Portrait / Julien Peyras : a great winemaker in Aspiran
In the world of natural wines, Julien Peyras’ s are well worth discovering (… and becoming increasingly renowned !). Involved in the vine at Aspiran in Hérault region since 2007, our young winegrower works his 8 hectares of land in a nature friendly way of course...
Julien Peyras comes from a winegrower family, his father decided one day to return to his roots. He took his family along with him to Aspiran, in Hérault region. In 2007, Julien forced his vision to him. His wish was to make wine constantly bearing in mind the respect of nature, and the total refusal of chemical intervention. His concern was simply to stick to his convictions. However the first vintage did go through difficult times. Of course there were doubts and researches. Natural wine requires a learning process and needs to be elaborated with perfect knowledge of soils, climate, and the vine…. Thank to the advice of the family Belhasen from the Fontedicto domaine, Julien Peyras learned quickly and gained strong farmer background, a source of motivation that led him to go even further on his 8 hectares of land.
The work at the vine starts in the autumn when the vine needs feeding with manure or compost then comes the long pruning period… almost 6 months all along winter time… until the beginning of spring when initial care of the vine begins. Then comes soil ploughing ( with a crawler tractor, « the best present ever received in his life » according to Julien !) and soil care according to climate, moon, feeling, and crop development. That is when Julien Peyras spends a lot of time in the vines watching, listening, smelling, for better understanding. Then comes summer time and heat, waiting for maturity to pick the fruit. Picking is done in the morning when still cool ; grapes are cut with pruning sheers then transported to the family winery. Harvests ? Special time well described by Julien Peyras : « Get to the vine at dawn, smell the fragrance of mature grape through the mist, feel the morning dew chilling our half awake bodies, rediscover that unique pleasure to watch, touch, taste, cut heavy grape, the 10 o’clock snack break, laughters, jokes, babblings, the discovery of a nest with a beautiful greenish blue egg, the burning sun on our aching shoulders, the joy of a shared meal, all what makes harvest a very special friendly time and the deserved reward of a year of hard labour. »
Then comes grape transformation into wine ! Pressing time developing tastes and colours. Juices laying in oak barrels for enhancement (ageing) while waiting to be bottled up and savoured at fine occasions.
