Once a professional rugby player, Sébastien Galtier carved out a new destiny as a winemaker post his athletic career.
As he spent his early years on the family farm in Aveyron, farm life and love for nature were always part of his life.
His interest in wine deepened through encounters with regional winegrowers, fostering a desire to master the entire process – from cultivating vines to bottling the juice.
In 2013, Sébastien makes the move, purchasing 18 hectares of land in Gignac, 25 kilometers from Montpellier. The vineyard, previously tended organically for over a decade, proves to be a serendipitous acquisition.
The estate boasts grape varieties such as Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Merlot and Chardonnay, with some vines exceeding 70 years in age. From the inaugural vintage, all wines hold organic agriculture (AB) certification and are upgraded to biodynamics (DEMETER) starting from the 2020 vintage. By 2021 several wines have achieved the Vin Méthode Nature (VMN) certification.
In the pursuit of crafting high-quality wines that echo the terroir, Sébastien eschews oenological additives. His focus is on natural wine making and he aims to preserve freshness while cherishing the southern character with its generous aromas. This approach involves considering feelings, keen observation and reconnecting with common-sense farming.
Inspired by a book by Pierre Rabhi, a trailblazer in French agro-ecology, he named the estate after the legend of the Hummingbird—a Native American tale recounting a massive forest fire. While other animals stood paralyzed by fear, the small hummingbird tirelessly fetched droplets of water, embodying the spirit of doing one’s part, no matter how seemingly insignificant.
