Located in the Saint-Joseph appellation of the Northern Rhône Valley, Domaine Rouchier is owned and managed by Martine and Christian Rouchier. Founded in 2007, on a small 1.5 hectare estate comprised of two parcels of Syrah grapes that were preciously sold off as fruit. In 2007 only 300 bottles were produced. From the outset, Martine and Christian committed to entirely organic farming practices, achieving organic certification with their first vintage in 2013. By 2015, they had fully embraced biodynamic farming and natural winemaking, ensuring that their wines are made organically, naturally, and entirely without added sulfur. In 2016, they planted 1 hectare in a Vin de Pays appellation consisting of 50% Syrah, 25% Viognier, and 25% Marsanne, which is now bottled as Cuvée Entraigue.
The domaine is comprised of two primary parcels: Luc and Chave. The Luc parcel, planted in 1972, is situated on the hills above Saint-Jean de Muzols, featuring a west-facing slope at an elevation of about 250 meters. The soil here is predominantly composed of clay and schist. The Chave parcel, planted in 1958, is located on granitic gneiss soils with a western exposure.
Until 2020, the domaine worked the land with a horse. In November 2020, they switched to a more sustainable approach and stopped working the soil to encourage natural biological life. A mixture of rye, forage peas, crimson clover and phacelia was sown, and in June 2021 it was rolled to create a protective mulch for the soil.
Vine shoots are returned to the soil during pruning to promote fertility. The results are promising: minimal erosion, no compaction, and improved soil health. Grass is competing with weeds, and life is returning to the soil.
Despite challenges in 2022 with slower growing cover crops, straw was added between every other row to retain moisture. In 2023, the vineyard faced extreme heat, but timely rains saved the crop. Hedges were planted around the vines, and 50 tons of straw and hay were added in late 2023 and early 2024 to stimulate soil life.
This ongoing commitment to sustainable practices will take years to fully restore the soil’s self-sufficiency, but it is key to both improving wine quality and combating climate change.
During vinification red grapes undergo whole-cluster fermentation over ambient yeasts in concrete tanks over a two week period. The fermentation process includes pigeage (punching down) and remontage (pumping over) to manage the cap and extract the desired flavors and tannins. Following fermentation, the wines are aged for 14-18 months in neutral oak barrels, which are 5-9 years old, to enhance complexity without imparting excessive oak flavors.
After pressing, the juice of the white grapes is directly fermented in stainless steel tanks without sedimentation. The aging also occurs in stainless steel tanks. All wines are then bottled unfined and unfiltered, maintaining their natural character and purity.
