Domaine des Buis
| Vigneron | Pauline Broqua |
| Location | Entraygues-sur-Truyère (Aveyron) |
| Size of Domaine | 7 ha |
| Terroir | Continental climate with Mountainous and Atlantic influences. Proximity and influence from the Lot and Truyère rivers. Sandy topsoil of decomposed granite and silt over granite bedrock. Gentle to steep terraced slopes, 250-400m altitude. |
| Viticulture | Certified organic (Ecocert). Practising biodynamics, agroforestry, animal traction. |
| View Domaine des Buis wines ↓ |
Domaine des Buis is situated in northern Aveyron, a remote area with a rugged landscape and preserved wilderness in the foothills of the Mounts of Cantal (south of Auvergne). Here, Pauline Broqua fell in love with this isolated and pastoral part of south-west France with a long history of viticulture and winemaking. She is part of a bunch of growers who are working hard to reposition the Aveyron, and its four appellations, as one of the finest 'région viticole' in France.
The domaine produces wines under the AC Entraygues & Le Fel that currently holds 23ha of vines for five growers – one of the smallest French appellations! It is important to note that the area (Entraygues & Le Fel) used to boast around 1,200ha in the early 19th century when more than 30,000ha were planted in the whole of the Aveyron (with Marcillac and its fer servadou variety having the lion’s share).
Pauline grew up on a farm, in the neighbouring Lot department, where her parents raised goats and made cheese they sold at local markets. She never considered farming as a professional career while growing up: witnessing her family hard at work, agriculture was synonymous with a tough life, she left for the city of Toulouse as soon as she could – and she comments, "It’s kind of ironical, look at me now, I’m a proud hard-working farmer!".
In Toulouse, wine became a passion, she trained and worked as a sommelier for years, she then decided to take a degree in viticulture and oenology (BTS) – at first to simply further her knowledge. But, after staging and working at Domaine Yoyo (Banyuls), La Ferme St Martin (Ventoux) and finally chez local hero Nicolas Carmarans in the Aveyron, she felt the pull of her roots and jumped into the fray – she first took over 2ha from Nicolas himself (2017) and, in 2018, the stars aligned when she met Jean-Marc Viguier, a retiring vigneron who had no children willing to pick up the baton. Pauline didn’t miss the opportunity: she took over Domaine des Buis – with its farm and 10ha of land including 5ha of vines – and kicked off the conversion to organic farming.
The domaine is in the village of Entraygues-sur-Truyère, just south of the Aubrac plateau, at the confluence between two important rivers: the Truyère and the Lot. In patois, Entraygues translates as 'in between waters' – the Truyère flows into the Lot at this junction. Of note, the Lot river flows westwards and crosses Cahors, roughly 120km away.
The 5ha of vines surrounding the farm, in the lieu-dit Les Buis, sit on a gentle S/SE facing slope at 250-300m altitude, and the bottom of the coteau borders the Lot river benefiting from its influences. The other 2ha (taken over from Nicolas Carmarans) are in the village of Campouriez, a 10-minute drive away, on steep terraced hillsides climbing to 400m altitude and looking over the Truyère river – Pauline makes her top cuvée De Toute Façon Le Vent Souffle from this particular plot. All of Domaine des Buis’ vineyards sit on granitic bedrock – with various depths of sandy topsoil made of decomposed granite and silt. The main varieties planted are fer servadou – the emblematic Aveyron grape – as well as chenin blanc and cabernet franc; there are also some more obscure varieties including the native négret de banhars and mouyssaguès.
Pauline only works the soil of her plots once every three years (on average) with the help of horses – 'buttage' and 'débuttage' only, parcels are rotated each year – and she simply mows grass the rest of the time. Vines are usually weaved together as opposed to trimmed to avoid plant stress, and treatments consist of the traditional 'bouillie bordelaise' as well as plant concoctions (e.g. horsetail as fungicide), tisanes and some biodynamic preparations (e.g. horn manure 500 as fertilizer).
In the cellar, Pauline vinifies parcel by parcel to understand and convey terroir in the best way possible; she has a hands-off approach and strives for purity but without compromising on precision. The grapes are refrigerated and cooled down before being processed, there’s no destemmer chez Pauline therefore whole bunches are the norm – slow direct press for the whites and semi-carbonic maceration for the reds with some gentle foot-stomping to extract structure whenever it’s deemed adapted to a given plot and vintage. The wines ferment and age in fiberglass vats and older barrels of all sizes. There’s no filtration and low SO2 (one to two grams per hectolitre) is usually added after fermentation – at racking pre and/or post ageing, that choice is made based on the wine’s strength. Total SO2 in the finished wine is around 30mg/l for most bottlings.
The wines at Domaine des Buis are pure and transparent showcasing genuine identity. Rustic, vibrant and highly drinkable, they convey their maker’s incredible stamina as well as the unique terroir ‘Aveyronnais’. In a few years only, Pauline Broqua has established herself as one of the greatest ambassadors for the region – a stunning part of the world that constantly produces some of the most characterful wines out there, and at more than affordable prices!
Animal traction in the lieu-dit Les Buis 
Domaine des Buis Wines
ENTRAYGUES & LE FEL 2023
Les Brumes
100% Chenin Blanc
100% Chenin Blanc (12.5% alc.)
Chenin Blanc is perfectly suited to the area with its cool climate, granitic soil and proximity to rivers. It has been found in northern Aveyron for several centuries, it was brought by the monks via the 'camino de Santiago' and after centuries of adaptation/mutation, local strains have emerged with their own characteristics. They’re often co-planted with clonal or massal selections emanating from the Loire. Pauline comments that having vineyards planted to chenin was a big draw for her when taking over the farm. The 1.2ha of 40yo vines are planted at the bottom of the slope (lieu-dit Les Buis) on deep granitic sand, right next to the river Lot, benefiting from this particular micro-climate with its misty environment – 'les brumes' translates as mist. Whole bunches are slowly pressed, fermentation occurs without SO2 added, the wine ages in vats on fine lies during winter, it is racked when spring comes and usually bottled around June. Always a textural wine that opens up beautifully in the glass or after a couple of years in bottle, it has a fleshy and moreish fruit with refreshing bitters and a granite-induced salty finish. There’s so much character and identity in this wine – it is the perfect blind taste for any chenin-lover out there!
ENTRAYGUES & LE FEL 2022
Chauffe Marcel
Fer Servadou, Gamay, Jurançon Noir, Cabernet Franc, Négret de Banhars, Mouyssaguès, Négrette
Fer Servadou, Gamay, Jurançon Noir, Cabernet Franc, Négret de Banhars, Mouyssaguès, Négrette (13% alc.)
This wine comes from the oldest vines at the domaine (averaging 50yo, oldest 70yo) – a parcel co-planted with obscure varieties including the hyperlocal négret de banhars (Banhars is a village 5km away) and the extremely rare mouyssaguès (1ha left in the whole of France!). Working with indigenous varieties is important for Pauline, "as it is crucial for preserving the biodiversity and history of the region". This field-blend 'à l’ancienne' is harvested at once, with each grape at different stages of maturity (from underripe to overripe via perfectly ripe). It is vinified like a white to capture the essence of the terroir focusing on mouthfeel and mineral print – whole bunches are directly pressed, fermentation, ageing and bottling as per the cuvée Les Brumes. A beautiful rose colour with brilliance and bright orange hue, this is multi-layered and dynamic with an enticing savouriness. Of note, Chauffe Marcel is the title of a famous song from legendary artist Jacques Brel.
ENTRAYGUES & LE FEL 2022
Marin D'Eau Douce
60% Fer Servadou, 40% Cabernet Franc
60% Fer Servadou, 40% Cabernet Franc (12% alc.)
Fer servadou is the emblematic variety from Aveyron, also known as mansois locally and braucol in Gaillac, it originates from the Basque Country similar to cabernet franc – both grapes are part of the Carmenet ampelographic group (cf. Wine Grapes by Jancis Robinson), they were then propagated through SW France (and further afield in the case of cab franc) by the pilgrims and monks on their way to and from Santiago de Compostela via the notorious 'camino'. This wine beautifully combines juiciness and rusticity – two traits of the fer servadou – medium bodied with refreshing tannins, it has complex ripe bramble fruits aromatics with a spicy and savoury (almost bloody) twist to it. The 25-40yo vines are located higher on the coteau (lieu-dit Les Buis) at 300m altitude, they’re therefore planted on shallow topsoil, closer to the granite bedrock conveying extra savouriness into the final wine. Pauline tames the 'wild side' of both varieties via whole bunches semi-carbonic maceration, the cuvaison lasts for 10-15 days before ageing in older barrels and demi-muids for six months, the wine gets racked and aged for a few more months in vat before bottling in June.