Begun in 2008 by Pascale Choime and Laurence Alias, Closeries des Moussis is a micro-domaine in Arsac in the southern Médoc, a short drive from the vast and sprawling vineyards of Margaux and Cantenac. The two women farm about two hectares in Sénéjac near their winery, a small family house they converted to a chai. An additional hectare or so is farmed from tiny plots that they rent out on short-term contracts; some of those contracts can be as short as a single vintage, so there are occasional cuvées that are one-and-done affairs. Their production, including from the leased vineyards, has been 100% organic and biodynamic from the beginning, including manual plowing by their two Breton draft horses, Jumpa and Fée. Pascale hails from Cognac, where her family had long grown grapes for distillers. Prior to starting the domaine, she worked for years as the maître de chai at the Bordeaux-Blanquefort viticultural school. Laurence is an agricultural engineer by training and comes from the Duras, just west of Bordeaux, a region where the two sometimes source fruit.
