-pastoralism, which means that up to mid-March five hundred ewes, with their lambs, are allowed to graze in the vines. This keeps down the weeds and also helps to maintain the soils that would previously have been mechanically tilled. Their droppings form a 100% natural manure which enriches the earth in micro-organisms essential for the development of the vines.

The benefits are multiple… protection of natural resources, regeneration of the earth, stimulation of life in the soil… as a prelude to the production of healthy grapes that offer the most faithful expression of the nuances and identity of the terroir.

We have created an environment that is conducive to the return of natural predators of vine pests which play a crucial role in maintaining the equilibrium of our ecosystems.

Amongst them are bats, whose presence is particularly important because they can consume as many as 4,500 insects, meaning that they can ingest a third of their body weight per hectare, per night, between the months of May and October.
With their taste for moths, particularly Eudemis and Cochylis whose larvae are notoriously devastating for the vines (grape caterpillars), they play a key role in protecting the vineyard.

To attract them and encourage them to reproduce on our estate, we planted particular types of hedge around our parcels and also shrubs amongst the vines, and installed special bat boxes.
The results were immediate. Around twenty different species of bats, including the Grey Long Eared Bat, Khul’s Pipistrelle, and the Common Pipistrelle, can now be found in our parcels!

Château d’Argens Minervois

Syrah, grenache and mourvèdre

Harvested at full maturity

each grape variety is vinified separately with the minimum of intervention.

Cold pre-fermentation maceration (8°)

for the Syrah and Grenache only to begin with, followed by fermentation and extraction at a controlled temperature of 27° for optimum extraction of tannins.

Partially matured in oak barrels

Technical sheet

Château d'Argens Minervois

Syrah, grenache and mourvèdre

Harvested at full maturity

each grape variety is vinified separately with the minimum of intervention.

Cold pre-fermentation maceration (8°)

Partially matured in oak barrels

Élevage partiel en fûts de chêne

Technical sheet

Les Rives d'Argens Minervois

Grenache noir, syrah, mourvèdre

Les Rives, which means the riverbanks, is a reminder that the Aude and the Canal du Midi run close by the property, contributing to the development of the natural ecosystems that benefit the vineyard.

Limestone clay soils

These shallow limestone clay soils with a gravelly topsoil allow the Mediterranean grape varieties that make up Les Rives d’Argens to attain their best expression.

The grapes

that go into this wine are cultivated and vinified with a minimum of intervention.

Technical sheet

Les Rives d'Argens Minervois

Grenache noir, syrah, mourvèdre

Les Rives, which means the riverbanks, is a reminder that the Aude and the Canal du Midi run close by the property, contributing to the development of the natural ecosystems that benefit the vineyard.

Limestone clay soils

These shallow limestone clay soils with a gravelly topsoil allow the Mediterranean grape varieties that make up Les Rives d’Argens to attain their best expression.

The grapes

that go into this wine are cultivated and vinified with a minimum of intervention.

Technical sheet

Nature d'Argens Minervois

Grenache, syrah,

Biodynamic Wine

Picked by hand

A wine crafted by Nature

under our vigilant eye as we very carefully monitored the whole process.

The grapes

that go into this wine are cultivated and vinified with zero inputs, and notably with spontaneous fermentation from wild yeasts. The two grape varieties are vinified together

Technical sheet

Nature d'Argens Minervois

Grenache noir, syrah, mourvèdre

Biodynamic Wine

Picked by hand

A wine crafted by Nature

under our vigilant eye as we very carefully monitored the whole process.

The grapes

that go into this wine are cultivated and vinified with zero inputs, and notably with spontaneous fermentation from wild yeasts. The two grape varieties are vinified together.

Technical sheet

Contact us

Telephone

00 33 (0)4 68 33 32 22

Cellar door

Monday :

13h30 - 18h00

Tuesday to Friday :

10h30 - 12h30 / 13h30 - 18h00

Saturday :

10h00 - 12h00

D'Exéa family

11200 Lézignan-Corbières, France

Email

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