History of the estate

Children..., the sap of the vines already flowed in our veins!

A Family Story

As children, the sap of the vines already flowed in our veins! Originally from Burgundy, from Mâcon La Roche Vineuse, we were immersed in the spirit of wine our whole lives!

1980 was the year our roots became firmly established in this beautiful region of Languedoc Roussillon, "The New Eldorado of Wine".

In 1987, driven by a desire to return to our first love, "the land," we (Charles and Mireille Greuzard) decided to buy our first Carignan vineyard, about fifty years old, in the commune of Sallèles d'Aude.

This is the beginning of the Greuzard family's adventure in the wine world of the "South of France". We work every day to establish, develop and enhance our vineyard.

In 1998, Aurélien Greuzard (son) settled on the estate as a young farmer.

In 2001 we transitioned from winegrower to winemaker, with the purchase of Domaine de l'Herbe Sainte.

Then came the creation of our first vintage at the estate. We faced a significant challenge. The winemaker's craft demands diverse skills and great versatility...

This year marks the beginning of a great adventure with its share of difficulties, disappointments, but also a lot of courage, perseverance, passion, love for a job well done and the recognition of our clients.

In 2002, we sold our first bottles as grower-producers. We started from scratch, took up our "pilgrim's staff," and began offering our wines at various wine fairs in France and surrounding markets. Very quickly, we began exporting our wines worldwide thanks to our participation in international wine fairs (Vinisud, Prowein, and Wine Paris).

After completing a full course of training in viticulture, oenology, commerce and marketing, Christelle (daughter) settled down alongside her brother.

In 2012, Christelle joined the team as a Young Farmer and participated in the management of the estate.

In 2013, the estate diversified its activities by investing in the wine tourism sector with the construction of a 300m² reception hall.

2015, development of 4 charming cottages with vineyard views, great comfort, spacious and fully equipped.

In 2017, Aurélien set off for new horizons.

The family is growing, Christelle and Christophe Lacaille are the parents of two boys: Louis-Georges and Paul-Henri.

In 2021, despite Covid-19, the estate continued to invest and built a swimming pool so that our cottage guests could enjoy pleasant moments within the estate.

2025 marks our 25th vintage at Domaine de l'Herbe Sainte. The quality of our wines continues to improve, thanks to soil cultivation, increased biodiversity, improved clay-humus complex, new high-quality plantings, and teamwork.

History continues!

Aerial view of the estate

"Holy Herb" or "Healthy Herb," a place name, a place of history

Excerpt from the Cassini Map

On the first Cassini maps produced by the Cassini cartographer family between 1756 and 1815, a garden and a sheepfold were already present at the time.

We have a trace of the Lieu Herbe Sante, Herbe Sainte, below in the General Plan, dating from 1773, of the Map of the Courses of the Cesse River from the spillways of Mirepeisset to the Causeway of Mr de Riquet, coming from the Archives of the Canal du Midi.

Herbe Sainte corresponds to the cadastral name of the property.

General Plan - 1773 - Canal du Midi Archive

"Herbe Sainte" originates from "Herbo santo", which in Occitan refers to all aromatic plants (Santolina, Wild Thyme, Rosemary...). These plants can be found while exploring the garrigue.

Holy Herb is one of the names given to plants belonging to the wormwood variety, whose common Latin name is Artemisia. These plants often exhibit qualities with medicinal properties.

By extension, Artemisia means "good health". "Artemisia" plants have been used as a therapeutic plant throughout history.

The Holy Herb is one of the names given to Arnica over the centuries, due to its rapid and almost miraculous action.

The Domaine de l'Herbe Sainte is closely linked to the history of the Canal du Midi. The old route of the canal by Mr Pierre Paul de Riquet passed below the estate.

Amphoralis Museum in Sallèles d'Aude
The archaeological site Amphoralis was discovered in 1968 by two winegrowers, Louis Bouisset and Guy Rancoule (former owner of the Domaine de l'Herbe Sainte).
Exceptional structure and in 1992 the Museum was inaugurated.
This video explains the history of this site.