Domaine Sainte Croix – Organic Wines from Haute Corbières, Crafted by Jon & Liz Bowen
Jon and Liz Bowen – Haute Corbières
Jon and Liz Bowen's journey to Domaine Sainte Croix is nothing short of serendipitous. Twenty-one years ago, a moment of "belief at first sight" led them to the rugged hills of Haute Corbières. The couple, with a shared passion for winemaking, saw potential in a unique terroir—a valley just north of Roussillon that promised to be an extraordinary wine region. Their intuition led them to settle here and begin their organic winemaking journey.
The Domaine, with its 14 hectares, is situated in a geological haven, surrounded by diverse mesoclimates where the Tramontane winds meet the heat of the hinterland. The unique combination of soil types, from chalky limestone to purple-green schist and ancient volcanic rock, contributes to the complexity of their wines.
‘We set out to make wines with an address’ says Jon, who carefully manages the entire winemaking process to ensure that each grape expresses its true potential. The wines here are made with a sense of place—parcel-specific and showcasing the terroir.
As an example below, a Carignan grown in volcanic soil has a different flavor profile than its neighbor grown in limestone, a testament to the terroir's impact on taste...
For 20 harvests, nature's seasonal variations - sun, rain, wind - and winemakers' choices - the moment to harvest, extraction, ageing, etc - have not produced a variation in flavour as pronounced as soil-type.
The vineyard’s prominent grapes—Grenache, Carignan, and Syrah—produce wines that are fresh, elegant, and full of character. The addition of the surrounding garrigue—aromatic wild herbs that grow around the vines—imparts a signature mineral and herbaceous flavor, the essence of the Languedoc landscape.
At Domaine Sainte Croix, their dedication to organic farming is evident. Since 2008, the estate has been certified organic—not as a trend, but as a philosophy. All their wines are made with hand-picked grapes, wild yeasts, and minimal intervention in the cellar, allowing nature’s influence to shine through.
The Domaine is situated at a cultural crossroads too – with the Occitan patois as defining as the ancient stone walls, fig and almond trees that line the vineyards. Logically, and since 2008, the Domaine is certified organic, not for PR; it’s their farming philosophy.
All wines are made with fruit, hand-picked into small crates, destemmed and fermented in small steel tanks, using wild yeasts, at temperatures that do not exceed 27°. Skin contacts vary from cuvée to cuvée, vintage to vintage, and extraction is always gentle, whether by infusion or pumpover. Ageing is carried out either in steel or French oak of 300-600l. In all cases, the winemaking aim it to create wines which reflect their origins, giving a balance of both freshness, drinkability, power and elegance.
Little in the cellar interferes with the nature’s address on the vine.
It’s amazing how far a little intuition, a lot of passion and a bit of equipment will take you...Jon and Liz's wines have been consistently praised in international wine circles, earning high accolades from critics like Jancis Robinson, Jamie Goode, Decanter, and the Revue des Vins de France.
Through intuition, passion, and hard work, Domaine Sainte Croix has built a legacy of wines that represent the pure essence of Haute Corbières.
We are chuffed to stock their range of wines:
White Wines:
Domaine Sainte Croix La Serre 2022 White Wine
Rosé Wines:
Domaine Sainte Croix Rosace des Vents 2019 Rosé
Red Wines:
Domaine Sainte Croix Le Tournant 2019 Syrah
Domaine Sainte Croix Magneric 2016 Red Wine
Domaine Sainte Croix Celestra 2019 Red Wine
Domaine Sainte Croix Carignan 2018 Red Wine
Domaine Sainte Croix Pourboire