Domaine L'Ancienne Cure - Pécharmant Jour de Fruit rouge 2024

Christian Roche has come a long way since obtaining organic certification in 2012 for his entire estate (50 hectares, including 33 for white wines and 17 for reds). He produces a wide range of perfectly crafted wines, both red and white. The entry-level wines are flavorful and approachable, the result of meticulous viticulture, while the top vintages are models of precision and complexity. In November 2021, Christian Roche passed away and made his wife, Nathalie, promise to carry on the legacy. And that is exactly what she is doing, supported by her children and her son-in-law.

As the fifth generation to cultivate vines, Christian Roche inherited part of the family estate in 1984 and, five years later, set up his winemaking facility. Based in the former presbytery in Colombier and with a 50-hectare vineyard (predominantly white grape varieties) on varied soils, cultivated organically, he had made his estate—supplemented by his work as a wine merchant and winemaker—one of the must-visit destinations in the Bergerac region. Following his untimely death in 2021, his wife Nathalie continues his legacy.

A presbytery atop the hill gives its name to the vineyard, whose rows wind down the hillsides to the road where Christian Roche has set up his wine shop. The vineyard, which has been organic since 2012, includes several appellations—including 3 hectares in Pécharmant—and is divided into four lines: Jour de fruit, L’Extase, and L’Abbaye, plus a sulfur-free wine: Ça sulfit! While the lineup has been modernized with this label, all the wines remain true to the classic fundamentals of the Bergerac region. Christian Roche passed away in the fall of 2020, but the L’Ancienne Cure adventure continues thanks to his wife, Nathalie.