Domaine des Lampyres
About
With this evaporation of demand, many farmers in Espira de L’Agly ripped out their vines and converted to orchards, but the family of Domaine des Lampyres’ François-Xavier Dauré is one of those rare ones in the village who held onto their vines. It’s a reason to count our lucky stars for those who manage to preserve their patrimony against fluctuating economics—especially since François-Xavier is making some of the most charming and expressive wines in the Roussillon right now.
If you ask Dauré—F.X. is his nickname—he’ll tell you he was destined to become a vigneron. He’s the 4th generation of Dauré to grow grapes in Espira de L’Agly, and many of his earliest memories take place on a tractor with his father. From a young age, Dauré worked the vineyards with his family. Their whole production was sold to the local co-op, however, so he looked elsewhere to learn to make wine. In 2008, Dauré began working with different vignerons in the Roussillon. Intrigued by organic farming and natural winemaking, he joined Tom Lubbe at Matassa in 2015. That same year, Dauré also took control of his family’s domaine and immediately began converting to organic farming. For five years, he was Lubbe’s right hand in the vines and cellar at Matassa, while also farming 16 hectares of his own. During that time of having two full-time projects, often Dauré was in his vineyards hours before sunrise, using a headlamp to see. Neighbors joked he looked like a lampyre, or firefly: Domaine des Lampyres was born. 2016 was Lampyres’ inaugural vintage, with just 600 bottles made in Dauré’s garage. In 2018, Dauré converted a small barn into a cellar and decreased the amount of family fruit sold to the co-op. 2019 was F.X.’s last vintage at Matassa, and despite the year’s brutal summer heat wave that destroyed half the region’s crop, Dauré still managed to produce remarkable wines.
The unique situation here affords experimentation across the Domaine des Lampyres range: seven vineyard parcels covering 16ha; the smallest is .5ha and the largest 5ha, and none of the parcels are planted to a single variety. For Dauré, a main theme in the wines is the blend, both across varieties and vineyard site, and it’s common for him to change those up from vintage to vintage. F.X. is still experimenting as to what varieties, soil types, and parcels he likes together, but the climate at least is quite is clear: sunny, arid, and windy the majority of the time, and it hardly ever rains (this means copper and sulfur applications in the vineyard are minimal, if at all). Schist and argilo-calcaire dominate, with very little topsoil in the area. In terms of farming, in addition to the organics, Dauré is also working with homeopathic treatments like the application of horsetail and nettle spray, plus early forays into certain biodynamic preparations.
In general, Dauré’s wines remind us of Matassa, yes, but also of other great natural producers in the Roussillon like Bruno Duchêne, Domaine YoYo, and Jean-François Nicq of Domaine Foulards Rouge: 50% pure, 50% rustic; not shy of ripeness, with tremendous refreshment. Domaine des Lampyres is already F.X.’ work entirely, demonstrating a feeling for terroir, for fermentation, and for his varieties; they demonstrate the Roussillon’s special herbal-mineral streak. We’re thrilled to get behind Dauré in some of his earliest vintages and are excited to share these glowing wines.
Products
'Point Triple' Blanc VdF (skin contact)
Organic. 55% Macabeu, 25% Grenache Blanc, 20% Muscat à Petits Grains. Drawn from three different parcels: the Macabeu, a plot of 40 year-old vines on clay; Grenache blanc, a five year-old plot on schist bedrock with clay-limestone; and a six year-old plot of Muscat à Petits Grains also on clay-limestone. The Macabeu and Grenache Blanc were harvested together and underwent a seven-day, whole bunch cofermentation in fiberglass tanks. The grapes were then pressed off and the juice transferred back to fiberglass to complete ferment. The Muscat à Petits Grains underwent a 15-day whole bunch fermentation before press. These were all blended after malolactic fermentation. Aged five months in fiberglass tanks on fine lees. Unfined, unfiltered. Light-bodied and pretty, with gentle tannins and a pale orange color from the macerations; notes of mandarin, white flowers, and silt.
'Margot' Rose VdF
Organic. 49% Carignan Noir, 48% Grenache Noir, 3% Muscat à Petits Grains. Drawn from two parcels of young vines, six year old Muscat and Carignan on clay-limestone, and one parcel of 40 year-old Grenache on pure schist. Carignan is direct-pressed; Grenache is seven-day whole cluster fermentation; the little splash of Muscat is 15 day whole cluster ferment. Everything is fermented and blended together in stainless steel, aged on fine lees for around five months. Unfined, unfiltered. Margot is one of FX’ hallmark wines at the domaine; it’s always a radiant expression of two of the most important red varieties in the Roussillon. Both pretty and a touch ruddy, with candied red fruits and a clear mineral finish.
'Contre Attaque' Rouge VdF
Organic. 90% Mourvèdre, 5% Grenache Noir, 5% white juice from Lampyres’ 2022 Point Triple cuvée. The Mourvèdre is a 30 year-old plot on clay-limestone with schist bedrock. 75% of this juice was a five-day whole cluster ferment; the rest was pressed and also macerated five days. Everything was pressed off to stainless to complete fermentation, then all components were blended. Five months’ aging in fiberglass tanks on fine lees. Unfined, unfiltered. Contre-attaque is one of Lampyres’ hallmark cuvées, an expression of Mourvèdre that is always elegant, with lift and vibrancy, not full opacity and heft. The ’22 iteration is elegant, floral, with great complexity and mineral length on the palate.
'Anima' Rouge VdF
Organic. 100% Syrah. Drawn from a single parcel of roughly 25 year-old vines on red clay-limestone soils. Eight-day whole cluster maceration in stainless steel tanks, then pressed off. After malolactic, the wine was transferred to one new 20hL oak foudre for seven months of aging on fine lees. Unfined, unfiltered. Anima is a more “serious” red wine from Domaine Lampyres, an exploration of red wine that hearkens back to traditions with a bit more structure and heft. This is an old-school wine with an elegant nose, fine tannic shape on the palate, and a touch of the barnyard, rustic funk of the south of France. Will benefit from bottle age.
'Luminescense' Blanc (skin contact) VdF
Organic. 45% Muscat à Petits Grains, 45% Muscat d’Alexandrie, 10% Macabeu. The Macabeu and Muscat d’Alexandrie were drawn from two different plots of 40 and 30 years of age, respectively, on clay-limestone soils. These two were co-fermented whole cluster for around three weeks in fiberglass; then they were racked into sandstone amphora. The Muscat à Petits Grains comes from a young planting, six years of age, and was also fermented whole-cluster for two weeks in fiberglass; it did its aging in stainless steel tank. The two lots were blended together after seven months. Unfined and unfiltered. A more pronounced macerated white wine from Lampyres, but not overly tannic or big-bodied; fresh in aromatics, layered, and worthy of bottle aging.
'Soleil le Vent' Rouge VdF
Organic. 35% Syrah, 30% Carignan, 30% Macabeu, 5% Muscat à Petits Grains. All of the parcels for these varieties are 30 year-old vines on pure schist soils, with the exception of the little splash of Muscat, which is a six year-old plantation on clay-limestone. All of the varieties were harvested together and underwent a 15-day whole cluster maceration in the same stainless steel tank. Aging for two months in stainless, bottled unfined and unfiltered. Medium-plus weight, great texture, and silky body—this is one of the wines were FX Dauré’s blending is the star of the show, rendering a wine that has references from Mediterranean wine sites as diverse as Alella, Maury, or Pic Saint-Loup.
'Ubuntu' VdF (skin contact)
Organic. 95% Grenache Gris, 5% Grenache Noir. The Grenache Gris is a five year-old planting on schist with clay-limestone topsoi; the Grenache Noir is a 40 year-old parcel on clay. They’re harvested the same day and cofermented in fiberglass tanks, then pressed and transferred to sandstone amphora for the completion of ferment and five months’ aging. Unfined, unfiltered. This is the second vintage of this wine for Lampyres, and it is robust – tropical fruit and flowers on nose, with medium-plus body and a sense of rusticity. Half orange wine, half structured rosé.
'Une Autre Histoire' Rouge VdF
Organic. 50% Carignan, 50% Mourvèdre. Taken from two different plots; the Carignan is 60 year-old vines on pure schist; the Mourvèdre is 25 year-old vines on clay-limestone. Direct press Mourvèdre in stainless steel; for the Carignan it was an eight-day whole cluster ferment also in stainless. After malolactic, the two were blended together and aged in stainless steel for another five months. Unfined, unfiltered. A regal, impressive wine, combining FX’ ability for purity and lift in his lighter reds, along with the powerful terroir and nice structure of both Mediterranean red varieties here on display. One of our favorites for the vintage.
'Janseniste' Blanc VdF (amphore)
Organic. 100% Malvoisie du Roussillon. This is the first bottling of this cuvée for Domaine Lampyres; it’s a four year-old plantation of Malvoisie on pure schist soils. Seven-day whole-cluster fermentation in fiberglass tanks; after ferment was complete, the juice was transferred to 3hL sandstone, egg-shaped amphora for nine months’ aging. Unfined and unfiltered. This wine has half of its head in the Mediterranean, the other half in the Adriatic. Soil-driven nose, with deep fruit and a copper tone in the glass; it’s like Catalunya and Friuli combined. Beautiful.
'Petit Ruisseau' Rouge VdF
Organic. 100% Carignan, taken from one of FX Dauré’s oldest plots, a single vineyard of 80 year-old vines on pure schist soils. This wine underwent a ten-day, whole cluster fermentation in fiberglass tanks. The fruit was never pressed; only free-run juice was used for this bottling. After malolactic, the wine was transferred to new 600L barrels for nine months of aging. Unfined, unfiltered. A first bottling of this cuvée, it represents a foray into old-school, country wine for Lampyres; with pink and red flowers, warm soil, and barnyard notes. It reminds us of southern French wines from many decades previous. Bottle age will serve it well.
'Harvest Moon' Rouge VdF
Organic. 50% Grenache, 50% Mourvèdre. This new cuvée from FX Dauré at Domaine des Lampyres was born because FX wanted to make a light, aromatically expressive, readily accessible red wine; many of his other cuvées have a fair amount of structure and soil imprint, even in the juicier wines. This wine was drawn from purchased fruit from a nearby organically farming close friend of FX’s; the terroir is different from his schist-dominated soils – red-rock river beds and terraces for these vineyards. In vinification, the Grenache was destemmed and the Mourvèdre done whole-cluster; both were co-fermented in a fiberglass tank on skins for ten days, then pressed off and aged in inox for three months before bottling. Unfined, unfiltered.
'H2O' Blanc VdF
Organic. 60% Grenache Blanc, 40% Grenache Gris. This new cuvée from FX Dauré of Domaine Lampyres was inspired because Dauré did not have a blanc from the domaine with a crystal-clear, simpler frame, as he often uses some maceration even in his lightest whites. ‘H20 Blanc’ is drawn from two parcels; one is a single vineyard of 15 year-old Grenache Blanc which was a new purchase in this vintage which FX says is “very beautiful.” The second parcel is Dauré’s Grenache Gris which he’d planted himself, roughly ten year old vines. Both parcels are on pure schist with very little topsoil. In vinification, both parcels’ fruit were direct-pressed, co-fermented and aged in stainless steel for three months before bottling. Unfined and unfiltered.
'Margot' Rouge VdF
Organic. 50% Grenache Noir, 50% Carignan. This new iteration of Margot 2023 (named after FX's daughter) is a slightly more extracted light red, hovering around a deeper rosé as well. The wine's composition in this vintage is 50% old vine Grenache Noir (grown on schist, the characteristic soils of FX's village in the coastal/eastern Roussillon. The Grenache saw whole-cluster maceration on skins for seven days. The other 50% is direct press Carignan Noir (grown on clay). The naturally fermented juices are blended after malolactic fermentation. Stainless steel tank-aged for five months. A very low dose of SO2 at bottling. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
