LAURENT CAZOTTES

Located an hour drive north-east of Toulouse in south-central France, Laurent Cazottes’ farm is the epitome of the permaculture ethos. The Tarn, a subregion of Occitanie, is ideal for mixed agriculture. The mild climate, calcareous soils, and access to water all contribute to its reputation as fertile territory.

Laurent’s home plot in Villeneuve-sur-Vère features dozens of different species, all living in harmony. Between the pear and plum trees, you’ll find savoury, lavender, strawberries, lemon balm, costmary, liquorice, sunflowers, four cultivars of elderflower, and rue which he distils into a homemade insecticide. You’ll also find his dazzling collection of rare tomatoes. Each year he collects the seeds, washes them, dries them, and propagates 3-4 of each, eventually yielding the base for the notorious tomato liqueur.

You’ll find a second orchard a few kilometres away, right next to a small river. The trees here are more vigorous and higher-yielding. There are four rows of Williams, a row of Reine Claud Dorée, wild Quince, some wild cherries, and over a dozen apple varieties. Soils here have over 70% active limestone, which Laurent believes adds to the salinity of the fruit.

The third orchard is exceptionally high density, 400 plants on a half hectare. The trees, planted in 2001, are only 2.5 meters apart, which increases competition drastically. Although this site mainly features Williams, other pear cultivars are interplanted to help pollinate. The end rows are planted to a random jumble of trees to increase biodiversity. His farming methodology across all plots is organic, but some biodynamic preparations are also used.

Laurent’s vineyards are planted to indigenous varieties: Prunelart, Mauzac Blanc, Mauzac Rose, Duras, Braucol, and Jurançon Noire. Many vines are 50+ years old, planted by the previous generation. The white calcareous soils are green with wild plants like pimpernel and sainfoin, which help balance soil nutrients and prevent erosion. Instead of chemical pesticides, he opts for pheromone disruption capsules to avoid unwanted pests. Recently, he’s acquired his neighbour’s vineyard, which is equivalently old but requires organic conversion - slow and steady.

The distillery is centred around a mobile alembic still purchased by Jean, Laurent’s father, in 1960. They’ve made some modifications over the years, but it’s still all about simplicity and control at its heart. Fruits are all hand destemmed and deseeded after passerillage, a ripening period post-picking. They’re then crushed and wild fermented (usually in concrete) or macerated in spirit. They distil both base wines and infusions to achieve different results. As stills are designed to concentrate, no sulphur is added at any point. It’s also why Laurent is so hesitant to use pesticides and herbicides in his orchards. Occasionally he distils either marc or wine from illustrious producers like l’Anglore (Tavel) and Jacques Lassaigne (Champagne). After distillation, the spirits are aged in small glass demijohns to mellow. Both Laurent and Jean believe it’s the ideal vessel because you can control the interaction with oxygen and allow seasonal temperature changes to influence the final product, further expressing vintage variation. The spirits are then hand bottled, labelled, and waxed.

In the winery, Laurent ferments most of his wine in concrete, although he does have a few barrels, stainless steel tanks, and amphora from just north of Barcelona. Since 2019, most of his cuvées have been released without added SO2. It seems like his grandfather’s cellar is the ideal resting place for these wines because they tend to come out incredibly pure, lively, and concentrated. We’ve been looking forward to working with Laurent for a long time - it’s such a privilege to represent such a thoughtful producer who challenges our preconceived notions of flavour and technique.