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Origine
The hamlet of Nigoulin originated from a Roman villa and its outbuildings then expanded into a village over the years. Few steps away from Chaveyron, there was a tile factory and a hostel which welcomed the Crusaders on the other side of the valley. Legend has it that this hostel had hosted a knight linked to Saladin.
The hamlet of Nigoulin was supplied by a network of water underground.
My great-grandfather worked these lands before acquiring them one morning in 1940. Different crops were planted: silkworms, trees, fruit trees, lavender, and vines… as in the beginning. Taken over by my grandparents until their retirement about forty years ago, the estate was put on tenant farming.
The farm now has four hectares of Côtes du Rhône vines (Grenache, Syrah) in Organic Agriculture aimed at Biodynamics, almond and apricot trees. In 2014, after a deep reflection on the meaning of our activities, the project to take over the family farm was born.
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Grapes with Organic labels
Ever since the resumption of July 2019, we let the grass grow as much as possible and limit tillage to promote organic processes by letting our earthworms evolve naturally. At the beginning of 2020, one hundred and twenty tons of BRF (Fragmented ramial wood) were spread to give our earthworms the opportunity to feed, all while storing carbon in the soil.
This approach should make it possible to increase the water resilience of the soil, at the cost of a lower yield in the medium term.
Each year, we harvest the old 1970’s vines by hand. You will have opportunity to discover our cuvée with all the greater pleasure as we explore viticulture, and even more – winemaking , in all the complexity of these demanding processes.
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Apricots with Organic labels
The apricot trees are close to retirement and would require restructuring. We would like to keep them for a few more years by making jams and organizing pickings at the farm to raise public awareness of the agricultural condition and honor the unlimited generosity of Gaïa.
The approach undertaken with the apricot trees follows the same logic as applied to the vines: we favor the life of the soil, let the herbs develop naturally for insects and incorporate carbon associated with BRF.
We have chosen this extensive approach at the cost of a negative impact on production in the medium term.
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Almond trees
France imports 90% of its almond consumption, and this importation is reserved for niche markets with high added value.
Currently, we sell our almonds wholesale, a few kilos are kept, intended for the tastings offered to our visitors. The flavors are concentrated and the caliber more humble, thanks to the clay soils and the absence of irrigation
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Quête de Sens
We stopped here, in search of meaning, of resilience, of all-round benevolence and sharing.
The agricultural world is tough: such is the land, our days are quite the same and we believe that the requirement we have is at the expectation.
Our quest for meaning revolves around a resilient agriculture that absorbs the shocks of recession, climate change, the progressive impoverishment of the livings.
Since the beginning, we have been registered on various reception sites and sharing. We believe in the importance of the external view, of the criticism and sharing to better understand and adapt.
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Contact
Sylvain LAURENT
Domaine Nigoulin
320 chemin de Nigoulin
07700 Saint-Marcel-d’Ardèche
We are open, thrusday, friday and saturday from 6pm until 8pm.
Do not hesistate to send us a message, we will be glad to answer you.
