DOMAINE DE JOY

presidentandceo7
Jan 22
3 min read

Updated: Jan 23

History:

The story began with a Swiss family who fell in love with the land of Armagnac, in Gers, Gascony. At the turn of the century, Paul and Marguerite Gessler moved to Joÿ. Contrary to what one might think, Joÿ is the name of the vineyard. Having inherited this love from their parents, André and Véronique Gessler, then their sons Olivier, became aware of the rich soils and favorable exposure to the parcels. They gradually abandoned polyculture to devote a substantial portion of the estate to vine-growing. They focused on their love of white grape varieties. Then they embarked on a quality-oriented process to produce generous, modern, and refined Côtes de Gascogne wines, as well as a carefully selected range of supple and fruity Bas-Armagnacs. Today, the fourth generation is at work in the form of Vanessa and Kévin Gessler, Olivier’s daughter, and son, who keep their love for this terroir alive.

Philosophy:

Domaine de Joÿ, with four generations of expertise, embraced sustainable agriculture in 2005 to leverage environmental respect as a business advantage.

In March 2019, Domaine De Joy has been certified “High Environmental Value Level 3”. This denomination is designed to promote products from agricultural businesses that make a voluntary commitment to respecting biodiversity, phytosanitary strategy, fertilization management and water resources on the property.

For certification and traceability Domaine De Joy embraced European Union and French approval for “Culture Raisonnée” (Cautious agriculture), legal & certified Agriculture modes which aim are to minimize the production impact on the environment. It notably consists of:

- Careful use and a separate storage of the phytosanitary and oenological products.

- Sorting of waste.

- Treatment of wine-producing wastewater effluent.

- Scheduled control of the production facility and tools.

- Traceability of products, from the vine to the consumer.

- Constant maintenance and improvement of the domain site.

Present:

Today, the fourth generation of Gessler’s manages the Domaine de Joÿ winery and distillery.

Terroir:

The estate is in the heart of Gascony in the municipality of Panjas (Gers) in an oceanic climate, with rain making our wines fresh and aromatic, and a Pyrenean influence at the end of the season helping the grapes to mature.

The Domaine covers four hundred beautiful acres (about 190 hectares) of vines of which 10% are dedicated to Armagnac distillation in a typical Bas Armagnac terroir. The soil is composed of clay-silica soils and rough sand (silt-silica) and the average age of the vine stock is 25 years. Our white wines are made from ten or so typically Gascon grape varieties: Colombard, Ugni Blanc, Gros Manseng, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay planted on the south-facing hillsides around the estate. Our Manseng (Gros and Petit) vines excel in the clay-siliceous soils of western Gascogne. They represent the majority of the vineyards.

Our red and rosé wines are produced from Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat grapes.

Our estate operations are certified as “Responsible Farming” for over 15 years. We restrict our vine work to only what is necessary for the plant to grow in good condition. The grapes are harvested when they mature from September to mid-October and carefully protected during the process. The wine-making process includes pellicular maceration, pneumatic pressing, low-temperature fermentation, ageing on fine lees, blending grape varieties, conservation in vats and filtration. The winemakers take pride in creating authentic products that are well-structured and complex.

Armagnac:

For the Armagnac distillation, three grape varieties have pride of place: Ugni Blanc, Bacco and Folle Blanche, which reveal supple and elegant Armagnacs. The Armagnacs are distilled on the estate with mastery and the utmost respect for the product. A traditional still is used to make supple and elegant Armagnacs. The Armagnac is then aged in locally sourced oak casks, where the alcohol and wood bestow noble status on this amber elixir. The rest is a matter of time!

Goal:

Our main objective is to offer festive, fruity, and easy-to-drink “everyday” Côtes de Gascogne wines and glamorous and fine brandy from Bas-Armagnac region.