Domaine Lafond Roc-Epine was created in 1970 by Jean-Pierre Lafond with 20ha of Tavel.
A few years later, in 1977, he was joined by his son Pascal. They developed the property on other appellations: Lirac, Côtes du Rhône and Chateauneuf du Pape.
Today the estate covers 85ha, everything has been worked organically since the early 2000s. And it was in 2009 that the estate turned to Ecocert certification and labeling. Pascal’s sons, Jean-Baptiste and François Lafond have now taken over, with Demeter certification planned for the 2024 vintage.
We have been certified organic for 15 years, and we were looking for a way to go further in the process.
It all started with simple tests of plant covers. The goal, at the beginning, was purely agronomic. Restructure our soils, provide nitrogen, and increase organic matter. Our covers are made up of different families: cruciferous, grass and legume. Cruciferous plants have a decompacting role with their taproot. Grasses help limit erosion thanks to their thick root hair and serve as a support for legumes. Finally, legumes and their nodules capture atmospheric nitrogen to return it to the soil once destroyed.
All in a natural way, thanks to grass growing in our vines.
Very quickly we noticed a real positive effect of these new practices. Not only for the soil and the vines, but also for biodiversity: return of bees, hares and earthworms, barometer of soil life in our plots.
Then comes the turn of agroforestry. Planting of hedges of trees and shrubs on the edge as well as within the plot. Bats are back, they are the number one predator of grape worms. This small maggot that pierces our grapes, causes rot and increases the alcohol content.
We want to harvest the healthiest possible harvest because this is what guarantees the smooth running of a winemaking process without inputs.
The doses of copper have been reduced in association with decoctions and other herbal teas. We share the same philosophy as the Biodynamic – Demeter label due to its stricter specifications than in organic. This is why we will be Demeter certified from the 2024 vintage.