L'enclos des braves

The Impact:

⛰️ Scale: 8-hectare estate perched on deep clay-limestone hillsides along the Tarn valley in Gaillac, Southwest France.

🤝 Human Impact: Run by Nicolas & Marion Lebrun, who stepped away from conventional oenology to dedicate themselves entirely to living, artisanal winemaking.

🌱 Philosophy: Certified organic and biodynamic (Biodyvin & Demeter). Every plot is harvested by hand, wild-fermented in concrete tanks and terracotta eggs without synthetic inputs, and finished with minimal to no added sulfites.

🌳 Biodiversity: A thriving, polycultural ecosystem with planted hedgerows every 12 rows, native trees, beehives, and nesting boxes for birds and bats. The estate works to preserve living soil and revive rare, endemic Gaillac grape varieties like Loin de l'Œil, Mauzac Rose, Duras, Braucol, and Prunelart.
A sunny vineyard landscape with rows of grapevines, green foliage in the foreground, lavender fields, and a clear blue sky.
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Nicolas in a blue t-shirt and a Marion Lebrun in a white button-up shirt standing in a vineyard field, viewed through a blurry green foreground leaf.

The Story

My parents, Chantal and Nicolas, settled in Rabastens in 1996, the year I (Marion) was born.

Driven by a desire for independence and freedom, my mother Chantal (a teacher-researcher) and my father Nicolas (a trained oenologist who'd worked in various roles across the Gaillac region) established our own estate in 2005. We built a winery that very first year. My father then shifted his practices in both the vineyard and the winery: we transitioned to organic farming in 2008, adopted biodynamic methods in 2011, and later embraced agroforestry—planting over a kilometre of fruit-bearing and pollinator-friendly hedges.

After studying applied arts and earning a Master’s degree in land-use planning and agricultural development, I worked for the association "Biodynamie Recherche" and on biodynamic farms in France, Switzerland, and Chile.

I joined the estate in the spring of 2024 and officially became a partner in August 2025.

A breath of fresh air is blowing through "L’Enclos des Braves".

Philosophy

Our areas of focus:
Seeking a living soil
Seeking beneficial biodiversity
Understanding biodynamics
Respecting and regenerating our plant material
Aerial view of a vineyard landscape with rows of green grapevines, dirt paths, scattered trees, and open fields under a bright blue sky with sun rays.

The Vineyard: L'enclos des braves

The estate is located in Rabastens, within the Gaillac appellation, on the lower slopes of the Tarn’s right bank.

It benefits from clay-limestone terroirs with soil depths of up to three meters, providing the vines with excellent water reserves. Our terroir is influenced by both Atlantic oceanic moisture and Mediterranean heat, as well as the "Autan" wind—a powerful ally for the vines!

Our vineyard is characterised by a multitude of micro-terroirs.

Convinced that the farm’s various elements interact with one another, we carefully manage the environment surrounding the vines through agroforestry, natural grass cover and other cover crops, shallow tillage, and biodynamic practices.

We are also committed to preserving living heritage by selecting local and heritage grape varieties that ensure the distinctive character of our wines.