The Domain - Domaine Fontanille Haut in Minervois

Domaine Fontanille Haut is located at 5 kilometers from the Laure-Minervois. It is 30 hectares wide, including 6 hectares of vineyards. Domaine Fontanille Haut produces 250 hectoliters of wine per year. The Domaine is installed in a rustic yet charming way, and Joan Fournil and his family invite you to visit the fields and taste the wines, among thymes and olive trees.

Vineyard

Domaine Fontanille Haut mainly uses the traditional grape varieties of its area : Carignan, Grenache (black and white), Cinsault, Shyraz et Macabeu.

We are currently converting Fontanille Haut to a fully organic winegrowing : our vineyards are cultivated in a spirit of respect for the environment and for the end-user.

We avoid the use of chemistry as much as possible and our main concern is to preserv the fertility and life of our land, using specific technics, like the “paillage”, for example.

Grape Varieties

Domaine Fontanille Haut mainly uses the traditional grape varieties of its area : Carignan, Grenache (black and white), Cinsault, Shyraz et Macabeu

Vineyards

The Domaine owns old vines, and especially some ancient parcels of Carignan and Grenache, cut in the “gobelet” mode, which allows the production of complex and structured wines. Some of our vines are more than 50 years old and demand very specific care, all along the year, and more specifically when some cuts are needed, in order to preserve this family patrimony. In order to renew the fields, young vines are planted when older ones die.

The climate

The mediterranean climate influences our production : winters are soft and rather warm, and summers are hot and dry, which is excellent for the maturation of the grapes. The land is made of clay and limestone, along with specific stones, called lauzes.

Our commitments: work in nature and preserve it

Small domain

Around the vineyards themselves, capitelles (small traditional stone houses) can be observed, along with stone walls and other landscape elements traditional from the ancient peasant way of life. Those elements are at the origin of the Domaine.

Biodiversity

Fontanille Haut is rich with a diversity of mediterranean flora, transmitting the smells of the land. A dozen of rare orchid species can be observed in our fields.