LES VINS DE L'ARPETTE
Founded in 2016 by Aurélie Besnard and Paul Chereau, Arpette grew from three tanks in a garage into a small biodynamic farm in Gaillac. The vineyards span about six hectares and are planted exclusively with local grape varieties.
In both vineyard and cellar, the focus is on living wines, hand-harvested, fermented with native yeasts, and made with minimal intervention.
THE WINE
Aurélie Besnard and Paul Chereau
Arpette comes from the word arpète, an old term for a young apprentice or worker. It’s a fitting name for a project built slowly, through learning and experimentation.
The winery was founded in 2016 by Aurélie Besnard and Paul Chereau, who made the leap from mathematics to winemaking. What began with just three tanks in a garage gradually grew into a small farm in Castelnau-de-Montmiral, where vines share the landscape with chickens, sheep, dogs, cats, and a busy family life.
The vineyards are scattered throughout the Gaillac area, from plots around the farm to others further away in Lisle-sur-Tarn. In total, about six hectares are farmed biodynamically, with a focus on supporting biodiversity and maintaining a balanced ecosystem in the vineyard.
All of the wines are made from indigenous Gaillac grape varieties. The whites include Mauzac, Loin de l’Oeil, Verdanel, and Ondenc, while the reds are crafted from Braucol, Prunelart, and Duras.
The approach is simple: careful work in the vineyard and minimal intervention in the cellar. Grapes are harvested by hand, fermentation happens with native yeasts, and nothing is added that might disrupt the living character of the wine.