Domaine de Baccari’s vineyard, in Morocco, spans 30 hectares within an overall 78-hectare estate.
Nestled in the foothills of the Middle Atlas, at 650 metres of altitude, in the historic region of Meknès, the estate was born of a family ambition: to produce wines capable of reaching an international standard, while deeply respecting their environment — vines, century-old olive trees and almond trees coexist within a single polyculture.
Nahla Bahnini and her husband now run the property. Here, we look back at the key milestones in its development, as well as the guidance provided for over ten years by Vignerons Consultants, now led by Romain Bocchio and Benjamin Massie, the estate’s lead consultants, and Pauline Lagarde, who is supporting its conversion to biodynamics under the Demeter specifications.
A terroir waiting to be revealed, a founding encounter
The story begins with the ambition to showcase a vineyard planted on family land, united by a single dream: to reveal the potential of a still little-explored terroir. The owners quickly became aware of the distinctiveness of their soils — fine red clays resting on a soft limestone bedrock — while also recognising the need to bring greater structure to how the vines were managed.
The meeting with the Vignerons Consultants team in 2010, facilitated by François Mauss, marked a decisive turning point: the clay-limestone terroir held strong potential, but the vineyard needed a thorough restructuring. Drawn to this rigorous yet pragmatic vision, the owners committed to a lasting partnership with Vignerons Consultants — one that quickly grew into a genuine relationship of trust.
Rethinking the vineyard, cultivating living soils
The early years were devoted to a major restructuring effort: soil work, reduced inputs, yield control, and a gradual shift toward organic practices, culminating in organic certification in 2022.
The vineyard, planted with syrah, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, cinsault, grenache, assertyko and vermentino, found a new balance there, with cabernet franc thriving particularly well on this limestone soil.
In 2013, the first vinifications confirmed the estate’s potential; the construction of the winery then anchored production on site and supported the wines’ growing precision.
That same rigour continues today through a philosophy centred on living systems: biodiversity, agroecology and precision viticulture shape every practice, right down to the choice of ageing vessels — amphorae, foudres and 500-litre barrels — allowing the terroir to express itself fully, in the service of wines that are distinctive, honest and demanding.
Guidance built over the long term
Vignerons Consultants’ support is rooted in the long term, led by Romain and Benjamin in close collaboration with Nahla Bahnini. This close relationship allows for precise work, tailored to the estate’s specificities and to the particular challenges of the Moroccan winegrowing context. Over the years, a genuine relationship of trust has developed between the estate and the firm’s teams, as Nahla Bahnini describes:
“The strength of your team lies in that follow-through, upstream and downstream: from planting the vine to selling the wine. There’s real listening and real support from all the teams, in the vineyard as in the winery, right through to the promotion of our wines. And a fundamental point is the kindness within the rigour of training the teams on site, who today swear by no one but Romain and Benjamin.”
Benjamin Massie in the vines of Domaine de Baccari
A vision turned toward the future
The estate continues its transformation today through several major projects: expanding the vineyard, developing biodiversity, and transitioning to biodynamics. The ambition remains unchanged: to make Domaine de Baccari a benchmark in North Africa, capable of combining rigour, sustainability and a strong identity.