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Franck Lihour of Domaine Castera is part of a new generation of vignerons in the Jurançon AOC of South-West France, that are determined to showcase just how good their terroir, and the resulting wines can be.

Located in Monein, one of the most highly regarded villages in Jurançon, the Domaine has been in the Lihour family since 1885 when it was purchased by Frank’s great grandfather. It was originally used for mixed farming with a couple of hectares of vines, and the wine from these vineyards was mostly sold in barrels to local bars and restaurants. Franck’s father Christian took over the Domaine around three decades ago and was the first to really prioritise winemaking. He grew the vineyard area to 11.5 hectares and sold all of the wine in bottle. The wines of Domaine Castera quickly gained a reputation for quality. Franck studied viticulture and oenology in Bordeaux before spending time working as a wine retailer in Pau, which exposed him to an enormous amount of great wine, vignerons and winemakers. From here he went on to work at wineries in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Corsica, California and South Africa. His resume includes an apprenticeship at Chateau Suduiraut in Sauternes, and more recently he oversaw the winemaking at the iconic Jurançon producer Clos Joliette for three vintages. In 2014, Franck returned home with a clear vision of what was needed to take Domaine Castera to the next level. This included plans for organic and biodynamic farming, lowering yields, natural fermentations, lowering the amount of sulphur used, using a wider range of fermentation and ageing vessels, and even replanting some local Jurançon varieties that are on the edge of extinction.