Yves Cuilleron

Domaine Cuilleron is a family-run business managed since 1987 by Yves Cuilleron. Yves took over the Cuilleron domaine after completing a number of training courses on the subject. He started at the same time as a generation starting from scratch: Villard, the Gaillards and others. With this generation, he began a completely different adventure: the founding of Vins de Vienne. After that, a vineyard was created from land purchased at affordable prices. A number of abandoned vineyards rose in value in record time. Yves was one of a group of exceptionally dynamic winemakers. Replanting and restoration were necessary after renting and leasing. Vin de France Persan (2018) is one of the wines made from ancient grape varieties.

Yves Cuilleron rejects "ready-made" thinking. His vision of viticulture is entirely personal: neither conventional, nor organic, nor biodynamic. His philosophy is simple: "Produce the best grapes possible". He therefore practises "reasonable" viticulture, in which observation is key. All the work in the vineyard essential to grape quality is carried out.

Yves Cuilleron applies a unique principle to winemaking: "Keep it as simple as possible". He is also very attached to local traditions. For all wines: hand-picking, meticulous grape sorting, alcoholic fermentation exclusively with natural yeasts, with no other oenological products added, and only controlled temperatures.

The Yves Cuilleron winery has expanded over the years. Today, the estate covers some 90 hectares in Cornas, Côte Rôtie, Saint-Joseph, Condrieu and Saint-Péray. Expansion was made possible after many negotiations. The wines produced here are top-of-the-range, especially the whites. These express finesse very well, thanks to their ageing in oak casks. More mature wines were introduced in 2019. Some are ripe and rich, while others are solid or tauter. Designed for ageing, Cornas is covered in wood with excellent vitality on the finish. Vin de France Syrah Sybel (2019) is one of the rosé wines from this cellar.

There's no need to buy grapes to make yves cuilleron wine. In a single year, you get 540,000 bottles of wine from the vineyards concerned. The red wine is planted on 50 hectares and the white on 40 hectares. Ageing under wood lasts 18 months for red wines and 9 months for white wines. The winemakers use manual harvesting for this purpose. The average age of the vines is around 35 years. Syrah red grapes are used in 100% of cases. White grape varieties include 20% Marsanne, 24% Roussanne and 56% Viognier. Bourasseau cuvées also come from this same vineyard: Condrieu, Saint-Joseph, Côte-Rôtie.