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.
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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

Chantal and Nicolas settled in Rabastens in 1996, when Marion was born.

A desire for independence and freedom led Chantal (a teacher-researcher) and Nicolas (a trained oenologist who had previously worked in various roles across the Gaillac region) to establish their own estate in 2005. A winery was built during their very first year. Nicolas subsequently shifted his practices in both the vineyard and the winery: the estate 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, Marion worked for the association "Biodynamie Recherche" and on biodynamic farms in France, Switzerland, and Chile.

She joined the estate in the spring of 2024 and will officially become 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

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.