Stéphane Lucas apprenticed in Languedoc, Bordeaux, and Provence, and eventually landed a gig running a biodynamic estate in the Côtes du Rhône. Through the years he kept his eyes open for an opportunity to purchase his own domaine, a chance he leapt at in 2008, when he discovered a 2 hectare property for sale in Gaillac, complete with older vines and a small farmhouse chai. A life-long musician, Stéphane named the domaine Le Champ d’Orphée, the Field of Orpheus. Planted to the local Braucol vine (perhaps better known as Fer Servadou or Fer Noir), the domaine is managed biodynamically, with no use of chemical treatments at all. The vines are interspersed with grasses, legumes, and sometimes even garden vegetables– whatever Stéphane decides is necessary to maintain the domaine’s local biodiversity and soil health. Winemaking is straightforward and natural, with all indigenous yeasts, no new oak, and only a minimal dose of SO2 prior to bottling. Though located within the Gaillac appellation, Stéphane uses the Côtes du Tarn designation for his wines in protest of what he sees as the Gaillac AOP’s lax standards.
