La Nouvelle Donne

La Nouvelle Donne

La Nouvelle Donne was begun in 2007 by Wilfried Valat in Calce, at the heart of the Roussillon, with the aim of making wines quite unlike the classics of the region.

There are no cultured yeasts here, no volume production, no harvesting machines and no acidification. Wilfried's goal is natural wine, free of additives and of human interference.

He once had a career as a biochemist in Dijon, and even then he had it in mind to bring a Burgundian approach to winemaking to the terroirs of the Roussillon.

His vines lie high on the Col de la Dona at more than 300 metres above sea level, and by varying his approach parcel by parcel according to their differing microclimates he has made a success of impeccably organic farming.

All the fruit is picked by hand and vinified without additions, in demi-muids and large casks, none of them new.

His wines reflect the freshness that comes with altitude here and draw out the complex aromatics of old vines — supremely smooth, with real depth of flavour.