This terraced vineyard has dug its roots into an arid schistous soil. The Grenache Noir, perfectly suited to the harshness of this land, blossoms fully under the hot, dry climate where the sun burns and the dominant wind, known as the "Tramontane", let us harvest the grapes at full maturity and in a perfect sanitary state.
The Grenache Noir grapes, carried by the twisted vine stocks of a vineyard which draws its meagre strength from the heart of the schist, embody a concentration of all the moods of this countryside. Everything is harsh, dry, twisted by the wind or overwhelmed by the sun. Despite this, the Vine-growers of Banyuls continue to work these sublime vines by hand as if it was their own garden. This requires all of their passion and a great deal of strength.
Vines were planted here many centuries before Jesus Christ. The Greeks and Phoenicians understood that this place was blessed by the gods for this type of cultivation. It is, therefore, one of the most ancient vineyards in the World.
The Vine-growers, "sculptors of the mountains" and lovers of their "vertigo vines", continue to build on this flourishing heritage and pass on to the passionate young generations all of their know-how of a viticulture which respects the environment.
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