The Evolution of Patrick’s Philosophy

Patrick Desplats is a winemaker but also a somewhat radical philosopher. Over the years, “Pat” reduced and streamlined both his winemaking and way of life to achieve a harmonious coexistence with his land. His unique mind has enabled him to produce some of the most outstanding wines we’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. In 2020, Patrick Desplats celebrated his twentieth vintage, marking not only a milestone in his winemaking journey but the year his radical vision of Georgian qvevri winemaking in Anjou came to full fruition. His path to this point was filled with rich experiences, eccentric choices, and a relentless pursuit of his dream to craft unique, low-alcohol, and truly natural wines. 

The earthenware cellar where Patrick stores his bottled wines, just downhill from the qvevri garden.

Patrick Desplats discovered natural wine after working for a decade as a conventional vineyard laborer, where the monotony of the work and exposure to chemicals disillusioned him. The pivotal moment came when he tasted a sulfur-free wine from Thierry Puzelat in the late 1990s, sparking his determination to adopt natural winemaking. Patrick’s winemaking journey began in collaboration with Sébastien Dervieux, also known as Babass, when they established Domaine des Griottes in 2001, situated 25 kilometres south of Angers in Anjou. At the time, their vineyard was ploughed by animal traction, with their horse Caroline as a trusty companion. The vines were treated with Bordeaux mixture and sulphur, marking the conventional methods of the era. From 2000 to 2010, Patrick worked alongside Babass, producing highly influential zero-zero natural wines.

Doing Away with the Plough and Farm Machinery

The 2010s marked a pivotal period of personal and professional transformation for Patrick. His decision to stop ploughing signaled the end of Les Griottes, a practice that had long been a point of contention with Dervieux, who wished to continue it. At this critical juncture, Patrick chose to reinvent his vineyard, transforming it into a mixed farm that integrated fruit trees, animals, and vegetables, while rejecting machinery and conventional winemaking techniques. This shift led to a radical new approach, focused on crafting wines free from the influence of “petrol” and mechanization. This transformation marked a profound change in his viticultural philosophy, eventually culminating in his exclusive use of qvevris, inspired by a trip to Georgia. Meanwhile, Sébastien Dervieux established his own estate, Les Vignes de Babass, leaving Patrick to continue the journey solo under his own name, on the same land.

Patrick in his qvevri garden, where no electrical tools are used and bottling relies solely on gravity.

Wandering in Nature’s Paths

Pat’s shift in practices initially led to a dramatic drop in yields, reaching as low as 2HL/ha. However, production has since increased to around 15-20HL/ha. Desplats downplays concerns about yields, considering them irrelevant in the context of natural agriculture, where productivity naturally fluctuates with the seasons. His approach, combined with a series of frost-affected vintages from 2016 to 2019, has made his wines increasingly difficult to obtain. In response to these challenges, he began training vines to grow up trees—an ancient method that not only shields the vines from frost and disease but also fosters natural biodiversity.

In his pursuit of natural winemaking, Patrick explored numerous viticultural innovations. At his “Epona” vineyard, he co-planted twenty-five different ungrafted grape varieties, and he trained century-old Chenin vines to grow alongside saplings. For several years, he abandoned the use of Bordeaux mixture treatments, though he resumed them in 2020. A turning point came when Thierry Puzelat, inspired by Patrick’s work training vines on trees, encouraged him to visit Georgia, where this ancient practice was still alive. 

Chenin Blanc 2024 harvest from vines growing on ash trees in Caroline’s vineyard.

Qvevri Winemaking : minimalist and traditional

In 2016, Patrick made his first trip to Georgia and fell in love with qvevri winemaking. This encounter with tradition sparked his decision to adopt the ancient qvevri method in Anjou. In 2019, Patrick acquired and installed two qvevris, producing an orange wine and a red wine. Fully committed to qvevri vinification, Patrick installed thirteen more qvevris throughout the summer of 2020. He gave up the lease on his winery in Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay and relocated all wine production to the garden surrounding his unelectrified shack. Here, there is no electricity or machinery—no pumps, no sulfur. Bottling is done by hand using a simple hose, allowing everything to unfold naturally. Of his 4.5 hectare land, only 1.6 hectares are planted with grapevines, while the rest is covered with wild vegetation, including grass, herbs, flowers, and grains. The Qvevri garden is atop a small hill and everything is bottled by gravity, down the same hill. A delegation of Georgian monks even came and sanctified his qvevri garden!

Despite harvesting later than most, around the end of September, Patrick’s wines became notable for their remarkably low alcohol levels. His new methods intentionally reduced alcohol, as he viewed high alcohol content as undesirable. Drawing inspiration from the lower-alcohol wines of the Middle Ages, Desplats reduced fructose in his grapes and stopped cutting the vine apexes, further curbing alcohol production. These wines became a testament to the balance a vineyard can achieve when left to grow freely, particularly evident in the recent hot vintages. The vines dig deeper into the soil, the foliage fulfills its natural function, and the resulting wines are some of the most mineral, dry, and ripe ones one can find.

In terms of vinification, Patrick keeps the process simple and intuitive. His wines are often pressed vertically and macerated on the skins for two weeks to a month, then returned to the qvevris to settle naturally. Bottling takes place during the late spring full moon.

Tasting Vent y Tourne 2023 on qvevri, photo by Yeray Sabandar.

Vins de l’Irréel (Wines of the Unreal)

In today’s wine climate his methods are radical, pushing the boundaries of natural winemaking. Surrounded by like-minded growers, such as Jérôme Saurigny and the Beclair brothers, Desplats has also mentored younger winemakers, including Houas Boukella, a native of Algeria’s Kabylia region. This community of winemakers, with their unconventional approaches, has produced what a friend once described as “vins de l’irréel”—wines that challenge the norms of viticulture but deliver exceptional, unforgettable flavors. Through his tireless innovation and dedication, Patrick Desplats has become a key figure in the natural wine movement, producing wines that embody the wild, unfiltered beauty of truly natural winemaking. His refusal to compromise keeps his work authentic, avant-garde, and deeply connected to the land he loves.