León Barral Tradition

In 10 years, the number of Jersey cows has tripled in France. Used by farmers, this little cow has been getting more popular thanks to the quality of its milk and high resistance. Not only can they adapt perfectly to all types of management thanks to their sociability and smaller size, but they are also very profitable (they convert grass into milk seven times their weight and have a high fat and protein content). With these as his teammates, Didier Barral, a biodynamic winegrower who is a fierce advocate of healthy soil with no chemical intervention, has been working the 35-hectare family estate in Lanthéric, Languedoc-Roussillon since 1990. Naming the project León Barral as a tribute to his father, the cows and other farm animals are great partners. They serve both as a herbicide and a natural fertiliser. The simple act of grazing is responsible for good microbial activity in the soil, which adds the necessary nutrients and promotes oxygenation. A sustainable and artisan way of working that, thanks to its excellent results, has made this winery one of the leading representatives of biodynamics in France.

León Barral Tradition is proof of this. A blend of Cariñena, Garnacha Tinta and Cinsault varieties planted on steep schist slopes on slightly acidic schist soils full of biodiversity. Part of the AOC Faugères, this wine is vinified in a traditional and orderly manner. The grapes are harvested and selected by hand, fermentation happens naturally with long macerations and the wine is aged in French oak for 12 months. Finally the wine is bottled without clarifying or filtering and without adding sulphites.

Insisting on minimal intervention in both the vineyard and the winery, Barral manages to convey the maximum expression of the terroir with this León Barral Tradition cuvée. A symbol of the most honest tradition.