Côtes
d'Auvergne
Grower Profiles
The
old terraces at Montpeyroux
Other
Growers
The following list is comprised of growers either
not visited or no longer operative. They are listed by commune, working
from north to south.
Saint-Priest Bramefant
Place Beaudet Lafarge
Maringues
T/F: + 33 4 73 68 66 60
Maringues is a village about 20 kilometres east of
Riom and half way across the Limagne plain. On the slopes of a small puy
a few parcels of vines can be seen growing. It is outside the
appellation, so the wines produced here are classified as Vin de Pays and
Vin de Table.
Maringues
T: + 33 4 73 68 66 60
11 rue Etienne Clémentel
T/F: + 33 4 73 63 32 86
T: + 33 4 64 33 87 (Christian)
Christian Chaput took over the family's three
parcels, planted on granite and limestone, in the village of Prompsat in 1988,
working the three hectares
by hand. He makes about 10,000 bottles a year from
plantings of Gamay, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but also produces a range
of bottle fermented sparkling wines labelled as Chanvergne, a corruption
of Champagne and Auvergne.
Bernard Marius
Chemin des Poiriers
Saint-Hippolyte
T:
+ 33 4 73 86 18 90
This domaine, which was established by Bernard’s
grandfather in 1928, is the sole remaining viticulteur
in Saint-Hippolyte. He took over from his father in 1980 and his own son,
Roland, has now joined the enterprise. With only 1.5 hectares of vines
split over three parcels in the village, they find it necessary to have
other farming interests. Their Gamay and Pinot Noir is planted on
clay-limestone soils with the vineyards high up on the slopes overlooking
the town of Riom.
Domaine Boulin-Constant
24 Rue Pasteur
Saint-Bonnet-Près-Riom
T: + 33 4 73 63 34 17
F:
+ 33 4 73 63 39 13
Former Michelin worker (tyre factory as opposed to
restaurant critic) Bernard Boulin joined his father-in-law, Jean Constant,
in 1976 following his marriage to Camille. The Constant’s are an old vigneron
family in Saint-Bonnet, whilst Boulin, a native of Clermont, came to the
domaine with no winemaking experience. He retired in 2006, but was
considered by many as one of the best growers in the Auvergne.
Jean-Marie Rollin
10 Rue Baillardes
Le-Cheix-sur-Morge
Riom
T: + 33 4 73 97 25 22
T: + 33 4 73 64 82 67
Certified organic since 2001, Jean-Marie Rollin
produces 1.2 hectares of Gamay, Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot Noir which are
sold as Vin de Pays.
Champ Roy
Ménétrol
T/F: + 33 4 73 38 70 47
Châteaugay
T: + 33 4 73 87 24 31
F:
+ 33 4 73 87 61 16
The brothers Lapouge are the latest in a long family
line to have owned vineyards in Châteaugay, although it was their father,
Pierre, who founded the domaine in 1968. They farm a total of 15 hectares
of vines, with holdings in Bourassol, Chaturgue (2ha) and Châteaugay,
where they produce both white and a 70/30% Gamay/Pinot Noir blend. The
crop is all hand harvested and destemmed. More recently, they have started
to rent off some of their parcels to other growers, with Gilles Persilier
renting 0.7ha of vines which the Lapouges had since abandoned in
Chanturgue.
Blanzat
T: + 33 4 73 87 68 63
35 rue des Martres
T: + 33 4 73 24 25 33
Auzolle is a nurseryman by trade, but started making
wine for domestic consumption in 1995 when still in his early 20s. He
works 1.8 hectares of Gamay and Pinot Noir split over the three communes
of Cébezat, Sayat and Blanzat, making around 1,000 litres a year of
Chanturgue and generic appellation wine. His wines are sold through a
local caviste and to his copains.
12 Rue de Sibony
Cébezat
T: + 33 4 73 87 63 63
F: + 33 4 73 87 64 71
A part-time vigneron
between 1984 and 1995, Prugnard inherited seven hectares of Gamay and
Pinot Noir from his grandparents spread across twenty parcels in the
communes of Cébezat, Blanzat, Sayat and Châteaugay, where he has vines
in the well sited Clos de la Serre. He produces red white and rosé under
the generic appellation along with Châteaugay and Chanturgue.
Clermont-Ferrand
T: + 33 4 73 36 64 15
Domaine du Renard des Côtes
T: + 33 4 73 31 21 88
P: + 33 6 77 34 64 53
Aubière
6 Rue Champvoisin
Aubière
T/F: + 33 4 73 28 06 74
4 Rue Saint-Marc
Aubière
T: + 33 4 73 26 04 52
F: + 33 4 73 27 96 46
Vins-henri-bourcheix@wanadoo.fr
www.caves-particulieres.com/members/bourcheix
The Bourcheix are an ancient winemaking family,
having been established in the Auvergne since 1654. Henri, in his late
50s, studied in Beaune and owns 6.5 hectares situated in the communes of
Aubière, Corent, Romagnat, Pérignat-Lès-Sarliève and Clermont-Ferrand
where he owns 1.45ha in the appellation Chanturgue. This is all planted to
Gamay, with the exception of 0.66 hectares of Chardonnay. He bottled half
of his production and sold the balance en-vrac.
He
is now starting to wind down his operation and started to rent out parcels
of vines, such as at Corent, where Thierry Sciortino is now installed.
4 Avenue de la République
Perignat-lès-Sarliève
T: + 33 4 73 79 11 12
Perignat-lès-Sarliève
T: + 33 4 73 79 11 94
Bellard sadly died in 2005, but was considered by
many to be the best (and most vocal and visible) grower in the Auvergne.
With 50 hectares of vines spread over ten communes (including 7 hectares
in Saint-Pourçain), he was easily the biggest private producer. By all
accounts he was a colourful character who suffered no fools, he had
holdings in the crus of Corent,
Châteaugay and rented vines in Chanturgue (now maganed by Pierre Goigoux).
He made Vin de Paille from Gamay, which he picked 4 weeks later than his
conventional crop, dried the bunches for 2 weeks on straw mats
in his grenier or loft
and pressed at 15% potential alcohol, chaptalising to achieve 17% actual. He also grew Sauvignon, Muscat and Chasselas.
Le Crest
T: + 33 4 73 39 43 03
Pierre Beauger
21 Rue Saint-Julien Jussat
Chanonat
T: + 33 4 73 78 23 76
Vignoble de l’Arbre Blanc
Rue de l’Arbre Blanc
Saint-Sandoux
Established only since 2000, this two hectare
domaine is situated high up above the Limagne plain, bordering the Parc
des Volcans. Gounan works a parcel of old vine Gamay and Pinot Noir. His
vines have been in conversion to organic since 2006.
Orcet
Route de la Gazelle
T/F: + 33 4 73 39 55 44
A father and son operation, with Nicolas (who is
still only in his late 20s) joining Hubert in the business in 1996. They
farm 13 hectares of vines in Corent (70%) and La Sauvetat, Le Veyre-Monton
and Les Martres-de-Veyre. They grow all three permitted varieties to make
Corent red, white and rosé and generic appellation wine. They also farm
cereals and angelica.
Corent
T: + 33 4 73 69 71 62
Corent
T: + 33 4 73 6968 36
24 Rue Principal
Corent
T: + 33 4 73 69 75 32
Chemin des Pales
Authezat
T/F: + 33 4 73 24 18 01
Recently retired, Noël Bressoulay comes from a long
line of vignerons, established
here since the late 16th Century. He is an authority on the vieux
cépages of the Auvergne, establishing a conservatoire of 15 ancient
varieties some years ago. His 4.5 hectares of vines are now farmed by Yvan
Bernard, who has also previously made wine in Bressoulay's 18th
Century cellar. He produced a Chardonnay that spent six months in wood,
plus two red wines, both blends of Gamay and Pinot Noir, one in wood the
other one not.
Place de la Reine
Montpeyroux
T: + 33 4 73 96 67 49
T/F: + 33 4 73 77 32 99
This young vigneronne, just entering her
third decade, comes to wine following an early career as a sommelier. She
makes red and rosé Vin de Pays and generic Auvergne appellation wines
from three hectares of vines, all rented, and scattered around the
communes of Montpeyroux, Egliseneuve-près-Billom, Glaine-Montaigut,
Beauregard-L’Evêque and Montmorin. Everything is harvested by hand.
The
Southern slope of the Puy-de-Corent
EAST OF THE ALLIER
T: + 33 4 73 83 41 33
Yohanna et Benoît Porteilla
Caveau de Loup
4 Impasse de la Halle
Dallet
T/F: 33 4 73 83 05 21
P: + 33 6 09 91 98 06
Benoit worked for a long time for a negociant
in Burgundy, but a desire to make wine led to him studying winemaking at
the Lycée in Beaune. Yohanna is also a qualified oenologist. They
installed themselves in a tiny house in an impasse,
opposite the lean-to of a covered market in Dallet, working in the cellar
of M Verdier, the last grower to have made wine in the village, back in
the late 1990s. They were offered half a hectare of land by the local
municipality as part of a scheme to help entice young vignerons
back into the commune. They now farm seven hectares of Gamay d’Auvergne
from parcels in Dallet, Chauriat, Saint-Bonnet and Corent, producing both
red and rosé. The Cuvée Canis
Lupus is raised in barrel.
Caves de l’Abbaye
9 rue du Commerce
T: + 33 4 73 68 00 51
F: + 33 4 73 62 99 46
This fourth generation domaine was created in the
1920s with the cellars in the vaults of the priory of Saint-Marie. In
addition to the six hectares of vines in Chauriat, which includes some
fifty year old Chardonnay, they also operate a negociant
business which concentrates on sparkling wine production.
2 Avenue de Riom
Saint-Bonnet-lès-Allier
Rue de la Garenne
Saint-Georges-lès-Allier
T: + 33 4 73 92 15 54
Created in 2000, this domaine existed only briefly.
A trio of vigneron friends (presumably they were only friends when they
started), Jean Maupertuis, Eric Garnier and Stéphane Majeune worked 12
hectares of vines in Corent (where they made cru
red and rosé), Saint-Georges-d’Allier, Orcet, Pérignat-les-Sarliève,
Cournon, La Roche-Noire and Clermont-Ferrand, which includes vines in
Chanturgue. In addition to Gamay, they also had access to the rare Noir-Fleurien
variety, with vines that span between 25 to over 100 years old, which went
for Vin de Pays and Vin de Table production.
Saint-Georges-lès-Allier
Maupertuis has been installed as a vigneron
in the Auvergne since 1996 and was, until 2003, involved with Domaine de
Peyra, above. His three hectares of vines are situated at 450 metres above
Clermont-Ferrand and around Saint-Georges. Everything in the vineyard is
done by hand, following organic farming principles. He grows Gamay, Pinot
Noir and Chardonnay, although the wines are sold both with the appellation
and as Vin de Table (a Gamay sold as Cuvée
La Guillaume). Other cuvées are Les
Pierres Noires and Les Roche-Noires.
Les Vignerons d’Egliseneuve
Mas d’Auteyras
T: + 33 4 73 68 34 06
In 1900 there were 320 hectares of vineyards,
producing one million litres of wine a year, in the commune of Egliseneuve,
but the vines were completely wiped out by phylloxera which arrived here
in 1904. Exactly 90 years later, 15.5 hectares of Gamay were
re-established on the south facing clay-limestone soils typical of this
part of the Limagne plain. This winemaker collective involved fine or six
growers, making wines in the lieu-dit of Le Mas d’Auteyras, making 100hl
of Vin de Pays a year and selling the wines under the
Cuvée Saint-Ferréol on local markets. I understand they are no
longer in business.
Benaud
Laps
T: + 33 4 73 69 18 39
Maison
de vignes, Boudes
ISSOIRE AND THE SOUTH
37 Avenue de la Libération
Issoire
T: + 33 4 73 89 26 47
A caviste situated in Issoire’s southern suburbs which sells local
produce, including Côtes d’Auvergne en-vrac.
Chalus
T: + 33 4 73 96 54 17
Route de Dauzat
T: + 33 4 73 96 47 49
F: + 33 4 73 96 49 00
Jean-René abandoned his career as a computer
engineer in 1986 to take on his grandfather’s vineyard. After attending
a viticultural course at the Lycée de Marmillat (near Clermont-Ferrand),
he worked stages in Macon and
Montpellier to gain some practical experience. He constructed a modest
cellar at the foot of the vineyards in Boudes where he has seven hectares,
the oldest Gamay being over 100 years old. He also has a little Pinot
Noir, Chardonnay and has been experimenting with Petite Syrah. He has also
served as the President of the Fédération Vinicole.
GEAC de Salaville
Saint-Hérent
T/F:
+ 33 4 73 96 44 74
Jean, Paul, Serge and Salaville: four brothers that
sound more like a Beatles tribute band. They started out in 1980 making
wine for consommation personnelle
before starting to sell wine commercially in 1991. They work 4.6 hectares
of old vine Gamay de l’Auvergne and (0.6ha of) Chardonnay in ‘La
Planche’, the lieu-dit at the
western extremity of the slopes of Boudes where the soils are made up of
clay over limestone. They operate out of a cowshed on the road between
Boudes and Saint-Hérent, making Boudes and generic red, white and rosé.
Their 2007 Boudes was light, peppery and dangerously gulpable.
Route de Saint-Germain-Lembron
Boudes
T: + 33 4 73 55 33 41
The Grayons have taken on four hectares of high
density plantings (8,300 vines per hectare) of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and
Gamay from retired growers and set up a small cellar in a warehouse-cum shed on
the road into Boudes. They are also converting the vines to organic
farming methods.
10 Avenue Jean-Baptiste-Veyre
Aurillac
T: + 33 4 71 48 25 16
F: + 33 4 71 48 45 45
Whilst their wines might originate from the Côtes
d’Auvergne villages, their approach to élevage
is a novel one as the Desprat cellars are far away, in the next département,
in Cantal, a region hardly recognised for its wine production (although
some vineyards do exist). The wines are transported to the upland meadows
after fermentation and are then subjected to six months of ageing in cask
in a stone hut, known locally as a buron
cantelien, until the following spring. This ageing of wine at
altitude, 1,200 metres to be exact, is supposed to offer special
qualities, given the air pressure is said to be weaker and although
temperatures are cooler, they are more constant.
Without making a significant journey to seek out the
cellar in the Cantal, their wines are available from the caviste
business they opened in Chamalières, a suburb of Clermont-Ferrand, in
October 2007.
Desprat Vins
50 Avenue de Royat
Chamalières
T:
+ 33 4 73 19 47 69
www.vin-passion.com