Côtes d'Auvergne

Caves in Châteaugay

Grower Profiles

Isabelle et Michel Tourlonais
This relatively recent enterprise was established in 1999, when Michel Tourlonais decided to take on the 1.6 hectare vineyard of his retiring father, François. Not wanting to give up his day job (he didn’t work for Michelin, but for a firm that supplies the tyre manufacturer), he sent Isabelle, his wife, off to Marmillat, the local agricultural college to attend a course in vineyard management. Until this point, all the family wine had been sold off to private clients en-vrac from their cellar, a traditional maison de vigneron, built in 1690 and situated in the heart of Châteaugay.

After François died in 2004, the couple rented another two hectares of vines, from five retired or part-time growers, to help increase the size of domaine and make it more financially viable. Apart from continuing to sell wine in bulk, they bottle and sell three wines: a fairly dull Châteaugay Blanc, produced from 12 year old Chardonnay, an earthy rosé that accounts for about 25% of their production, and a Châteaugay rouge, both from Gamay (they have no Pinot Noir). All the wines are fermented and raised in tank. These are sound if unexciting wines with room for improvement. The couple has two children, Laurie and Thibault, the eldest of which is already installed at the Lycée Viticole in Beaune. Hopefully, we will see an improvement in overall quality in the years to come.

Isabelle et Michel Tourlonais
27 rue Antoine Lannes
Châteaugay
T: + 33 4 73 87 60 63
P: + 33 6 83 16 25 28
Cave.tourloinais@wanadoo.fr

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