Georges Brassens
"La seule révolution possible est d'essayer de s'améliorer soi-même."
"You are the change you want to see."
A creative freedom
Frédéric grew up in Normandy and met his Canadian wife Elaine at university in Lille, Northern France. They live a nomadic lifestyle (Canada, India, Singapore and USA) though Frédéric spends about half of his time in Faugères. Since early age, Frédéric had a call for farming and the fierce desire to become a winegrower. After completing a Masters Degree in Finance in 2001, Frédéric went back to college for a Sommelier diploma and started his career as a Burgundy wine broker.
In late 2012, Frédéric and Elaine were fortunate to take over 25 acres of old vines in Faugères, organically farmed for twenty years and deeply rooted in schist.
2013 was the inaugural vintage for Domaine Frédéric Brouca. In his modest winery in the village of Laurens, Frédéric is creating a new vision for Faugères wines; fresh, vibrant and made without artifice. Nothing revolutionary, simply returning to our grandparent's ideology of farming and winemaking to craft 'Vins Vivants'.
AOC FAUGÈRES
The Faugères Appellation is in the heart of Languedoc in the Hérault department. Here, winemaking dates back to the Greek times and was developed during the Roman Era. It wasn't until the early 1900's, however, that the wines became more widely known for its unique schist soils and moderate Mediterranean climate. The official borders of Faugères were defined in 1948 and remain the same today. The 1,800 hectares (4,500 acres) of rugged vineyards are spread out over seven villages (Laurens, Autignac, Cabrerolles, Caussiniojouls, Faugères, Fos, and Roquessels). These villages are heavily reliant on wine as an important part of their culture and economy. The area is stunning with mountain views and close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea (20 miles / 30 kms).
Red wine is king here, accounting for 80% of total production. Syrah, Carignan, Grenache, Cinsault and Mourvèdre are all widely planted. The small amount of white wine comes from Roussane, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, Vermentino and Terret Blanc. The area also produces some excellent Rosé.
Faugères has a long history of responsible farming. It boasts the highest percentage of organic vineyards for any AOC in all of France with almost 50% of farmers making the choice to be good stewards of the land.
““The vineyards have been certified organic since 1997 with the majority of vines being 30+ years old”.”