Ugo Lestelle is one of Roussillon’s young guns, a diverse and eclectic generation of vignerons who landed in the region looking for old vines, terroir largely untouched by conventional agriculture, and vineyard real estate that doesn’t demand the deep pockets of a corporate baron. Settling in Saint-Chinian in 2015, Lestelle started with just two hectares of gobelet-trained ancient Carignan vines. He’s since expanded to add more Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Aramon, and Terret, all old vines (typically 90-100+ years-old), all organically and biodynamically managed. The various sites are on clay-limestone-silicaceous terroir with very marginal organic component and set at 1500-2000 feet above sea level. Lestelle tills the vineyards by horse, and all his work in the cellar is minimal interventionist with only SO2 additions, and tiny ones at that.
