Domaine La Tour Vieille
The
vibrant little seaport town of Collioure is nestled on the Mediterranean coast,
just north of the Spanish border, in the area known as French Catalonia. In
1981, Vincent Cantié and Christine Campadieu took over two small, family-owned
domaines where they had grown up, in Collioure and Banyuls, respectively.
Together, they farm vineyards planted on steep, schist terraces overlooking the
sea, where they are constantly exposed to the fierce and wily wind known as “La
Tramontagne.” This constant wind not only ensures naturally low yields, but
also keeps the grapes free of mildew with little need for pesticides or copper
sulfate. Their vineyards are so steep that cultivation must be by hand, and
extensive irrigation canals and walls (all made from the schist rock) are their
only prevention against soil erosion, although there is almost no soil left to
recede! These canals snake down the hillsides, separating the parcels. At
harvest, the grapes are carried up and down the mountain in baskets. This
method of farming, while extremely challenging, preserves the traditions of
their ancestors. Such ideals have inspired two documentaries, Wine From the Heart by Yasha Aginsky
(2002), and a short film sponsored by Project NOÉ for the defense of the European
viticultural heritage.
Though
the majority of the Tour Vieille holdings are planted with Grenache Noir, they
also work with Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, Macabeo, Syrah, and Carignan.
They have several single vineyard bottlings of Collioure, and several cuvées of
Banyuls, from Christine’s family’s holdings. Banyuls, neighbor of Collioure,
sits only two kilometers from the Spanish border; it is famous for its
fortified wines. Tour Vieille also produces a wide range of practically extinct
late harvest and extended elevage white and red wines, the ultimate meditation
wines at the end of a meal. The heart, soul, and hard work that go into
crafting these wines make their labor of love all the more delicious.

The vibrant little seaport town of Collioure is nestled on the Mediterranean coast, just north of the Spanish border, in the area known as French Catalonia. In 1981, Vincent Cantié and Christine Campadieu took over two small, family-owned domaines where they had grown up, in Collioure and Banyuls, respectively. Together, they farm vineyards planted on steep, schist terraces overlooking the sea, where they are constantly exposed to the fierce and wily wind known as “La Tramontagne.” This constant wind not only ensures naturally low yields, but also keeps the grapes free of mildew with little need for pesticides or copper sulfate. Their vineyards are so steep that cultivation must be by hand, and extensive irrigation canals and walls (all made from the schist rock) are their only prevention against soil erosion, although there is almost no soil left to recede! These canals snake down the hillsides, separating the parcels. At harvest, the grapes are carried up and down the mountain in baskets. This method of farming, while extremely challenging, preserves the traditions of their ancestors. Such ideals have inspired two documentaries, Wine From the Heart by Yasha Aginsky (2002), and a short film sponsored by Project NOÉ for the defense of the European viticultural heritage.
Though the majority of the Tour Vieille holdings are planted with Grenache Noir, they also work with Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, Macabeo, Syrah, and Carignan. They have several single vineyard bottlings of Collioure, and several cuvées of Banyuls, from Christine’s family’s holdings. Banyuls, neighbor of Collioure, sits only two kilometers from the Spanish border; it is famous for its fortified wines. Tour Vieille also produces a wide range of practically extinct late harvest and extended elevage white and red wines, the ultimate meditation wines at the end of a meal. The heart, soul, and hard work that go into crafting these wines make their labor of love all the more delicious.
Technical Information
Wine | Blend | Vine Age | Soil Type | Vineyard Area* |
---|---|---|---|---|
Collioure Blanc “Les Canadells” |
70% Grenaches blanc et gris, 10% Macabeo, 10% Roussane, 10% Vermentino | 20 to 60 years | Schist | 13 ha total |
Collioure Rosé “Rosé des Roches” |
50% Grenache, 50% Syrah | 20 to 60 years | Schist | 13 ha total |
Collioure Rouge “La Pinède” |
80% Grenache Noir, 7% Carignan, 7% Syrah, 6% Mourvèdre | 35 to 70 years | Schist | 13 ha total |
Collioure Rouge “Puig Oriol” |
70% Syrah, 15% Carignan, 15% Grenache | 25 to 50 years | Schist | 13 ha total |
Collioure Rouge “Puig Ambeille” |
80% Mourvèdre, 10% Grenache, 10% Carignan | 25 to 45 years | Schist | 13 ha total |
Vin de Pays de la Côte Vermeille “Mémoire d’Automnes” |
50% Grenache Blanc, 50% Grenache Gris | 35 to 75 years | Schist | 13 ha total |
Banyuls Blanc Doux |
50% Grenache Blanc 50% Grenache Gris | 35 to 70 years | Schist | 13 ha total |
Banyuls “Rimage” |
90% Grenache, 10% Carignan | 45 + years | Schist | 13 ha total |
Banyuls “Rimage Mise Tardive” |
90% Grenache, 10% Carignan | 45 + years | Schist | 13 ha total |
Banyuls “Reserva” |
35% Grenache, 35% Grenache Gris, 30% Carignan | 45 + years | Schist | 13 ha total |
Banyuls “Vin de Méditation” |
Grenache and Carignan | 45 + years | Schist | 13 ha total |
Cap de Creus “Rancio Sec” |
Grenache and Carignan | 45 + years | Schist | 13 ha total |
* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres |
VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION
• All grapes are harvested by hand and nothing is mechanized at all (no tractors)
• All wines are fermented traditionally with wild yeasts
Collioure Blanc “Les Canadells”:
• Grenache Gris is pressed immediately after harvest• Grenache Blanc, Macabeo, Vermentino, Roussanne undergo a short skin maceration
• A percentage of the wine is fermented in oak barrels with a regular stirring of the lees
• Wine is bottled 6 months after harvest
Collioure Rosé “Rosé des Roches”:
• Made from Grenache (direct pressing), Syrah (18 hour maceration)• Wine is bottled 3 months after harvest
•Wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation
Collioure Rouges:
• All reds undergo pump-overs and all punch-downs are by foot
• Wine is bottled 10 to 18 months after fermentation
Banyuls:
• Banyuls Blanc Doux, “Rimage”, “Rimage Mise Tardive” are all vintage wines
Banyuls Blanc Doux:
• Grapes are pressed directly after harvest
• Alcohol is added to stop fermentation so that the grapes may retain their sweetness
Vintage Banyuls:
• Non-oxidized wine that is bottled within the first year of aging• Harvested between September 10 and 20
• Neutral spirit added during fermentation and calculated to bring juice to 16% alcohol
• Residual sugar of 90 to 96 g/L
• Banyuls “Rimage Mise Tardive” similar to base wine of “Rimage”; aged in foudre for several additional years before release
Banyuls “Reserva”:
• Harvested between September 10 and 20• Neutral spirit added during fermentation and calculated to bring juice to 16% alcohol
• Must is then pressed and pressed juice is divided and aged in three separate vessels: foudre, barrel, and large glass jars stored outdoors in the sun
• Glass jars are aged for one year outdoors and then blended together into one tank
• The final blend for each “Reserva” bottling is composed of the blended tank of wine aged in glass jars, with various other vintages from barrels and foudre
• The resulting blend has an average of wine age of 5 years—the youngest wine being 1 year old and the oldest being 13 years old
• Residual sugar of 90 to 96 g/L
Banyuls “Vin de Méditation”:
• Solera aging process
• Wine still has a base from 1952
Vin de Pays de la Côte Vermeille “Memoire D’Automnes”:
• Grapes are picked late and undergoes a long fermentation
• Wine is intentionally left to oxidize over two years in barrel
• Similar to Vin Jaune or Dry Sherry
General Information
- Country
- France
- Region
- Languedoc-Roussillon
- Appellation(s)
- Collioure, Banyuls, Vin de Pays de la Côte Vermeille, Cap de Creus
- Producer
- Vincent Cantié, Christine Campadieu
- Founded
- 1981
- Annual Production
- 4,600 cases
- Website
- http://www.latourvieille.com/