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Domain: Saint Jean d'Aramon

Domaine Saint-Jean d'Aramon is located to the south of the town of Perpignan. The fertile land of this area area made it a repeated victim of border wars and raids, and the fortified farms were often destroyed or burned down. With the advent of the railways in the 1800s, vine cultivation gained the upper hand, replacing other forms of cultivation. Domaine Saint-Jean d'Aramon has been owned by the Gillard/Desperret family since the 1920s. Founder Joseph Gillard (1870-1956) was the great-grandfather of the current owner. Having left his native Meuse region to spend some time in Bercy, Paris, he bought the domaine following a tip from a wine broker friend who travelled to Roussillon for business reasons. His son Marcel Gillard (1900-1981) renovated the vineyard and replaced the varieties from the 1920s (Alicante, Morastel, Aramon and Carignan) with varieties grafted onto American rootstocks, suited for the production of vins doux naturels (Grenache Gris, Blanc and Noir, as well as Maccabeu). These fortified wines experienced considerable growth in the 1930s. However, a parcel planted with Aramon was retained. When the Mas Saint-Jean estate was divided up among the family, a portion of the property was allocated to his daughter Jeannine Gillard, who married Francis Desperret. The land was then given the name of Saint-Jean d'Aramon. Madame Desperret made this 32-hectare property a success thanks to the then-flourishing market for vins doux naturels. In the 1980s, the baton was handed on to her son Jean Desperret (born in 1960), the current owner.