Contents
The history of the estate
Located in the heart of the Terrasses du Larzac appellation, the Mas Conscience estate lies at the junction between the Pont du Diable and Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert. Where, according to legend, monks used to go from village to village giving alms and asking passers-by to give according to… their conscience!
Wine and olive oil were frequent gifts. These were transported by mule in jars by the monks. Little by little, these jars took on the name of conscience… The legend endures and today, the estate established on this land has chosen the name Mas Conscience and the symbol of a mule carrying a jar.
The estate is managed by Audrey Bonnet-Koening, an Alsatian who trained as an agricultural engineer in Bordeaux and has worked in various sectors of the wine world in South Africa and France, most notably as cellar manager of the “La Peira” estate, located 10mn from Mas Conscience, from 2015 to 2020. She is supported by Claude Gros, who has been with her since 2006. This oenologist and consultant advises numerous clients in the region, as well as in Burgundy, Bordeaux and the United States. Stéphane Canaguie is the second-in-command at Mas Conscience, often in the vines, but also present in the cellar. He also runs his own domaine, Domaine des Olivèdes, in the same AOC. Finally, Gauthier Soardi, a trainee, is in charge of the cellar and sales this year.
A local terroir
The Mas Conscience estate is spread over several communes: Aniane, Puéchabon and Saint-Jean-de-Fos. Each of these communes benefits from a micro-terroir that gives rise to typical wines.
The commune of Aniane has semi-sloping limestone-clay terroirs, as well as limestone scree with the presence of pebbles. The vines on this terroir are planted with Syrah and Grenache over 30 years old (3.5 hectares) and Cinsault over 20 years old (2 hectares).
At Puéchabon, the vines are more recent and are located on a lacustrine limestone plateau with limestone pebbles. On top are 1.5 hectares of very old Cinsault vines and one hectare of Vermentino vines, which form the basis of the Tapade cuvée.
Finally, at Saint-Jean-de-Fos, 7 hectares of vines grow on alluvial soil strewn with pebbles. Roussanne, Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Vermentino and Petit Manseng are blended over two hectares. This is complemented by one hectare of 50-year-old Carignan vines, 1.5 hectares of Grenache, 1 hectare of Mourvèdre and 1.5 hectares of Syrah.
For the past 10 years, the estate has been run using organic farming methods. This approach is a natural extension of the vineyard’s determination to produce authentic wines that respect the terroir that gave them birth.
Photo by Mas Conscience
