Winery Overview
Southern Rhône winery Domaine des Escaravailles has been a family estate for four generations. Founded in 1953 by Jean-Louis Ferran and his sons Daniel and Jean-Pierre, it is currently managed since 1999 by Gilles, the son of Daniel. Gilles’ daughter Madeline Ferran now works alongside her father in the cellar. Her first vintage was 2019. When Jean-Pierre purchased the property, there was no electricity or running water. He pulled out trees, prepared the land and planted vines to make his own wine. He is now in his late 70s and still works in the vineyard with no plans to retire. The land was called “escaravay,” the local dialect for Scarabée, because the workers of the land always wore black clothing while in the vineyards. From far away, they looked like small dots, or beetles. This nickname was given by the inhabitants of the village to the Black Penitents of Avignon, owners at the time (Rasteau archives in 1623), and Jean-Pierre chose to use the beetle on the wine labels to represent this history. The vineyards extend over 90 acres/40 hectares in Rasteau of stony and sloping clay-limestone hillside and 61 acres/25 hectares on the neighboring terroirs of Cairanne, Roaix, Villedieu and Saint Roman de Malegarde. The vines are cultivated in the old-fashioned way with plowing and organic fertilizers. The grapes are always 100% destemmed to avoid high tannin and greenness. The grapes are then vinified and aged in the highest semi-underground cellar in Rasteau, located in the heart of the vineyard. The wines have high acidity compared to other wineries in the area due to their high elevation vineyard sites. They are aged in concrete and steel. The wines are not fined and are vegan friendly.