The Highest Point of Maury
La Petite Baigneuse is one of Roussillon's most distinctive natural wine estates — a 13-hectare property founded in 2007 by Philippe Wies in the dramatic schist landscape of Maury, near Perpignan. Originally a market gardener and rare-breed chicken farmer in the Ardèche, Philippe packed up his young family for an 18-month voyage across the northern hemisphere, returning with a newfound desire to make wine. He found his place in Maury — an isolated parcel of wind-swept vines at 350 metres altitude, surrounded by cliffs, wild shrubbery, and the relentless Tramontana wind, with the Mediterranean sea visible on the horizon. The vineyard sits at the highest altitude in the Maury appellation, providing extraordinary freshness and ventilation that defies the region's reputation for heat and power. Philippe built a gravity-fed cellar with concrete tanks by hand in 2016, designed so that every stage of winemaking operates without pumps. All wines ferment with indigenous yeasts at ambient temperature, are unfined, unfiltered, and bottled without added sulfur. The result is a range of wines that are gritty, gorgeous, and full of mineral tension — schist in liquid form, shaped by wind and sea.
From the Ardèche to the Schist
Philippe Wies's path to wine was forged through travel, agriculture, and an unshakeable connection to the land. Before vines, he was a market gardener in the Ardèche, cultivating heirloom vegetables and raising rare-breed chickens — a life of manual labour, biodiversity, and respect for nature's rhythms. But the desire to see the world pulled at him. In the early 2000s, he packed up his young family and embarked on an 18-month journey across the northern hemisphere, an adventure that would reshape his life entirely.
On his return, something had changed. The voyage had distilled in him a newfound desire to produce wine — not as a career change, but as a continuation of his agricultural philosophy. He found himself in Maury, a small village in the Roussillon near Perpignan, on the Mediterranean coast. An isolated parcel of wind-swept vines, surrounded by cliffs and wild shrubbery, with marine fragrances carried on the Tramontana wind, convinced him to stay. In 2007, he acquired an estate of 8.5 hectares. The name "La Petite Baigneuse" — The Little Bather — was born from the landscape and the spirit of the place.
The estate has since grown to 13 hectares, all at the highest altitude in the Maury appellation — around 350 metres above the Agly valley. This elevation is the estate's secret weapon: it provides extraordinary freshness and ventilation, cooling the vineyards even in the height of summer and preserving acidity in grapes that would otherwise ripen to excess. The view from the top of the hill reveals the sea on the horizon — a constant reminder of the maritime influence that moderates this inland terroir.
In 2016, Philippe built a new cellar in the centre of his vineyards — with his own hands. The gravity-fed design means that fruit moves from vineyard to tank to barrel without a single pump, preserving the integrity of the berries and avoiding the oxidation and bruising that mechanical handling can cause. Concrete tanks provide thermal stability and neutrality, while old barrels and foudres add gentle oxygenation without oak flavour. This is a cellar built for purity, not power.
"A dramatically beautiful landscape, surrounded by cliffs and wild shrubbery, the cold northern wind of the Tramontana leaves its mark on the vineyard. Although Philippe Wies proudly makes the sweet Grenache we've come to love from the region, his dry wines are seriously compelling. Schisty soils, gritty and gorgeous wines."
— Roni Selects
Schist, Tramontana & Ecosystem Viticulture
La Petite Baigneuse's vineyards sit on black schist soils in the Agly valley, at the foot of the Pyrenees and the Corbières mountains. Schist is a metamorphic rock — ancient marine sediments transformed by heat and pressure into thin, flaky layers that shatter easily. It is poor in nutrients, forces vines to root deep, and imparts a distinctive mineral tension and smoky, stony character to the wines. The schist at Maury is among the oldest and most dramatic in France, giving the wines a gritty, almost metallic edge that sets them apart from the clay and limestone expressions elsewhere in the Roussillon.
The climate is Mediterranean with a crucial twist: the Tramontana. This cold northern wind sweeps down from the mountains, drying the vines, reducing disease pressure, and cooling the vineyards even in the height of summer. It is the wind that makes La Petite Baigneuse's altitude work — without it, the heat at 350 metres would still be oppressive. With it, the grapes retain acidity, freshness, and aromatic complexity that defy the region's latitude. The marine fragrances carried on the wind are not poetic licence — the Mediterranean is close enough to influence the air, adding a saline, iodised note to the wines.
Philippe's farming is organic, with a deep focus on creating symbiosis between vine and ecosystem. He uses vegetal cover extensively — grasses, wildflowers, and herbs growing between the rows to optimise soil maintenance, hydration, and biodiversity. But he goes further: he continues to plant cherry, olive, apricot, maple, and almond trees throughout the vineyard, transforming his property into a true agro-ecosystem. The trees provide shade, attract pollinators, improve soil structure, and create a landscape that is productive, beautiful, and resilient. This is not monoculture viticulture; it is polyculture agriculture with vines at its centre.
The vineyard is isolated — surrounded by cliffs and garrigue, with no neighbouring estates to introduce chemical drift or visual clutter. This isolation is an advantage: the flora and fauna are wild and healthy, the soil microbial life is undisturbed, and the wines carry the imprint of a landscape that has never been industrialised. Yields are kept low naturally by the poor schist soils and the old vines, some dating back 90 years. There is no need for green harvesting or aggressive pruning; the land itself limits production.
Ancient metamorphic marine sediments. Poor, well-drained, mineral-rich. Deep root penetration. Gritty, smoky, metallic mineral character. The highest altitude in the Maury appellation. Freshness and ventilation where others produce heat and power. Schist as the soul of the wine.
Cold northern wind from the mountains. Dries vines, reduces disease pressure. Cools vineyards in summer heat. Preserves acidity and aromatic complexity. Marine fragrances carried from the Mediterranean. The climatic signature that makes high-altitude Maury possible.
Vegetal cover between rows for soil health and hydration. Cherry, olive, apricot, maple, and almond trees planted throughout. Polyculture, not monoculture. Biodiversity as viticultural tool. Isolated landscape, wild flora and fauna. Organic farming, no chemicals. A vineyard that is also an ecosystem.
Cellar built by hand in 2016 in the centre of the vineyards. Gravity-fed design — no pumps, no mechanical handling. Concrete tanks for thermal stability and neutrality. Old barrels and foudres for gentle oxygenation. Every stage designed to preserve berry integrity and avoid oxidation.
Indigenous Yeasts, Gravity & Zero Sulfur
At La Petite Baigneuse, the cellar philosophy is one of absolute consistency and radical simplicity. Philippe Wies designed his gravity-fed cellar so that every stage of winemaking — from harvest reception to fermentation to ageing to bottling — operates without pumps, without fining, without filtration, and without added sulfur. The techniques are minimal by design, not by accident. The goal is to let the schist, the altitude, and the old vines speak without interference.
The techniques are precise and demanding:
Harvest & Reception: All grapes are hand-harvested and transported to the cellar, which sits in the centre of the highest parcel. The gravity system means that fruit moves gently from vineyard to tank without pumps, preserving whole berries and their natural yeast populations. No crushing, no destemming for most cuvées — the grapes enter the fermentation vessels intact.
Fermentation: Indigenous yeasts only. No commercial strains, no enzymes, no temperature control. Fermentation occurs at ambient temperature in concrete tanks — thermally stable, neutral, and ideal for preserving the wines' mineral character. The consistency from vintage to vintage is remarkable: except for the occasional use of carbonic maceration, the winemaking remains the same year after year, allowing the vintage and the terroir to be the only variables.
Reds: After fermentation in concrete, red wines are moved to old barrels and foudres for élevage. The wood is never new; the goal is gentle oxygenation and textural development, not oak flavour. The wines age until Philippe judges them ready — typically 12–18 months, depending on the cuvée and the vintage.
Whites: After fermentation in concrete, white wines are moved to stainless steel for élevage. The steel preserves freshness, brightness, and primary fruit character — essential for the Grenache Gris and Macabeu that dominate the white cuvées. The focus is on purity and tension, not weight or oak.
Sulfur: Zero added sulfur. None. The wines' natural stability — derived from healthy fruit, clean fermentation, the antibacterial properties of the Tramontana wind, and the high pH of Grenache — allows this radical approach. Total SO₂ in finished wines is typically <10mg/l, all naturally occurring. No fining, no filtration. The wines are bottled as they are — alive, evolving, and honest.
The portfolio spans dry reds, whites, and the sweet fortified Maury Grenat that the appellation is famous for:
"Juste Ciel": 50% Grenache Gris, 50% Macabeu. The estate's most celebrated white — and the wine that first put La Petite Baigneuse on the map. Direct press, concrete fermentation, stainless steel ageing. Stone fruits, zesty citrus, smoky minerality, and a saline finish that speaks of schist and sea. Cloudy, unfiltered, and utterly compelling.
"Grain de Soleil": 100% Macabeu from 90-year-old vines on schist. The sun in a grain — a white of extraordinary depth and concentration from ancient vines. Limited production (~3,500 bottles). Mineral, textured, and profoundly schist-driven.
"Grand Largue": Lledoner Pelut and Carignan. Destemmed, concrete fermentation. A red of power and finesse — the Lledoner Pelut (hairy Grenache) adding a distinctive velvety texture and wild herb character, the Carignan providing structure and acidity.
"Boucanier": 100% Lledoner Pelut. No added sulfites (<10mg/l total). A pure expression of this rare Grenache mutation — softer tannins, higher acidity, and a distinctive furry texture that sets it apart from standard Grenache. Wild, rustic, and captivating.
"Maury Grenat": The fortified sweet wine that the appellation demands. Philippe makes this with the same care as his dry wines — old-vine Grenache, partial fermentation, fortification with neutral spirit. Power and finesse in a glass, with the schist minerality cutting through the sweetness.
"Sapristi", "Les Loustics", "Imposture", "Trinquette", "Fusion": Further cuvées in the range, each with its own personality and expression of the Maury schist. Some lighter and playful, others more structured and profound — all sharing the zero-sulfur, indigenous yeast, gravity-winemaking philosophy.
"Juste Ciel" — "Stone Fruits, Zesty Citrus & Schist Minerality"
The "Juste Ciel" is La Petite Baigneuse's most celebrated cuvée — a 50/50 blend of Grenache Gris and Macabeu that demonstrates what happens when high-altitude schist, old vines, gravity winemaking, and zero sulfur converge in a single bottle. This is the wine that first introduced the natural wine world to Philippe Wies's radical vision.
The grapes come from old vines on the estate's black schist soils at 350 metres altitude — the highest in the Maury appellation. The Grenache Gris contributes body, texture, and a distinctive grey-fruit character; the Macabeu brings acidity, citrus brightness, and mineral tension. Hand-harvested as whole bunches, the grapes are gently pressed and fermented in concrete tanks with indigenous yeasts at ambient temperature. No temperature control, no commercial additives, no sulfur at any stage.
After fermentation, the wine ages in stainless steel to preserve its freshness and primary fruit character. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered — cloudy, alive, and evolving. In the glass, it is pale gold with a slight haze. The nose is an intoxicating weave of stone fruits (white peach, apricot), zesty citrus (lemon peel, grapefruit), and a distinct smoky, stony minerality that can only come from ancient schist. The palate is medium-bodied and textured, with vibrant acidity, a saline finish, and a length that belies the wine's modest price. This is not a simple Mediterranean white; it is a wine of place, of altitude, of wind and stone. It drinks beautifully young but will develop intriguingly over 2–3 years, gaining honeyed, nutty complexity while retaining its granite edge. Serve at 10–12°C with fresh seafood, grilled vegetables, or simply as an apéritif that transports you to the cliffs of Maury. ~$25–$35 / ~€22–€30.
The La Petite Baigneuse Range
Philippe Wies produces a precise, terroir-driven portfolio from his 13 hectares of organically farmed vineyards at the highest altitude in the Maury appellation, in the Agly valley of Roussillon. All wines are hand-harvested, spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts at ambient temperature in concrete tanks, and bottled unfined, unfiltered, and without added sulfur. The portfolio spans dry reds, whites, and the fortified sweet Maury Grenat — each expressing the gritty, gorgeous character of black schist, Tramontana wind, and old vines. Prices are approximate and in USD/EUR.