| Region of production: | Condrieu, Côte-Rôtie, Saint-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, Cornas, Saint-Péray |
| Winery Location: | Chavanay |
| Year Established: | 1920 |
Vineyard Holdings
59 ha total
Condrieu: 10 ha
- La Côte: 3.5 ha, planted in 1976 and 1989
- Izéras: planted in 1939
- Vernon: 0.5 ha, planted in the 1980s and 1990s
- Eyguets
Côte-Rôtie: 7 ha
- Coteaux de Semons: 1 ha, planted 1965 and 1989-1990
- Rochains: 1 ha, planted in the late 1980s
- Rozier: 0.43 ha, planted in the mid-1990s
- Viallière
Saint-Joseph: 15 ha Syrah; 6 ha Marsanne and Roussanne
- Vessettes: Syrah, planted in 1936 and 1947
- La Ruty: Syrah, planted in the 1960s
- Verlieux: Marsanne, planted in 1967
- Eyguets: Syrah
- Le Pêcher: Syrah
Crozes-Hermitage: 3 ha Syrah, leased in 2012
Cornas: 1 ha
Saint-Péray: 3 ha
Vin de France: 15 ha
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Condrieu “Chaillets”: an old vine blend from Izéras and the old vines on La Côte
- Condrieu “Vertige”: from Vernon, this Condrieu sees longer aging in barrel (18 months). Inaugural vintage 2001.
- Condrieu “Ayguets”: sweet Condrieu from La Côte and Eyguets, from both overripe and botrytised grapes, depending on vintage conditions
- Côte-Rôtie “Bassenon”: 90% Syrah, 10% Viognier; from the southern Coteaux de Semons
- Côte-Rôtie “Madinière”: 100% Syrah from schist soils in the northern section. Inaugural vintage 1994.
- Côte-Rôtie “Terres Sombres”: 100% Syrah from Rochains, Rozier and Viallière
- Saint-Joseph Blanc “Le Lombard”: 100% older Marsanne from Verlieux
- Saint-Joseph Blanc “Saint-Pierre”: 100% Roussanne from vines in Chavannay and St-Pierre-de-Boeuf
- Saint-Joseph Rouge “Les Serines”: from the old vines on Vessettes and La Ruty
Average Total Production
- 384,000 bottles
Summary
The Cuilleron domaine dates back to 1920, founded by Yves’s grandfather Claude. The first domaine bottling was in 1947, labeled “Vin de Chavanay” Viognier and Syrah (the Saint-Joseph appellation did not exist then, and Chavanay was not yet part of the Condrieu appellation). Yves is a man on the move: He expanded the family holdings from 3.5 hectares to its current 59 hectares; he created a négociant business, Les Vins de Vienne, with Pierre Gaillard and Francois Villard in 1996; and he opened a restaurant with vigneron friends in Ampuis in 2007. The Cuilleron wines are all produced from vineyards the family owns or leases, and while they are focused on their traditional home region around Chavanay, they now also produce wines all the way from Côte-Rôtie in the north to Saint-Péray in the south.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Yves Cuilleron wines are bold, modern Northern Rhône wines. Yves harvests his white grapes very ripe and waits for a small amount of botrytis to develop if the vintage allows. The white grapes are whole-cluster pressed, barrel-fermented in one-quarter new oak, and aged nine months in contact with the lees with frequent bâtonnage. The reds are partially de-stemmed, vinified in stainless steel with frequent remontage and pigeage, and aged 18-20 months in barriques. The oak is 100% new for the Côte-Rôtie “Terres Sombres” and Saint-Joseph “Les Serines”; 50% new for Côte-Rôtie “Bassenon” and Côte-Rôtie “Madinière”; older oak is used for the other reds.
Producer Website: Yves Cuilleron