
Combrillac
Dordogne, France
Owner:
Florent Girou and Uyen Girou
Farming:
Organic
Production:
Grapes Grown:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Muscadelle
The vineyards of Chateau Combrillac are perched on a hill overlooking the Dordogne valley, at the gates of the town of Bergerac, in the heart of the Périgord. The estate and has been owned by the Girou family for generations yet has turned a corner towards the future under the tenure of vigneron Florent Girou and his partner Thien Uyen Do, a former environmental lawyer while the wines maintain the classic character of the Sud Ouest. Combrillac practices organic and conscious agriculture with livestock integration and agroforestry in the vineyard, and taking into account the ethical principles of permaculture (Earth Care, People Care, Future Care). The estate consists of 25 hectares in one piece, of which only 12 hectares are vines. The absence of fragmentation and busy roads is essential to the Combrillac’s focus on farming without fragmentation of ecosystems and ecological habitats. Combrillac is a permacultural paradise, where vines grow amongst forests, natural meadows and hedgerows, 5 hectares of ancient wheat, medicinal and herbal plants, a hop field, orchards with nearly 500 fruit trees. In 2022, we set up an ambitious wine forest project where vines climb a tree to which they were coplanted, in order to imagine a more virtuous and resilient alternative winegrowing system. In 2024, we are creating a 0.5 hectare wine garden with hybrid grape varieties in the middle of an orchard and vegetable mounds. In France, and the entire world, there a few winefarmers with such a forward-thinking mindset to sustainability. The plots of vines, in one piece, spread over 12 hectares (6 hectares of Chenin, Sémillon, Sauvignon and 6 hectares of Merlot, Cabernet-Franc, Cabernet-Sauvignon). The wines are mainly aged in amphorae or in stainless steel vats. Our barrels, now 10 years old, are used only for the fermentation phases (no aging in wood).