Rhône wine

Winemaking is the love of Pierre Gaillard’s life.  His passion first showed itself when, aged 12, he was discovered among the vines near his home – he had taken a plough horse with him, to do some ploughing… His life was mapped out, he would make wine!

His subsequent studies of grape-growing and winemaking led him first to Beaune then to the faculty of oenology at Montpellier.  He gained his first experience working as vineyard manager on a large estate in the Côte-Rôtie vineyards, where he steeped himself in the terroirs  and traditions of this famous appellation.

In 1987, he decided to devote his whole time and energy to his vines, and created his own vineyard in the hills above the medieval village of Malleval, which lies half-way between the river Rhône and Mont Pilat.  Wasting no time, he set about building his vineyard, each year clearing, preparing and planting new parcels of land in the hills of the Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and St. Joseph appellations.

The area enjoys a temperate, continental climate, with warm, dry, summers which help to restrain the vigorous growth of the vines – this is absolutely essential for the production of grapes with high quality potential.
Precipitous slops are terraced, the soil being held in place by dry-stone walls. These are able to store up the heat of the day and to release it at night, which helps to warm up still further the environment in which the vines live.

In Côte-Rôtie, the soil is made up of deteriorated schists and of weathered granite in St. Joseph, Condrieu and Côte-du-Rhône. The Syrah, Viognier and Roussanne varieties are cultivated on these soils, which - light, permeable and warm - naturally limit the vigour of their growth.