Château Les Farcies du Pech: a new life in the heart of Pécharmant

Château Les Farcies du Pech is a 15-hectare vineyard estate in the Pécharmant AOC, located on the right bank of the Dordogne near Bergerac. Taken over in 2021 by Blandine and François-Xavier Lesot, it produces Pécharmant red wines from five grape varieties, including the rare Touriga Nacional, available for direct sale on Avenue des Vins.

Available directly from the estate on Avenue des Vins.

How did you become winemakers at Château Les Farcies du Pech?

A new chapter as a couple, in the heart of Pécharmant

Some decisions are not made lightly. Blandine and François-Xavier Lesot’s, known as François Xavier, is one of them. In 2021, they left their previous professional lives to take over Château Les Farcies du Pech, one of the flagship estates of the Pécharmant appellation, on the right bank of the Dordogne near Bergerac.

We took over the estate in 2021, opening a new chapter in our life as a couple. New profession, new challenge, new adventure.

The estate they acquired was not a blank page. Les Farcies du Pech was already a respected property within the appellation, with an established terroir, existing vineyards, and a strong identity. Blandine and François Xavier did not inherit potential, they inherited a reputation.

What they bring is a fresh perspective, the energy of a career change, and a philosophy of their own: preserving biodiversity, limiting inputs, and producing wines that sometimes step off the beaten path.

Beyond the 15 hectares of vineyards, the estate includes an additional 20 hectares entirely dedicated to biodiversity: meadows, woodland, and orchards. A balance between vines and environment that many claim, but few truly implement on this scale.

What makes the Pécharmant terroir so unique?

The “Tran”: impermeable clay that makes all the difference

To understand the wines of Les Farcies du Pech, you need to go beneath the surface. The soils of Pécharmant are composed of sands and gravels from the Périgord: light, well-draining soils that force the vine to work hard to find water. But what lies beneath is even more fascinating.

Pécharmant rests on a unique terroir in France: sands and gravels on the surface, and a deep, impermeable clay subsoil known as the “Tran.” This clay layer forces roots to dig deep, regulates vine vigor, and concentrates aromas. It is the secret behind the structure and complexity of great Pécharmant wines.

This “Tran”, deep impermeable clay formed by the crystallization of minerals leached from the surface, acts as a natural regulator. During drought, it retains moisture. During heavy rainfall, it acts as drainage. The vine, constrained by this low-fertility soil, produces less, but produces better.

On this terroir, Blandine and François Xavier grow five grape varieties: the four classic right-bank Bordeaux grapes, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a fifth, unexpected presence in the Périgord landscape: Touriga Nacional.

This Portuguese black grape, the backbone of great Port wines, is beginning to appear in a few Pécharmant estates. At Les Farcies du Pech, it brings depth and complexity to blends that no local grape can replicate exactly.

What memory has marked the beginning of your journey the most?

The black frosts of 2021 and 2024: a baptism by fire

Taking over a vineyard estate in 2021 meant facing the vine just as nature decided to remind everyone who is truly in charge. In spring 2021, their very first season, black frosts struck.

These late frost events, among the most destructive a vineyard can face, occur at the worst possible time: when buds have just burst and young shoots are completely unprotected.

The black frost nights in spring 2021 and 2024… terrible!

Twice in four years. A double blow that could have discouraged anyone. But it is precisely this kind of challenge that shapes a winemaker, or reveals who they already are.

François Xavier puts it clearly: no two days are the same. Constant adaptation to weather, vineyard, and winemaking is required. It is demanding, and that’s exactly why it is so exciting.

Every day we must adapt to the weather, the vineyard, the winemaking… no day is ever the same, it’s amazing!

Which wine best represents Château Les Farcies du Pech?

ELIXIR, the premium cuvée, and a brasero under the plane trees

When asked which cuvée best represents the estate, François Xavier answers immediately: ELIXIR, their premium cuvée. A wine for aging that captures everything the Pécharmant terroir can offer when given time and space to fully express itself: the structure of the Tran, the depth of Touriga Nacional, and the elegance of Malbec, which he particularly appreciates.

But Les Farcies du Pech is not just about one bottle. For a gathering with friends, François Xavier opens Château Les Farcies du Pech 2020, the house wine, the one that brings people together effortlessly, the one that reflects the estate’s everyday identity.

The perfect moment to enjoy it ? A vivid, summery scene: a beautifully marbled cut of beef cooked over a brasero, seasoned with herbs, shared with friends under the plane trees in the estate courtyard. A moment of pure pleasure, far from unnecessary sophistication.

A beautifully marbled piece of beef cooked over a brasero with friends under the plane trees in the courtyard.

What is the ambition of Château Les Farcies du Pech for the years ahead?

Wines in balance with their time and their terroir

The estate’s philosophy does not fit into a single category. No organic label is displayed, but there is a strong conviction: preserve and enhance biodiversity, limit inputs in both vineyard and cellar, and produce enjoyable wines, wines for sharing, accessible wines that sometimes go off the beaten path.

Touriga Nacional may be the best example of that mindset.

Looking ahead, Blandine and François Xavier express their ambition simply, without grand statements: to offer wines that meet market expectations and deliver pleasure. No race for awards, no artificial positioning. Just bottles people want to open, and come back to.

One word defines the estate: balance. Between vineyard and biodiversity, between Pécharmant tradition and the boldness of Touriga Nacional, between terroir rigor and drinking pleasure. It is perhaps the most accurate way to describe what they are building at Les Farcies du Pech.

Buying Château Les Farcies du Pech wines on Avenue des Vins means discovering a Pécharmant AOC crafted by a passionate winemaking couple who settled in Bergerac in 2021: 15 hectares on the Tran, five grape varieties including Touriga Nacional, shipped directly from the estate in a short supply chain.

What defines the estate at a glance?

Château Les Farcies du Pech: AOC Pécharmant, Bergerac

Taken over in 2021 by Blandine and François-Xavier Lesot, Château Les Farcies du Pech is one of the most distinctive estates in the AOC Pécharmant appellation. Nestled on the right bank of the Dordogne, its signature terroir, Périgord sands and gravels over an impermeable clay subsoil known as "Tran", produces age-worthy wines of refined minerality and strong character.

Appellation: AOC Pécharmant, Bergerac, Dordogne

Vines: 15 hectares in organic conversion

Biodiversity: 20 hectares preserved, meadows, woodland, orchard

Grape varieties: Merlot · Malbec · Cabernet Franc · Cabernet Sauvignon · Touriga Nacional

Terroir: Périgord sands and gravels over impermeable “Tran” clay

Prestige cuvée: ELIXIR

Everyday cuvée: Les Farcies du Pech 2020

Philosophy: Balance, biodiversity, minimal inputs, wines that are pleasurable and sometimes off the beaten track

Five grape varieties, including the rare Touriga Nacional, a Portuguese variety embraced by the estate as a mark of its creative freedom. Two thirds of the property given back to nature. Wines ordered directly from the cellar, with no middleman, on Avenue des Vins.

Discover the wines of Château Les Farcies du Pech directly from the estate, at the estate price, in a short supply chain on Avenue des Vins.

Frequently asked questions about Château Les Farcies du Pech

Where is Château Les Farcies du Pech located?

The estate lies at Bergerac, in the Périgord, within the Pécharmant appellation. Its 15 hectares of vines sit on the right bank of the Dordogne, in South-West France.

Which grape varieties grow on this Pécharmant terroir?

Five varieties share the vineyard: Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Touriga Nacional, a Portuguese black grape still uncommon in the Périgord.

What is the Tran, the soil behind Pécharmant?

The Tran is a layer of deep, impermeable clay lying beneath the Périgord sands and gravels. It pushes the roots downward, tempers the vine's vigour and concentrates the aromas, giving the wines their backbone.

Which cuvée best defines the estate?

ELIXIR is the premium cuvée, a wine for keeping that combines the structure of the Tran, the depth of Touriga Nacional and the elegance of Malbec. For a relaxed meal, the couple pours the everyday Les Farcies du Pech 2020.

Are the wines certified organic?

No organic label appears on the bottle, yet the 15 hectares are undergoing organic conversion. The couple protects biodiversity across 20 hectares of meadow, woodland and orchard, and keeps inputs low in both vineyard and winery.