Domaine la Cendrillon

Domaine la Cendrillon (Cinderella) is situated just outside Ornaisons in the Corbières region, close to Narbonne. Winemaking in this area goes back to Roman times but the history of the Cendrillon vineyard dates back to 1750 when it became the property of the Ajac family, and the ownership today is by their direct descendant Robert Joyeux who took over the family estate with his wife Geneviève in 2005 while he continued a career in industry which he retired from in 2011.

There are 50 hectares of vines mainly in the Boutenac and Fontfroide areas and the estate has been totally renovated and mainly replanted with organic cultivation now employed and full organic certification by ECOCERT achieved in 2013. Advice has been taken from figures such as Eloi Dûrrbach of Domaine de Trévallon, a new winery has been built and harvesting is by hand only with manual sorting of grapes. Varieties include those typical of the area such as Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre but the diversity of soils allows others such as Verdejo, Petit Manseng and Albariño to be grown. This is an estate determined to be ranked amongst the very best in the south of France and which is already achieving much press recognition.