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"Organic farming saved the vines. It saved us." These words from Alain Carrère capture the essence of what Domaine de Majas is today. His family has been making wine here since the 19th century, yet it was their encounter with Tom Lubbe of Matassa that brought about the turning point: away from the supermarket trade, towards wines with a true sense of origin.
30 hectares in Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes, at the foot of the Pyrenees – the only wine-growing area in Roussillon classified as "mountainous". Carignan vines up to 120 years old, alongside Grenache, Macabeu and Chardonnay on schist and volcanic rock. Wines with low alcohol, full of minerality, and yet remarkably accessible.
More about Majas
From bankruptcy to liberation
The story of Domaine de Majas sounds like a wine miracle. Alain Carrère inherited his father's vineyards: ancient Carignan vines planted long before the phylloxera catastrophe. But in the 1990s the market dictated different rules: standardised wines for supermarkets, at prices so low that the family stood on the brink of ruin. "I saw no way out," Alain recalls. Then he met Tom Lubbe.
The South African, brother-in-law of Gérard Gauby and himself the head of the legendary Domaine Matassa, immediately recognised the potential. In 2007 they began the conversion together: all 30 hectares to organic farming, no commercial yeasts, no additives, minimal sulphur. Tom became adviser, friend and mentor.
The highest estate in Roussillon
Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes lies where the Pyrenees begin, the only terroir in the entire region classified as "mountainous". The highest parcel, Col de Ségas at 420 metres, provides a cuvée from ancient vines that is bottled as Col de Segas Vieille Vigne. The subsoil alternates between schist, volcanic rock and limestone, giving each parcel its own microclimate.
The grape varieties speak of history and pragmatism: Carignan dominates, some of the vines over 120 years old. Alongside it grow Grenache, the rare white Macabeu, Chardonnay, Chenin and Rolle. What counted as a constraint in the 1990s, Bordeaux varieties for the supermarket, now fits into a complex range.
Minimalism as a manifesto
In the cellar, Tom Lubbe prescribed the Carrères a "cultivated minimalism". Fermentation takes place in concrete tanks, without frills. The result: wines with low alcohol and surprising aromatic density. The Majas Rouge and Majas Blanc embody this style at a fair price. Those who like things wilder should reach for the Majas Orange: fourteen months of skin contact for intense aromas and a full mouthfeel.
Agnès and Alain
Alain, tall and sun-tanned, was born in Caudiès and has his roots here. Agnès comes from Paris and brought an outsider's perspective with her. Together they have run the estate since 1992, and together they dared to make a fresh start. Today their wines stand for what Roussillon can be at its best: dry, mineral, authentic, and welcoming with open arms.