How Plaimont’s “Atelier des Cépages” Builds the Future from Ancient Vines
Researcher, sensory expert, and project manager in one: through micro-vinifications, rediscovered grape varieties, and unrelenting curiosity, Élodie Gassiolle is shaping the identity of Southwest France.
“There is only one harvest per year – we cannot afford mistakes.” For Élodie Gassiolle, responsibility is not a grand word but a daily practice. As head of the Atelier des Cépages at Plaimont, she directs experiments ranging from parcel selection to micro-vinification, coordinating the work of growers, cellar teams, and research partners. The goal: varietal knowledge that safeguards identity – and offers answers to climate change.
Between research and oenology
Gassiolle is not a traditional cellar master who vinifies wines year after year. She works at the intersection of research and oenology: an agricultural engineer, oenologist, and project leader in one. Her USP lies in the ability to translate scientific research into practical winemaking. She designs research protocols, aligns them with the growers, and turns results into concrete vinification choices.
“What excites me is the variety of tasks,” she says. “We explore grape varieties as if in a doctoral thesis – analytically, in depth – and at the same time bring them into the glass.” Her preference is clear: to give forgotten grape varieties a voice by revealing their potential through micro-vinifications.
Innovation in miniature
In the experimental cellar, this vision is put to the test in the smallest of formats: fermenters holding just 100 to 400 liters, all temperature-controlled and manually operated. This allows single micro-terroirs and heritage varieties to be vinified in isolation – from harvest to maceration to maturation. “We prepare the vintage for months: select parcels, define protocols, vinify, and analyze sensory results,” Gassiolle explains.
Ancient grapes, new perspectives
Petit Courbu exemplifies the approach: an indigenous white variety with low yields but strong personality. In the Saint-Mont wine Projoe, Petit Courbu is given prominence in the blend.
On the red side, Plaimont shows how heritage varieties address today’s challenges. Manseng Noir – long forgotten, now replanted on 30 to 40 hectares – delivers deep color with moderate alcohol and gentle tannins. Tardif, a late-ripening variety from the Pyrenean Piedmont, was reintroduced through Plaimont’s conservatory and is now permitted as a supplementary grape in the AOP Saint-Mont. “Late ripening, peppery spice, silky tannins – Tardif makes our cuvées more complex,” says Gassiolle. The pure-varietal “J’aurais dû être” is a striking statement.
Radical research takes shape in the micro-cuvée “Né sous XX”: an assemblage of female vines such as Pédebernade 5 and Dubosc 1 – archaic types with naturally low alcohol. “We want to understand what flavor profiles are possible even before a grape variety is officially recognized,” she says.
Researcher with a mission
Gassiolle is not a winemaker in search of a personal signature style. Her mission is to unlock the potential of grape varieties – those that promise climate resilience, moderate alcohol, or distinctive aromas. She combines sensory curiosity with methodological rigor, and presents results in ways that are immediately useful for growers.
Her conclusion: innovation at Plaimont is never an end in itself. “The Atelier defines our identity: it preserves heritage and makes it future-ready. Without this place, our progress would be much slower.”
Southwest France is finding its voice again – precise, distinctive, sustainable.
– – –
Photo Credit: Élodie Gassiolle, Plaimont’s Atelier des Cépages
