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A veritable jewel of the Haut-Armagnac region, Domaine d’Arton is the result of an ambitious gamble and a lot of hard work. At Arton, everything happens on the estate, from grapes to wine, from wine to Armagnac.
A family vineyard in Haut-Armagnac
The Domaine d’Arton is above all a gamble, a radical change of life, and the pursuit of a promise: the production of exceptional wines and Armagnacs.
In 1979, Patrick de Montal and Victoire de Montesquiou fell under the spell of the Arton estate and decided to settle there. After a life marked by the pace of Paris, the couple decided to return to their native Gascony. Where the cicadas sing and the sun shines, where the calm of nature and the diversity of the flora stand out, this is where the couple chose to spend the rest of their lives.
The project is simple: to restore the Arton estate to its former glory by recultivating the estate’s uncultivated vineyards. First of all, the production of Haut-Armagnac was launched, putting the estate on the map. The production of Armagnac is meticulously monitored, from the grapes to bottling, to ensure the highest quality.
This traceability, introduced in 1981, makes Patrick de Montal a visionary in the wine industry! The same goes for his gamble on bringing Armagnac up to date, which seems to be gradually taking shape.
Since this year, the couple’s son Jean de Montal and his wife Lili de Montal have followed the same pattern as their parents, leaving city life to join the estate. Since their arrival, the vineyard has been revitalized and modernized, in terms of viticulture, winemaking, marketing and communication.
An innovative Armagnac terroir close to nature
The Domaine d’Arton terroir consists mainly of rich, fertile, naturally filtering clay-limestone soils. Truly the land of Haut-Armagnac, the vineyard is planted with eight grape varieties: Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Gros Manseng, Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet.
Each grape variety is planted on the plot that suits it best, depending on the gradient, the amount of sunshine, the proximity to local wildlife…
The estate is also committed to a process of sustainable viticulture, with the aim of listening to and respecting the rhythm of nature, and ensuring that it retains its rights. The vineyard lets nature take its course without forcing or constraining it. For example, Patrick has banned the spraying of synthetic molecules, the soils are naturally regulated by the creation of meadows which enable him to live independently, the fertilizers used are natural, and the soils are irrigated by rain and groundwater…
An innovative touch: music in the vineyards. Over the past 5 years, Genodics laboratory technology has been applied to the field, with the installation of loudspeakers that emit a melody conveying organic waves. These waves are supposed to stimulate the vines’ production of the proteins they need to protect themselves from the onslaught of disease or climatic imbalances.
Photos : domaine d’Arton
