Domaine Brusset

Domaine Brusset is a family estate established in 1947 at Cairanne, in the southern Côtes-du-Rhône. The family line runs from the founder, André Brusset (1910-1999), to his son Daniel and his grandson Laurent. The domaine began with 6 hectares of vines in Cairanne bought by André Brusset. Daniel Brusset joined in 1966 and bought the family's first vines in Gigondas in 1986. Laurent Brusset joined in 1989, when the domaine had 55 hectares. Today the family's vineyards total 70 hectares.

• 1947: André Brusset (1910-1999) establishes the family estate at Cairanne
• 1966: Daniel Brusset joins the domaine
• 1986: Daniel Brusset buys the family's first vines in Gigondas
• 1989: Laurent Brusset joins, when the domaine has 55 hectares

As of December 2010, Laurent Brusset was running the family domaine at Cairanne. When he joined his father, many of the reds were aged in 100 percent new oak; from 2000 that share dropped steadily, reaching 20 percent for the top cuvées by 2010, and he had also switched to destemming the fruit entirely. The estate's current site names André Brusset as founder and Daniel and Laurent Brusset as the generations that followed.

• André Brusset (1910-1999): founder, 1947
• Daniel Brusset: joined in 1966; bought the first Gigondas vines in 1986
• Laurent Brusset: joined in 1989; running the domaine as of December 2010

The domaine is located at Cairanne, in the southern Côtes-du-Rhône, and its 70 hectares extend over five appellations: Gigondas, Cairanne, Rasteau, Côtes-du-Rhône and Ventoux. In Gigondas the family's terraces sit on the backside of the Dentelles de Montmirail with full southern exposure; in 2010 Wine Spectator counted them among the most dramatic terraces in the appellation. The terraces had been abandoned when Daniel Brusset bought the land, and planting them took five years. Les Hauts de Montmirail comes from small terraces on clay and rocky soils below the Jurassic calcareous ridge of the Dentelles de Montmirail, and Les Secrets de Montmirail from three terraces there that are in shade in the afternoon. In Cairanne, Les Travers grows on clay-limestone slopes with alluvial terraces rich in round stones, and Vieilles Vignes comes from 80-year-old vines on a south-facing clay-limestone slope. La Bastide, the domaine's Rasteau red, grows on clay-limestone soils. Gigondas was recognized as an AOC in 1971, the first Côtes du Rhône Villages wine to be awarded Cru status, and Cairanne became a Cru of Côtes du Rhône on 29 June 2016.

• Five appellations, 70 hectares in total: Gigondas, Cairanne, Rasteau, Côtes-du-Rhône and Ventoux
• Gigondas terraces on the backside of the Dentelles de Montmirail, with full southern exposure
• Cairanne: clay-limestone slopes with alluvial terraces for Les Travers; 80-year-old vines for Vieilles Vignes
• Rasteau: La Bastide, from clay-limestone soils

The family's stated philosophy is to privilege the best expression of each terroir, working the soil with numerous ploughings and using severe disbudding and green harvesting to ensure low yields. The estate holds organic certification from Certipaq BIO (FR-BIO-09). Laurent B. is cropped at 45 hl/ha and Les Secrets de Montmirail at 20 hl/ha. The technical sheets for Laurent B., Les Travers, Vieilles Vignes, La Bastide and the three Gigondas reds all specify hand harvesting.

• Organic certification: Certipaq BIO, FR-BIO-09
• Soil worked with numerous ploughings; severe disbudding and green harvesting to keep yields low
• Hand harvesting for Laurent B., Les Travers, Vieilles Vignes, La Bastide and the three Gigondas reds

The current range runs to twelve wines. From Ventoux comes the red Les Boudalles. The Côtes-du-Rhône wines are the reds Rubis Nature and Laurent B. and the rosé Jeanne B. Cairanne gives a red and a white Les Travers, the red Vieilles Vignes and the white L'Esprit de Papet. La Bastide is the Rasteau red. Gigondas yields three reds: Tradition Le Grand Montmirail, Les Hauts de Montmirail and Les Secrets de Montmirail. L'Esprit de Papet, a Roussanne and Viognier white, is made with vinification methods the estate traces to a grandfather called 'Papet' in Provençal, and spends 10 months on lees in new oak casks. In 2010 the domaine produced 250,000 bottles a year.

• Côtes-du-Rhône Laurent B.: Grenache, Syrah, Carignan and Mourvèdre; 6 months in vat
• Cairanne Les Travers (red): Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault from 30-year-old vines; 10 months, 70% in vat and 30% in 3- or 4-year-old barrels
• Cairanne Vieilles Vignes: Grenache and Syrah from 80-year-old vines; 70% in vat and 30% in two-year-old barrels for a year; unfiltered
• Rasteau La Bastide: Grenache and Mourvèdre; 10 months in vat and barrel
• Gigondas Tradition Le Grand Montmirail: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault; 60% in vat and 40% in 2- to 4-year-old demi-muids
• Gigondas Les Hauts de Montmirail: Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah; 50% in French oak casks, part of them new
• Gigondas Les Secrets de Montmirail: Grenache and Syrah; 30% in oak casks and 70% in vat

The technical sheets for Laurent B., Les Travers, Vieilles Vignes, La Bastide and the three Gigondas reds all specify destemming. Each grape variety in Laurent B. and Les Travers is vinified separately, and Laurent B. is blended after malolactic fermentation. Vieilles Vignes, La Bastide, Tradition Le Grand Montmirail and Les Secrets de Montmirail are fermented without added yeast. For Les Hauts de Montmirail each variety ferments separately for 30 days, with pigeage and temperature control.

• Destemming for Laurent B., Les Travers, Vieilles Vignes, La Bastide and the three Gigondas reds
• Separate vinification of each grape variety for Laurent B. and Les Travers
• No added yeast for Vieilles Vignes, La Bastide, Tradition Le Grand Montmirail and Les Secrets de Montmirail
• Les Hauts de Montmirail: separate fermentation of each variety for 30 days, with pigeage

Explaining the move away from new oak in 2010, Laurent Brusset told Wine Spectator: "It's the style I've come to prefer," adding, "I'm looking for wines of finesse and elegance. I want to respect the Grenache." The estate's own technical sheets call Tradition Le Grand Montmirail "an elegant and harmonious wine" with silky tannins, and give Les Travers blackcurrant and cherry with "a final touch of pepper and spice."

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.domainebrusset.fr/en/, https://www.domainebrusset.fr/en/wines/, https://www.domainebrusset.fr/en/wines/laurent-b/, https://www.domainebrusset.fr/en/wines/les-travers/, https://www.domainebrusset.fr/en/wines/vieilles-vignes/, https://www.domainebrusset.fr/en/wines/lesprit-de-papet/, https://www.domainebrusset.fr/en/wines/tradition-le-grand-montmirail/, https://www.domainebrusset.fr/en/wines/les-hauts-de-montmirail/, https://www.domainebrusset.fr/en/wines/les-secrets-de-montmirail/, https://www.domainebrusset.fr/en/wines/la-bastide/. Official appellation sources (Inter Rhône): https://www.vins-rhone.com/en/cotes-du-rhone-cru-aoc-cairanne, https://www.vins-rhone.com/en/cotes-du-rhone-cru-aoc-gigondas. Secondary source: Wine Spectator (James Molesworth, 3 December 2010), https://www.winespectator.com/articles/day-9-in-the-rhone-circling-back-to-cairanne-44169. Last verified 2026-10-19. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.