Les Davoche

Tess Davison and her partner Charles Ripoche started Les Davoche in 2021. They began with a négociant range called Clafoutis, purchasing fruit to make wine from responsible growers with whom they had close relationships. This activity soon expanded into a small estate of their own - 2.5 ha of heritage vines in the sun-drenched, wind-swept Roussillon village of Cassagnes. Both winemakers come from excellent backgrounds. Tess, originally from Australia, worked as a chef in prestigious kitchens around Europe, gaining experience at Noma, Mugaritz, and Le Manoir before turning to winemaking and completing a degree in oenology. She worked in a number of wineries across Australia, New Zealand, and France to get hands-on experience before following her passion of making wines of her own. Charles, a native of the Loire Valley, also graduated with an oenological degree and worked under Antoine Foucault of Domaine du Collier (son of Clos Rougeard’s famed Charly Foucault) and local legend Cyril Fhal of Clos du Rouge Gorge. Charles and Tess’s paths crossed while working at Felton Road Winery in New Zealand. They’ve now found their home in the south of France, and together, they believe in simple farming and little to no manipulation in the cellar.