To understand the estate, one must understand the vigneron.

Born in Germany in 1963, Michael Paetzold came to France at the age of 13. After studying life sciences, he earned his National Oenologist’s Diploma at the Faculty of
Oenology in Bordeaux, and for three years did research in the same faculty’s laboratories on “The influence of stabilisation treatments on wine quality”. He later graduated from the Institute of Business Administration (IAE).

After a 20-year career in oenotechnical processes, he wanted to express himself by interpreting the soul of a terroir. He decided to settle in a little-known appellation, in a multifaceted terroir. A terroir given depth by its mineral soils, its Mediterranean climate, and its timeless plots of mass-selected vines.

In Bélesta, in the Côtes Catalanes, Michael found “my secret garden, my soulful terroir, a place for feeling and living that lets me express myself and make delicate auteur wines for a niche market”.