Since Greek merchants first introduced the cultivation of vines to our area more than 2,000 years ago, the Corbières region of the Languedoc in the south of France has been a prime region for grapes and the making of wine.
Our history
The ideal growing conditions were recognised as long ago as the 12th Century,by the monks of the Cistercian Order based at the nearby Abbaye de Fontfroide. They became successful and prosperous wine-makers, and one of their estates was Caraguilhes.
From the beginning, Caraguilhes covered an area of some 600 unbroken hectares. Remarkably, over the course of history, the domain of Caraguilhes has remained intact.
Centuries later in 1958, Lionel Faivre, an established wine-maker in Algeria, took over Caraguilhes with the ambition of making authentic wine with organic grapes. An environmentalist, Lionel pioneered natural farming and wine-making practices by employing sustainable organic techniques. His refusal to use chemical fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides was almost unheard of at the time. Nearly thirty years later, he completed the final transformation of Caraguilhes into full organic production.
In 1998, Lionel reluctantly made the decision to sell the entire Caraguilhes estate.
Pierre Gabison convinced him that he and an associate could succeed in carrying on the proud tradition of high quality organic wine-making he started 50 years earlier.
In 2005, Pierre Gabison took over sole ownership of the business and it has remained organic. With a passion for wine, for Caraguilhes and for the region, Pierre has committed the resources essential to the vineyard as well as to the Château. Pierre’s ambition is to produce top quality wines from healthy vines, wines that express perfectly Caraguilhes’ unique terroir.