Domaine des Escaravailles

The story begins in 1953 when Jean-Louis Ferran, a wine broker, discovered a ruined farmhouse in the hills of Rasteau. There was no electricity, no water, no vineyards. Just a wild piece of land that once belonged to the Black Penitents of Avignon back in the 17th century. Those monks, dressed in black robes, looked like beetles from afar. That's how the place got its name: Escaravailles, from the Occitan word escaravay, meaning scarab beetle. Jean-Louis sold his old car to help buy the property and planted his first vines with his sons Daniel and Jean-Pierre. The estate sits at one of the highest points in Rasteau, around 350 meters up, with steep clay-limestone slopes that offer perfect drainage and a southeast exposure. The vineyard now covers about 65 hectares spread across Rasteau, Cairanne, Roaix, Villedieu and Saint Roman de Malegarde.

The Ferran Family

Gilles Ferran took over in 1999 after studying oenology in Montpellier and working a decade alongside his father. He shaped the domaine's identity with elegant, fruit-driven wines made for sharing. His longtime friend Philippe Cambie, one of the southern Rhône's most respected consultants, has been by his side since their school days. Together they even created a small side project called Domaine Calendal. Now the fourth generation has arrived. Gilles' daughter Madeline joined in 2018 and officially took the reins in 2021. She's steering the estate toward organic certification, working the vineyards with plowing and organic fertilizers the old-fashioned way. The vines average 40 years old, some dating back to the 1950s and 1980s. Yields stay naturally low at around 25 hectoliters per hectare. Hedges and olive trees line the plots, preserving biodiversity that's always been part of the landscape here.

The Wines

The domaine produces around 250,000 bottles a year, mostly reds but also whites, rosés and traditional Rasteau Vin Doux Naturel sweet wines. The red grape mix is about 60% Grenache Noir, 20% Syrah, 10% Carignan, 5% Cinsault and 5% Mourvèdre. For whites, they work with Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Clairette. The flagship red is La Ponce, a Grenache-Syrah blend aged partly in barrel. Héritage 1924 comes from old Grenache vines and shows serious depth. Argilla ad Argillam is a newer cuvée raised in amphora that's getting a lot of attention. The Cairanne La Boutine is 100% old Grenache from the 1950s. Entry-level wines like Les Antimagnes and Les Coteaux offer incredible value. The high-altitude vineyards give these wines more freshness and acidity than you'd expect from the southern Rhône. Aging happens in a mix of concrete tanks, stainless steel, demi-muids and amphoras depending on the cuvée. Everything is hand-harvested, destemmed and vinified in the semi-underground cellar right in the heart of the vineyard.