Cébène,
Schist Rock
At Altitude
« BRIGITTE CHEVALIER HAS AN UNDENIABLE SENSE OF NORTHERN ELEGANCE. BY CHOOSING HIGHER ALTITUDE VINEYARDS, THE MAJORITY OF WHICH ARE NORTH FACING, SHE HAS GIVEN HERSELF THE MEANS TO ACHIEVE HER OBJECTIVES. ».
Guide Vert des Meilleurs Vins de France – La Revue du Vin de France
“BRIGITTE CHEVALIER OF DOMAINE DE CÉBÈNE MAKES TRULY SUPERB WINE BY ANY MEASURE, HAND-MADE, TERROIR-DICTATED WINE THAT HAS BEEN GETTING BETTER AND BETTER NOW THAT SHE HAS HER OWN CUSTOM-BUILT CELLAR DUG OUT OF AN ISOLATED HILL.”.
Jancis Robinson MW
Domaine de Cébène produces terroir-driven wines that are both intense and delicate, on the heights of the listed site of Faugères, in the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut-Languedoc.
The domaine was founded in 2007 by Brigitte Chevalier and her family who acquired vines, mostly north-facing and planted 20 – 70+ years ago, at an altitude of 300 metres. This 11-hectare estate is dedicated to revealing its exceptional terroir, based on a deep, distinctive bedrock of schist.
Farmed organically, the terraced vineyards open out onto an imposing panorama of garrigue scrubland and oak forests in the heart of the Faugères winegrowing region. The coastline can be seen 45 kilometres away, with the Pyrenees and the majestic Mont Canigou in the distance to the west.
Old Vine Conference
Cébène is a sponsor of the Old Vine Conference, an international movement – founded by two Masters of Wine – committed to preserving and promoting old vines and the wines made from them.
« THE TERRACED VINEYARD OF LES BANCÈLS, FACING NORTH, WHICH HAS BECOME THE SYMBOL OF CÉBÈNE. ».
Brigitte Chevalier
Our approach: founding the estate
The estate was founded in phases, with the acquisition of vines and the construction of buildings.
The winery, our accommodation and a self-catering gîte were built on a hilltop, totally surrounded by vines and schist, near the village of Faugères.
Carved into the rock, the ergonomic winery was designed with a sustainable, ecologically sober approach, to make the most of its natural environment: it benefits from the thermal inertia of the subsoil and natural ventilation.
All our grapes are harvested by hand. They arrive in the winery by gravity, ensuring precision at every stage in the production of our terroir-driven wines. The underground winery houses stainless steel vats with floating tops, as well as sandstone and terra cotta jars and eggs.
Meet Brigitte
About Domaine de Cébène and our commitment to the values of the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut-Languedoc.
Meet Brigitte, Domaine de Cébène – a Valeurs Parc winegrower
The legend of Cébène
Domaine de Cébène backs onto the 1,100 metre-high Mont du Caroux.
Legend attributes the unique silhouette of this gneiss massif to the Languedoc goddess Cébéna, who inspired the estate’s name.
Publications
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Terre de Vins
Il y a certainement plus de 60 espèces de plantes, d’arbres et d’arbustes…
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Jancis Robinson
Insisting on schist / « Insister sur le schiste »
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Millésime 2022, une nouvelle aventure commence
Millésime 2022, une nouvelle aventure commence. Ça y est, le moment tant important dans chaque vie vigneronne est arrivé ! Les vendanges se lancent et l’attention est à son comble. Dans ce dernier épisode, Brigitte Chevalier, nous livre les premières sensations liées à la récolte qui démarre…