Yves Cuilleron
Close
Domaine Yves Cuilleron is a producer in the northern Rhône, making red and white wines predominantly from Syrah and Viognier, respectively. The domaine has been in the Cuilleron family for three generations, but it is the domaine's current owner and winemaker, Yves Cuilleron, who has expanded the size, scope, and scale of the estate's vineyard holdings and its winery.
Estate holdings were a mere 3.5 hectares (8.6 acres) in Condrieu and Saint-Joseph before Cuilleron took over in 1987. The estate now runs to 75 hectares (185 acres) of vineyard land across the additional appellations of Côte Rôtie, Crozes-Hermitage, Cornas and Saint-Péray as well as the lcal IGP title, IGP Collines Rhodaniennes.
These vineyards are planted to Syrah, Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier.
Cuilleron's key wines come from the Côte Rôtie and Condrieu appellations, although numerous cuvée names have come and gone over the years.
In the Viongier-based Condrieu appellation, Cuilleron owns 12 hectares (30 acres) of vineyard land. The estate makes three cuvées (Les Chaillets, La Petite Côte and Les Ayguets), as well as two site-specific wines from the lieux-dits Vernon and Verlieu.
The small-scale Cuvée Bourasseau Condrieu is also produced. This cuvée, named for the label artist, is not limited to Condrieu, however, and covers a number of Cuilleron's top appellations and is only made in quantities of no more than three barrels per site.
For the Condrieu wines, the grapes are whole-cluster pressed, fermented in barrel with indigenous yeasts, and then aged for nine months on their lees. The lieu-dit labels get between 12 and 18 months in barrel.
In Côte Rôtie, Cuilleron produces the Bassenon (90 percent Syrah and 10 percent Viognier) and Madinière (100-percent Syrah) labels, as well as the Cuvée Bourasseau. The estate also makes the single-site Viallière and Bonnivière lieu-dit labels (the latter formerly comprised a large portion of the now defunct Les Terres Sombres label).
Winemaking across the Côte Rôtie sites is reasonably similar with grapes being partially destemmed prior to fermentation with indigenous yeasts. The ferments receive regular punchdowns and pumpovers. The wines spend a year and a half in barrel, where they undergo malolactic fermentation.
The same approach broadly runs into the Saint-Joseph range of reds which boasts the Les Pierres Sèches, Cavanos and Les Serines labels as well a Cuvée Bourasseau. The Saint-Joseph whites are either predominantly Marsanne – for the Le Lombard – while Lyseras is a Marsanne - Roussanne blend.
The top Saint-Joseph white is the 100-percent Roussanne lieu-dit Digue. All Saint-Joseph whites spend around nine months in barrel with regular lees stirring.
Other labels cover Cornas, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Péray, and the often varietally-labeled IGP Collines Rhodaniennes. The Anciens Cépages (old varieties) range is a series of Vin de France wines from the lesser-known varieties Petite Serine, Persan and Durif wines.
Also Vin de France, but only by dint of its location outside of appellation boundaries, is the Roussillière sweet white wine made from Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. Finally, in collaboration with Jeff Cohn, Cuilleron produces a Sonoma Valley Syrah from Rockpile Vineyard under the Domaine des Chirats label.
Yves Cuilleron
Domaine Yves Cuilleron is a producer in the northern Rhône, making red and white wines predominantly from Syrah and Viognier, respectively. The domaine has been in the...
Read More