Charles is a biologist, an oenologist and a farmer with a 360° vision of the vine. He combines biodynamic principles with traditional farming wisdom to craft fresh, balanced wines that reveal all the purity and energy of his terroir.

There’s an amazing energy at Cinq Peyres, up on the Cordes Plateau between Gaillac and Cordes Sur Ciel: “I love it up here,” says Charles. “ It’s open and airy and you can see for miles around. You have the Pyrenees to the South, the Black Mountains to the North, then the Lacune Mountains, the river Aveyron and the forest of the Gresigne…it’s a great terroir.” The estate gets its name from the five stones that compose the soil: “We’re on the chalky deposits of freshwater lakes. The black grapes are on the northern side where its cooler and there’s more clay. We’re working on the flesh which fixes more power and sun, but the coolness ensures we get wines that aren’t too heavy. The white grapes are on the South-facing sides. They pump the terroir. We’re on very basic limestone soils. All the purity and freshness you find in our wines comes from the terroir, the minerals. We don’t have much acidity here, but we have aromas.”

Charles was born on a cider farm in Normandy, immersed in the aromas of fermentation, and moved to the Tarn as a toddler. His parents wanted to create a wine farm and he grew up with their questions: how do you make organic wine? What animals do you put in the vineyard? What should you plant to prevent disease? He was enthralled and knew he wanted to be a vigneron at a very young age. He studied biology, switched to oenology, but his bible is le bon sens paysan or good common farming sense: “Oenology is just the chemistry and business of wine. For me, wine is about people, vines, terroirs, life.” At school he was taught that a vine should grow on 60 hectares with no weeds or grass and be treated five times a year, which is not a lesson he would ever put into practise: “Chemicals destroy all the life in the soils and at Cinq Peyres, we’re looking for quality not quantity. We just want vines that give first-rate wine, fresh, crunchy juice that’s easy to digest. Our vines give very good yields. If all our neighbours thought like us, we could build to 60 hectares together as a union. We’ll find common ground one day because the land is the link between us.”

He took over the farm in 2014 when he was just 20 years old. His parents had separated and the vines had been neglected. Over the last 9 years, with the help of family, friends and wwoofers, he has revived all 25 hectares and has 12 dedicated to the vines: the classic varieties that came with the vineyard and native varieties that he selects from “the elders” and grafts himself in situ. He deeply respects the wisdom of these old farmers who have been pruning vines the same way for generations.

Domaine V Peyres is certified biodynamic, an approach that is rooted in traditional farming: “Each month brings a constellation that is associated with an element that corresponds to an organ of the vine: earth is the roots, water is the leaves, air is the flowers and fire is the fruit. So in winter, we work on the roots. In summer, we focus on the fruit. There’s no big secret. We follow the cycles of the sun, moon and stars to support the development of our vines. The vines get their energy from the atmosphere and of course, from the soil: “ It’s the foundation: you should never have bare soil. You have to let organic matter develop. I sow seeds straight after the harvest: physalis, mustard, luzerne, radish and a thousand types of clover, which bring a thousand and one different mushrooms which create a root system that is constantly working our soils, loosening them up, bringing nutrients, insects, life. I’ve seen butterflies I thought were extinct. After pruning, little ladybirds pop out on the stumps. The vineyard is buzzing in spring.”

It’s all hands-on at Cinq Peyres, the grafting, the pruning, the grape-picking, the cleaning: “We have to be really careful not to damage the grapes when they arrive in the cellar. We don’t want to add any sulphur and that means a lot of cleaning and really gentle handling. Charles has invested in a gentle press: “As a friend of mine once said, if I were a grape, I’d want to go the whole way, I’d want to go into the press, but get my head smashed in? No way. Go through those aggressive pipes? No thanks. So you find a balance, and then you pass your time watching your wine, understanding it, taking care of it. Little by little you learn and discover, but ultimately, it’s just common sense.”

Charles Bonnafont is co-president of Terres de Gaillac*

*Terres de Gaillac is an association of artisanal producers committed to organic farming, biodynamic agriculture and natural wine. Their goal is to connect producers who share their values and principles: qualitative yields, manual harvests, natural yeasts, zero inputs, minimum added sulfites etc. They advocate for viticulture that protects terroirs and living wines in the face of all the technical processes used by winemakers today (thermovinification, oak chips, synthetic yeasts…). Their approach is clearly defined in a strict charter for quality respected by all members. Today the group is attracting more and more newcomers to the appellation thanks to its dynamism and ethics.