Domaine Les Enfants Sauvages

Carolin and Nikolaus Bantlin have been making wine since 2002, in a town called Fitou, near the border with Spain in the Côtes Catalanes region of France.

They came to the area from Germany, originally to visit friends, and then, after they fell in love with the region, to settle down and continue their life together. When they purchased an old estate with 7.5 hectares of vines, the idea of working the land and making wine immediately appealed to them. Carolin studied winemaking in France, and she and Niko began revitalising their vineyards by applying Biodynamic methods, and integrating the vines into a natural organic cycle. After selling their grapes in 2000 and 2001, Carolin interned with Olivier Pithon, who encouraged them to make their own wine rather than selling to the co-op. So the story of Les Enfants Sauvages began!

In the vineyard there are no pesticides or herbicides. Instead, they apply self-made preparations of nettle, chamomile and horsetail. Their vines are cultivated in the traditional "goblet" style, on a terroir of clay and limestone. Grapes are harvested by hand into small crates and wines are aged in cement or barrel, depending on the cuvée.