The series “A village, a farmer” paints portraits of farmers, winegrowers, horticulturists, arboriculturists … Women, men, families attached to their land, their farm, their production, their village. They tell their daily life, their history and that of a sector that has seen many (re) evolutions. Today meeting with Thibault Marais of the Couchalou estate in Fontjoncouse.
At 36, Thibault Marais is the first winemaker of his family. Originally from Paris, nothing predestined him to come and settle at the gates of the Hautes Corbières. Graduated in agricultural engineering with a specialization in wine economics, he worked for some time in Champagne. An enriching experience where he “titillates” the call of the vine. He then decided to push his studies further, supported by his family. Head to the faculty of Montpellier for a master’s degree in oenology. Discover the region and “to fall in love”. “I had the project to fix. At first it was close to Saint-Chinian but it didn’t happen.“, he confides. For a year he worked in an oenology laboratory multiplying the visits to the estates until the day when”my real estate agent tells me about a small estate in a certain terroir“. It will not be in the Minervois as he imagined but in Corbières. In Fontjoncouse, a village for which he had a real crush. His choice fell on an estate with the Gaelic name, Aonghusa. Its owner, of Irish origin, wishes to sell it.
“I lost 70% of the harvest due to wild boars”
In 2017 he became an independent winemaker and took over the estate consisting of 12 hectares of vineyards (mainly Syrah and Grenache, Carignano as well as two Spanish vines, Temprallino and Gracino). The estate also includes 3 ha of olive trees. The Couchalou estate is born. “This name comes from one of my plots. After 3 years of conversion, I got the organic label in 2020“, explains. Remember: “I was very well received in the village. We are three independent winegrowers as well as collaborators in the center of the country of the same generation and all recently installed. It created good cohesion..
In the early years Thibault produced between 250 and 300 hectoliters and about twenty liters of oil. “For the moment the oil production is anecdotal because the olive trees are still young. Half were planted a year and a half ago and the other half are between 5 and 7 years old“.
But for two years the winegrower has had to face, in addition to the vagaries of the weather, a real scourge: the proliferation of wild boars. “This is a big problem despite the hunts carried out by hunters. This year I lost 70% of the harvest. With drought, they eat green grapes to compensate for the lack of water“. If some plots are fenced – the previous owner had started to do so – others are impossible to close”.I have many small landlocked plots and two islets that are difficult to access. Besides, hunters don’t come here“On these plots, the winemaker plans to diversify his production. “This year I should only produce between 70 and 80 hectoliters. If I have to work for nothing as much as planting something else like pistachios or olive trees“, Assures Thibault, now holder of the hunting license.
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On the way to the fairs
The harvest has just ended for Thibault Marais. Again this year the period was emotionally intense. For the moment he is taking care of the work in the cellar while preparing the next shows which he will participate in from the end of October. Although he exports to Switzerland and Belgium, most of his production is short-circuited. “I will participate in the first wine fair organized by Kiwanis at the Palais du travail in Narbonne, 31 and 1 Octoberis November. After that it will be in the direction of Belgium, Nantes, Paris, Cherbourg“. In his luggage, his various nectars,” Born of the wind “and” L’entre sillon “, in red Corbières AOP,” Murmure de roche “, in red IGP Vallée du paradis without forgetting his rosé called” Le frisson “.
