From the City to the Granite
Domaine des Buis is one of Aveyron's most exciting natural wine estates — a 7-hectare property founded in 2018 by Pauline Broqua in the remote village of Entraygues-sur-Truyère, at the confluence of the Lot and Truyère rivers in northern Aveyron. A former sommelier from Toulouse who discovered natural wine at Le Temps des Vendanges, Pauline trained at Domaine Yoyo in Banyuls and with Nicolas Carmarans in Aveyron before taking over a retiring vigneron's farm. The estate sits on granitic soils with sandy topsoil of decomposed granite and silt, at 250–400 metres altitude, surrounded by one of France's most pristine and biodiverse wildernesses. Pauline farms organically (Ecocert certified) and biodynamically, using horse traction to plough the soil only once every three years. She works with rare indigenous varieties — Fer Servadou, Négret de Banhars, Mouyssaguès — alongside Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, vinifying parcel by parcel with whole bunches, semi-carbonic maceration, and minimal sulfur (~30mg/l total). Her wines are pure, transparent, and full of character: rustic, vibrant, and highly drinkable expressions of a forgotten terroir that is only now being rediscovered.
From Sommelier to Vigneronne
Pauline Broqua's path to Domaine des Buis was anything but conventional. Born and raised on a goat farm in the neighbouring Lot department — where her parents raised goats and made cheese organically — she left for Toulouse as soon as she could, seeing agriculture as synonymous with a hard life. "It's kind of ironical, look at me now, I'm a proud hard-working farmer!" she laughs today.
In Toulouse, wine became a passion. She trained and worked as a sommelier, but it was natural wine that truly captured her attention. Her local wine shop, Le Temps des Vendanges, owned by Éric Cuestas, introduced her to the world of organically farmed and naturally made wines. "Something just clicked — the taste of those wines really evoked emotions in me. I still remember tasting my first wines from Yvon Métras. The tastes I experienced were ones I recognised from growing up in my family's village, where we used to buy wine from the local winemaker in large containers with my grandma."
She began studying for sommelier exams in 2011 and took a BTS in viticulture and oenology — "at first to simply further my knowledge." But after stages at Domaine Yoyo in Banyuls, La Ferme Saint-Martin in Beaumes-de-Venise, and finally with Nicolas Carmarans in Aveyron, she felt the pull of her roots. In 2017, she took over a 2-hectare lease from Nicolas Carmarans in Campouriez. Then, in 2018, the stars aligned: she met Jean-Marc Viguier, a retiring vigneron in Entraygues-sur-Truyère with no children willing to take over. Pauline didn't miss the opportunity — she took over Domaine des Buis, with its farm and 10 hectares of land including 5 hectares of vines, and kicked off the conversion to organic farming.
The region's history deeply moved her. Aveyron once boasted over 30,000 hectares of vines in the early 19th century, with Entraygues & Le Fel alone holding 1,200 hectares. The rural exodus between the two world wars devastated this heritage — over 2,000 hectares were abandoned. "Nicolas and I would go for walks in the forest, and we'd find very old traces of vines there. It was just incredible." Pauline has made it her mission to restore this forgotten terroir, working with indigenous varieties and minimal intervention to transmit the essence of Aveyron in every bottle.
"My objective is to leave people who drink my wines with an image of the terroir; to transmit that place to the bottle."
— Pauline Broqua
Granite, Horse Power & Biodiversity
Domaine des Buis is situated in one of France's most remote and pristine wine regions. The village of Entraygues-sur-Truyère lies at the confluence of the Lot and Truyère rivers — in patois, "Entraygues" translates as "in between waters." Just south of the Aubrac plateau, in the foothills of the Mounts of Cantal, this is a landscape of rugged hills, ancient forests, and wild rivers. There has never been intensive viticulture, agriculture, or tourism here — only small breeders and farmers — meaning the fauna and flora are extraordinarily strong and healthy.
The estate comprises two distinct sites. The 5 hectares surrounding the farm in the lieu-dit Les Buis sit on a gentle south/southeast-facing slope at 250–300 metres altitude, with the bottom of the coteau bordering the Lot river. The other 2 hectares, taken over from Nicolas Carmarans, are in Campouriez — a 10-minute drive away — on steep terraced hillsides climbing to 400 metres altitude, overlooking the Truyère river. All vineyards sit on granitic bedrock with sandy topsoil of decomposed granite and silt. The soils are acidic, well-drained, and mineral-rich, imparting a distinct saline, stony character to the wines.
Pauline's farming is organic (Ecocert certified) and biodynamic, with a deep commitment to preserving biodiversity. She works the soil of her plots only once every three years on average, using horses for buttage and débuttage — parcels are rotated each year. The rest of the time, she simply mows the grass. Vines are woven together rather than trimmed to avoid plant stress. Treatments consist of traditional bouillie bordelaise, plant concoctions such as horsetail as fungicide, tisanes, and biodynamic preparations including horn manure 500 as fertilizer. Animal traction is not a romantic gesture but a practical choice: it avoids soil compaction, preserves microbial life, and maintains the gentle slopes without machinery damage.
The climate is continental with mountainous and Atlantic influences. The proximity of the Lot and Truyère rivers creates misty microclimates — perfect for Chenin Blanc, which thrives in cool, humid conditions. The altitude provides diurnal temperature variation, preserving acidity in the reds and aromatic complexity in the whites. This is not an easy terroir — the steep terraces demand hand-work, the granite is unforgiving, and the weather can be erratic — but it is precisely this challenge that produces wines of such character and authenticity.
Les Buis: 5ha at 250–300m, gentle S/SE slopes, deep granitic sand by the Lot river. Campouriez: 2ha at 400m, steep terraced hillsides above the Truyère. Same granitic bedrock, different expositions, altitudes, and microclimates. Parcel-by-parcel vinification to express each terroir.
Granitic bedrock with sandy topsoil of decomposed granite and silt. Acidic, well-drained, mineral-rich. Deep root penetration. Saline, stony character in the wines. The geological signature of northern Aveyron — ancient, hard, and full of character.
Ecocert certified organic. Biodynamic practices with horn manure 500, plant concoctions, and tisanes. No herbicides, no synthetics. Soil worked once every three years with horses. Grass mowed, not tilled. Biodiversity as paramount. Respecting the wilderness that surrounds the vines.
Horse-ploughed exclusively. No machinery compaction. Vines woven, not trimmed. Hand-harvested. Manual labour at every stage. The old ways preserved not for nostalgia but because they work — respecting the soil, the plant, and the final wine.
Parcel by Parcel, Whole Bunch & Minimal Intervention
Pauline Broqua's cellar philosophy is one of purity, precision, and terroir transmission. She vinifies parcel by parcel — not to create complexity through blending, but to understand and convey the distinct identity of each site. "Natural wine is the only way to portray a terroir," she believes. "If we use several technical methods and chemicals in winemaking, then talking about terroir is no longer legitimate."
The techniques are precise and demanding:
Harvest: All grapes are hand-harvested and refrigerated before processing to preserve freshness. There is no destemmer at the domaine — whole bunches are the norm. Pauline's choice to avoid destemming is pragmatic, not philosophical: "I don't have a lot of equipment; equipment is expensive. When I learnt how to make wine, I tried many types of destemmers. I realised that unless you have a really fancy one, which is very precise, then you end up making soup. I prefer not to destem at all than use a destemmer which doesn't give me quality."
Whites: Whole bunches are slowly and directly pressed. Fermentation occurs without added SO₂. The wines age in vats on fine lees during winter, are racked when spring comes, and are usually bottled around June. The approach is hands-off, allowing the Chenin Blanc to express its granitic terroir with texture, fleshy fruit, refreshing bitters, and a granite-induced salty finish.
Reds: For earlier-drinking cuvées, Pauline uses semi-carbonic maceration — whole bunches are left untouched to create something light and elegant. For more complex parcels that produce wines for ageing, she does some gentle foot-stomping to extract a little more tannin and structure. The cuvaison lasts 10–15 days before ageing in older barrels and demi-muids for six months. The wine is then racked and aged for a few more months in vat before bottling in June.
Sulfur: Low SO₂ — one to two grams per hectolitre is usually added after fermentation, at racking pre and/or post ageing. The choice is made based on the wine's strength. Total SO₂ in the finished wine is around 30mg/l for most bottlings. No filtration.
Ageing: Wines ferment and age in fiberglass vats and older barrels of all sizes. The vessel choice depends on the cuvée and the vintage — vats for freshness, barrels for structure. The focus is always on preserving the wine's natural energy and terroir expression.
The portfolio is a celebration of Aveyron's indigenous varieties and its unique granitic terroir:
"Les Brumes": 100% Chenin Blanc from 40-year-old vines at the bottom of the Les Buis slope, on deep granitic sand next to the Lot river. The misty microclimate — "les brumes" means mist — gives this wine its name and its character. Whole bunches, slow direct press, fermentation without SO₂, ageing on fine lees in vats. Textural, fleshy, with refreshing bitters and a granite-induced salty finish. The perfect blind taste for any Chenin lover.
"Chauffe Marcel": A field blend from the oldest vines at the domaine — averaging 50 years old, with the oldest at 70 years. Co-planted with Fer Servadou, Gamay, Jurançon Noir, Cabernet Franc, Négret de Banhars, and the extremely rare Mouyssaguès (less than 1 hectare left in all of France). Harvested at once with each grape at different stages of maturity, then vinified like a white — whole bunches directly pressed. A beautiful rosé colour with brilliance and bright orange hue, multi-layered and dynamic with an enticing savouriness. Named after Jacques Brel's famous song.
"Marin d'Eau Douce": 60% Fer Servadou, 40% Cabernet Franc. Fer servadou is Aveyron's emblematic variety, also known as mansois locally and braucol in Gaillac. It originates from the Basque Country, as does Cabernet Franc — both are part of the Carmenet ampelographic group. The 25–40 year old vines are located higher on the coteau at 300m altitude, on shallower topsoil closer to the granite bedrock. Whole bunch semi-carbonic maceration, 10–15 day cuvaison, ageing in older barrels and demi-muids. Juicy and rustic, medium-bodied with refreshing tannins, complex ripe bramble fruits with a spicy and savoury twist.
"De Toute Façon Le Vent Souffle": The top cuvée from the steep terraced hillsides of Campouriez at 400m altitude, overlooking the Truyère river. This parcel produces Pauline's most structured and age-worthy wine — a profound expression of high-altitude Aveyron granite.
"Les Brumes" — "Mist, Granite & Chenin"
The "Les Brumes" is Domaine des Buis's flagship white — a 100% Chenin Blanc from 40-year-old vines planted at the bottom of the Les Buis slope, on deep granitic sand right next to the Lot river. The misty microclimate — "les brumes" translates as mist — is the wine's namesake and its soul. This is Chenin Blanc as it exists almost nowhere else in France: adapted to granite, shaped by river mist, and vinified with the lightest possible touch.
The grapes are hand-harvested as whole bunches and slowly pressed directly — no destemming, no crushing, no violence. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, without any added sulfur. The wine ages in vats on fine lees through the winter, developing texture and complexity. In spring, it is racked and bottled around June, capturing the freshness of the vintage while allowing the lees to build mouthfeel and depth.
In the glass, "Les Brumes" is pale gold with a luminous, almost silvery rim. The nose is a delicate weave of white peach, apricot, citrus blossom, and wet stone — the granite's mineral signature unmistakable. The palate is medium-bodied and textural, with a fleshy, moreish quality that opens beautifully as the wine breathes. There are refreshing bitters — a hallmark of granitic Chenin — and a distinct saline finish that speaks of the river, the mist, and the ancient stone beneath. This is not Loire Chenin; it is Aveyron Chenin — wilder, more rustic, and utterly unique. It drinks beautifully young but will evolve intriguingly over 2–3 years, developing honeyed, nutty notes while retaining its granite edge. Serve at 10–12°C with fresh goat cheese, grilled fish, or simply as an apéritif that transports you to the misty banks of the Lot. ~$22–$32 / ~€20–€28.
The Domaine des Buis Range
Pauline Broqua produces a pure, terroir-driven portfolio from her 7 hectares of organically and biodynamically farmed vineyards across Entraygues-sur-Truyère and Campouriez in northern Aveyron. All wines are hand-harvested, spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts, and bottled with minimal sulfur (~30mg/l total SO₂) and no filtration. The portfolio celebrates rare indigenous varieties — Fer Servadou, Négret de Banhars, Mouyssaguès — alongside Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, vinified parcel by parcel with whole bunches and semi-carbonic maceration. Prices are approximate and in USD/EUR.