Our history

From cycling to wine making

Domaine Les Combes Cachées is the dream come true of three friends Michel Pousse, Xavier Michelin and François Aumonier from the same Lauragais village near Toulouse. With very different backgrounds, they share the same passion: WINE. For almost twenty years, Michel and Xavier cycled through the vineyards of France. Then one day, in between pedal strokes, they realized they had to set up their own winery...

In 2015, a month before the harvest, they found the vineyard of their dreams on the mythical terroir of the Cru La Livinière hillsides, halfway between Narbonne and Carcassonne. Under the spell of their high altitude vineyards lost on the Causse de Minerve, above La Livinière, they decided to call Domaine Les Combes Cachées. The trio immediately put together a solid technical team, including an experienced oenologist and a passionate vineyard manager/cellar master.

With the support of family and friends, hard work and commitment, the Domaine produced its first vintage in 2015, immediately noticed by the critics. It was the start of an exhilarating adventure driven by passion and friendship, the pursuit of quality and the desire to always do better. Very quickly, the project of making a wine for friends became that of making a benchmark wine estate.

The team behind the story

Michel Pousse

A geographer by training, Michel has over thirty years' experience in international trade, in the fields of space and meteorology (Spot Image, Meteo France International). At Domaine Les Combes Cachées, Michel oversees winemaking, bottling and sales. He trained at the Université du Vin de Suze la Rousse. Michel loves his new life, with its daily contact with landscapes and terroirs, and very practical activities.

Xavier Michelin

Xavier was a cereal farmer in the Toulouse region. Farming and growing plants is really his thing. At Domaine Les Combes Cachées, it's only natural that he should be in charge of all the vineyard operations. If you're passing by, you'll probably see him in the vineyards driving a quad bike, a tractor, or any kind of agricultural machine or attachment. His background as a former rally driver is a real asset...

François Aumonier

Trained as an agricultural engineer, François has had a long career in high-tech business and project management. He is now in charge of the Domaine's administration and finances. His favorite joke is that, unlike his two companions, he does nothing. Nothing, that is, except the unimportant and amusing things like customs declarations, bookkeeping and all manner of obscure paperwork that Michel and Xavier would never want to do.

Frédéric Justeau

alias Fred, is the Domaine's Swiss Army knife (although he was originally from Angers). In other words, there's nothing he can't do. From daily work in the vines, to the entire wine-making process, tasting and blending, Fred masters it all. Before joining Domaine Les Combes Cachées, Fred worked at wine estates in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and various regions of France, including some of the most prestigious. He is now in charge of vineyard and cellar operations. Above all, he enjoys the diversity of his work. Open-minded and always positive, he is always ready to find a solution to any problem.

Our oenologists

Since 2020, the Domaine has been working with Laboratoire Dubernet, a leading oenology laboratory based near Narbonne. Its role is to provide advice and assistance to the Domaine in terms of vinification, ageing and bottling; as well as permanent analytical monitoring of wines in vats and barrels. Domaine Les Combes Cachées relies on a team of 3 experienced oenologists.

More info : https://dubernet.com/

Nicolas Triviaux

Oenologist, 13 years experience in Languedoc France, California, New Zealand, Australia.

Aymeric Laturelle

 Oenologist, 6 years' experience in Bordeaux, the Rhône, California, Spain and Languedoc-Roussillon

Nicolas Dutour

Senior oenologist with 14 years' experience in Languedoc France, California and Brazil.

Boris, Thibault, Etienne, Martin, Camille, Christine, Maria and all the others

Domaine Les Combes Cachées has always been a collective adventure. Since the beginnings in 2015, many people have made a significant contribution, alongside Xavier, Michel and François, to the success of the project. Starting with family members, of course:

  • Boris and Thibault, Xavier's two sons have both worked on the estate, in the vineyards, harvesting and in the cellars.

  • Martin, Camille and Etienne, are Michel's three children. Martin was involved in equipping the Chai, including the installation of the cooling system, while Camille and Etienne contributed to the design of the marketing and communication materials. Not forgetting Christine, Michel's wife, always ready to lend a hand, whatever the task.

And the picture would not be complete without mentioning all the seasonal staff who contribute to the life of the estate, whether working in the vineyard or harvesting the grapes: Maria and her family, Marouane, Marie, Brigitte, etc...