Domaine du Trapadis

The inception of Domaine du Trapadis began with Césaire Brun and Théophile Charavin, the two great-grandfathers of current winemaker Helen Durand, with the bringing together of their vine holdings upon the marriage of their children. Upon the merging of the two families, the estate was given its name and vines combined to be under the one label. In 1950 the cellar was built and the succession of the estate began, flowing from one generation to the next.

Spanning 35 hectares, the domaine’s vineyards are grown under the appellations of AOP Rasteau, AOP Rasteau VDN, AOP CDRV Cairanne, AOP CDRV Roaix, AOP CDR, and Vin de France. Since Helen took the helm in 1996, he has shifted the domaine’s focus to organic farming, finding ways to respect the vine and terroir while producing beautiful and reliable wines every vintage. As it now stands, all 34 hectares of vines are Ecocert-certified organic and practising biodynamic. All vines are cultivated without herbicides, chemical fertilisers, or synthetic products, with only small amounts of copper and sulphur added to fertilisers derived from compost.

Among these organically grown vines is a beautiful underground natural spring, not far from the cellar, in which the domaine’s name is based upon. As Trapadis means “hole” in Provençal, this spring holds the essence of the estate and provides unique characteristics to the grapes it sits close to. 

The Rasteau appellation is an ancient winemaking region that has been mastering dry red wines for centuries and finally gained its cru status in 2010. While often associated with rich and dense red wines, Helen took on the challenge of evolving their range in a new direction with lower intervention and gentler extraction. This has resulted in a more refined, chiseled, and elegant collection of wines that are complex while remaining light. As Grenache-based cuvees, Helen has brought a new level of sophistication to the appellation.

Clos Cachet is honoured to be importers of Domaine du Trapadis wines to Australia.