Petit Domaine de Echiat (Serge Gayet)
Allier, Auvergne
Vigneron working biodynamically
4 hectares certifies organic vines, 2.5 hectares in production. All are self-farmed.
Additional negociant winemaking from purchased organic vines from friends.
1st vintage was in 2022.
Zero additives, in the vineyard and vinification. Un-fined, unfiltered.
Background & Winery
“I have always made wine, and so has my family… I think that ever since I could walk, I was going to the vineyard — I used to go there with my grandfather. In our area, every family had its own vines to make wine for personal consumption. It was a time when people didn’t drink water; I remember as a child we were served wine mixed with water. All of this is to say that wine is a deeply rooted cultural element for me. I’ve always had, in the back of my mind, the desire to become a winemaker.
I refused to accept the rise of modern viticulture in the area, so I decided in 2021 to take over abandoned vineyards. I knew all the owners of these plots, and since most had passed away, their families were delighted that I wanted to bring the land back to life. My goal was to find forgotten old grape varieties again — old, un-grafted Gamay vines, planted simply from a piece of wood stuck in the ground.
Through this work of scouting and clearing land, I gathered a collection of small vineyard parcels — 4 hectares today. The Petit Domaine d’Echiat was born in 2022: 800 bottles the first year, 2,500 the second, 5,000 in 2024, and 2025 is approaching 10,000 bottles.
As for my winemaking, it has been influenced by various methods and practices. But at its foundation remains what I learned from my grandfather and the farmers of my region, especially in terms of philosophy — our approach to living things, to nature, and to what it teaches us. Think about care before thinking about profitability, be patient, and wait for Mother Nature’s reward. My mentor is Romuald Valot, a winemaker in Beaujeu in Beaujolais — he is an incredible human being. I owe him a lot in my early days, both for his valuable advice and his material help.
At the end of 2022, I negotiated a departure from the Training Center where I had taught Transport and Logistics for many years. It was a relief — I was happy to be able to live my dream. Of course, life today is very difficult financially, but what happiness it is to be able to share your passion every day. My only regret is having made this choice so late, at 57 years old. But as we say around here, better late than never…”
Winemaking
Serge Gayet is a natural winemaker in the Allier (Auvergne) working biodynamically, self-farming 4 hectares of vines, 2.5 of which are in production. These are very old vines for red (Gamay 1870–1965), whites, hybrids, and 1.5 hectares of young plantings of indigenous grape varieties from the region e.g. Sacy de Bourgogne — all certified organic.
Serge uses no additives, neither in the vineyard, nor during vinification.
‘To make a living, I am obliged to buy some grapes. I am very demanding when it comes to sourcing grapes — all of them come from certified organic agriculture. Careful sorting is done during harvest. I only make whole-cluster maceration wines, which makes it essential to have grapes of very high quality. For fermentation, I use tanks of no more than 10 hectoliters.
The use of pumps is forbidden; I move my juice gently to barrels using buckets. My wines age 6 months to a year in oak barrels on their lees, with regular bâtonnage during the waning moon to draw out aromas from the lees. Barrels are topped up regularly.’
Serge proudly ensures that every step of the winemaking process is carefully analyzed by a lab in Alsace composed of oenologists passionate about natural wines. The wines are monitored at least once a month while in barrels. The goal is to craft living wines meant for long aging. The oenologists conclusions support to determine the bottling date.
Bottling is done by hand. He utilizes used Burgundy barrels.
‘I proudly claim my wines are handmade!’