«If we are not the ones trying to change things here, who will ? ». Ludovic Engelvin is a lover of his southern land, and proudly claims it. Intimately convinced of the excellence of the Languedoc terroirs, his ambition is to restore the image of a region whose quality and agricultural diversity has been recognized since Ancient Rome, but which was sacrificed on the altar of productivism during the 20^th century. Ludovic is totally devoted to his sensitive, intuitive and demanding practice and succeeds in distinguishing himself with his fresh and elegant wines, deeply marked by the identity of the place.

Interested more in nature than in school, Ludovic quickly became passionate about the vineyard, finding it an opportunity to spend his days outdoors. Not having any heritage in wine, he embarked on the classic viticulture and oenology course, before landing on an internship with the late, great Didier Dagueneau, a mythical winemaker from the Loire Valley. This experience marked him for life, as it was at his side that he learned that to produce great, sincere and unique wines, it is essential to practice environmentally friendly agriculture, with common sense, rigor and intuition.

Ludovic has been putting these notions into practice since 2010. Naturally returning to his native Languedoc, he settled in the garrigue of Vic-le-Fesq (Gard). He now cultivates 9 hectares of vines in a gentle manner. No synthetic treatments, only essential oils and local plant teas. The winegrower has also chosen to grow only traditional local grape varieties that he considers to be better adapted to the hot and arid climate, such as Grenache, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. Ludovic goes even further, replanting old, endangered varieties such as Clinton or Terret, which also thrive in these conditions.

In the cellar, the vinification is just as gentle and natural, with no fining, no filtration, and no inputs except for a tiny dose of sulphites during bottling. In order to best reveal the personality of the juices, the grapes are infused rather than extracted and are matured in fibred and stainless-steel vats. The result is deep, delicate and balanced wines. These are energetic wines, resolutely marked by their terroir and a million miles away from the preconceived ideas about southern wines.

[photos credits 1, 2, 3 : Ludovic Engelvin/François Bruschet]