Bergerac
Chateau le Payral is located in the village of Razac-de-Saussignac in Bergerac, France. Thierry Daulhiac took over the estate in 1992 and has been working fully organically since 2005 and also employing biodynamic practices since 2018.
In the cellar, Thierry works with indigenous yeasts for all of the wines, neutral vessels including stainless steel, old oak and freestanding amphora. The wines are made with minimal fining and filtration and the only additions are small doses of SO2 at bottling.
Thierry and his team have been using 'agroforestry' to improve the vineyards, planting new hedgerows and groves and also letting certain areas grow wild. This increases biodiversity in the vineyards, helps regulate the temperature in hot periods, improves water retention and proves protection against soil erosion. When we visited the estate in summer 2024, we immediately fell in love with the place, so much greenery, rolling hills and little pockets of vines in amongst forests and wild meadows.
The Wines
