A story of men… and women
In 1930, Armand DUCOU, a merchant, and his wife Henriette decided to produce wine and settled in the locality of Petit Mangot, in the commune of Saint-Etienne-de-Lisse, on nearly 5 hectares of vines at the foot of the hills.
In 1941 , their daughter Paulette married the vineyard worker, Jean DÉCAMPS, with whom she continued to run the small vineyard, giving birth in 1943 to Françoise, then to Jean-Yves in 1949.
In 1964 , Jean-Yves was 15 years old and returned from a year of agricultural training in Angoulême. He would never leave the property again.
In 1971 , Jean-Yves married Chantal Frigo, and the early 1970s marked the beginning of bottled wine sales. Before this time, Paulette and Jean sold exclusively in bulk to a single client. From 1974 onwards, Jean-Yves and Chantal expanded their sales to include trade shows, notably the annual Valenciennes fair.
In 1984 , Jean-Yves and Chantal bought 6 hectares in their own name, thus forming nearly 10 hectares.
In 2002 , their daughter Nadia took over the management of the farm, still supported by her parents.
In 2013 , David, her husband, changed career paths and joined her to support the development of the estate.
A land
In a landscape of valleys, our vines benefit from an ideal terroir and climate to express themselves at the foot of south/southeast-facing slopes, on soils with a tendency towards clay-limestone, overlooking the Dordogne valley, in the extension of the hills of Saint Emilion.
The exposure of our hillsides allows optimal sunshine for the berries, promoting good maturity.
The appeal of clay-limestone soils lies in the restoration of freshness and humidity to the vine stocks during hot periods, and thanks to the filtering power of limestone, a sufficient supply of mineral elements: freshness and drainage, a dream of winemaker.
2 varieties of red grape varieties
Among the 6 grape varieties authorized in the appellation, Merlot, Cabernet-Franc, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Malbec (also called Cot), Petit-Verdot and Carmenère, we cultivate exclusively:
Merlot (80%):
Flavors of red fruits, cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant... Grape variety used for its beautiful and deep color and softens the wines by giving them all its roundness and fruitiness.
Cabernet-Franc (20%):
Spicy, peppery and toasted notes. This grape variety, very present in Saint Emilion, is used in blending for its contribution of silky and elegant tannins to our great wines for aging.
We also planted a small plot of 2021 acres in Cabernet-Sauvignon in 70 to test this grape variety and bring a little diversity to our next vintages.
CHANTAL AND JEAN-YVES , partner winegrowers
NADIA , managing partner
DAVID , Technical and Development Manager
LÉA , Business Development Manager