Les Vins du Cabanon - Alain Castex

History of Vins du Cabanon - Alain Castex

Alain Castex's journey spans nearly four decades. He made his debut in the Corbières, from the late 1980s to the late 1990s, practising organic viticulture with still fairly classical winemaking. He then settled in Banyuls and founded the Casot des Mailloles. For about fifteen years, he produced natural wines there that became legendary, on terraces of black schist facing the sea, battered by the tramontane. Refused twice by the local appellation, he chose to label his bottles as simple Vin de Table rather than abandon his convictions. In the mid-2010s, he handed over his 3.5 hectares of schist to his successor, Jordi Perez.

Rather than retire, Alain Castex started from scratch. He leased a plot in Trouillas, where the plain of Rivesaltes meets the foothills of the Pyrenees, and named his new project Les Vins du Cabanon, a nod to the Catalan word "casot", meaning a small hut. There he practised what he called subsistence farming and mentored many young winemakers in the region, whatever their philosophy. Alain Castex passed away in June 2023, at the age of 73, among his vines. 

Terroirs and Vines of Vins du Cabanon - Alain Castex

The Vins du Cabanon vineyard covers approximately one hectare of flatland vines, in the commune of Trouillas, about fifteen kilometres south of Perpignan. The sandy-clay soils are scattered with gravel, while the proximity of the Mediterranean lends the wines a saline touch. Less steep than the terraces of Banyuls, this Roussillon terroir nonetheless endures severe drought. The vines, some of them century-old, are never irrigated and yield very low quantities.

The grape varieties reflect the full richness of the Catalan heritage. In red, one finds Grenache noir, Syrah, Carignan, Mourvèdre and Merlot. In white and grey grow Grenache blanc and gris, Macabeu, Carignan blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette, Malvoisie and Muscat d'Alexandrie. The vines are cultivated according to the principles of organic farming, with long-term soil management in mind. All harvests are done by hand, bunch by bunch.

Winemaking at Vins du Cabanon - Alain Castex

The Castex winemaking philosophy rests on one simple idea: grapes, and nothing else. Fermentations start spontaneously thanks to indigenous yeasts. No oenological additives are used, and the wines are bottled without fining, without filtration and without added sulphur. The reds alternate between crushed, destemmed and whole-bunch grapes. They undergo short semi-carbonic macerations before ageing in concrete tanks. The whites are pressed directly, briefly aged in tank and bottled as early as autumn.

The winemaker relied above all on observation and common sense to obtain fragrant, digestible and thirst-quenching natural wines. Production remains confidential, a few thousand bottles spread across four cuvées, never more than 5,000 bottles in the best years.

The cuvées of Vins du Cabanon - Alain Castex

Tir à Blanc: this natural white wine blends white and grey grape varieties from century-old vines in Trouillas: Macabeu, Carignan blanc, Grenache blanc and gris, Bourboulenc, Clairette, Malvoisie and Muscat d'Alexandrie. Pressed directly, briefly aged in tank and bottled without added sulphur, it is dry, fresh and of great finesse. The very expressive nose blends fresh fruit, melon, nectarine, garrigue and wild flowers.

Canta Mañana: this emblematic cuvée is based on an original winemaking approach. The saignée juice drawn from the first days of maceration of the Ezo cuvée is poured over the skins of the white grapes from Tir à Blanc. The result is a natural wine between rosé and skin-contact wine, combining black, grey and white grape varieties. Vibrant, airy and full of fruit, Canta Mañana perfectly illustrates the inventiveness of Alain Castex.

Ezo: this natural red wine comes primarily from Syrah and Merlot grown on the sandy-clay soils of Trouillas. Denser and darker than the other reds from the estate, it offers beautiful substance on black cherry, while retaining the freshness and digestibility characteristic of Vins du Cabanon wines. Unfiltered and without added sulphur, it pairs very well with Mediterranean cuisine.

Poudre d'Escampette: this natural red blends Mourvèdre, Carignan, Grenache noir and gris, Syrah and a touch of Macabeu, sourced from very old vines. The grapes, partly crushed and destemmed, partly whole-bunch, macerate for five to six days in semi-carbonic fashion before ageing in concrete tanks. The nose bursts with red fruits, and the crunchy, fresh and energetic palate makes this a wine of immediate pleasure, which can also be kept for a few years.