Jean-Luc Colombo acquired his first vineyard in Cornas in the 1980s, but currently boasts three very different vineyards: Domaine des Eygas (Cornas), Domaine du Mois de Mai (Saint Péray), and Domaine de Champs Fleury (Côte Bleue).

Family portrait

Jean-Luc Colombo deftly manages this family business. Let’s introduce everyone:

Jean-Luc inherited a love of cooking from his mother and grandmother in Marseille and has retained this passion for all thing’s food. For him, wine is inseparable from gastronomy, which is why he originally turned to oenology. A proud proponent of France’s vast culinary heritage, he aims to bring this richness ​​to his wine. True to his word, his bottles rub shoulders with the Greats on restaurant menus all around the world. Jean-Luc truly embodies what he wants to convey in his wines: conviviality and creating memories around the table.

Equally passionate about wine is Jean-Luc’s right hand (wo)man, wife Anne Colombo. Her love for the land and respect nature has been instilled from childhood, which was spent in the countryside. She was elected President of the Cornas appellation (AOC) committee, the first to do so. On the estate, she is responsible for sustainability and biodiversity.

Finally, Jean-Luc and Anne’s daughter Laure Colombo gets her turn. She returned to the estate in 2010 after spending years working in all aspects of the wine trade around the world. She is both an experienced winegrower and oenologist.

In the Vineyard

Cornas is an appellation that covers 150 hectares of vines, and produces Syrah (the only authorized grape varietal) mainly on terraces. Domaine des Eygas estate measures 13 hectares from which four magnificent Cuvées are produced (La Louvée, Les Terres Brûlées, Vallon de l’Aigle, Les Ruchets).

Saint-Péray is the southernmost appellation in the northern Rhône. Wedged between two major wine making regions and often somewhat forgotten, it has enjoyed increased interest lately. Acquired in the ‘90s, the parcel containing old vines in the Mois de Mai domain is planted with Marsanne and Roussanne grapes. La Belle de Mai Cuvée is a great floral and mineral white wine to come from it.

Going back to Domaine de Champ Fleury and his Marseillais roots, Jean-Luc’s third vineyard is located in the heart of the Côte Bleue, in the limestone hills of the Gulf of Marseille.

Sustainability

This estate has been practicing organic farming for some time but applied only began the certification process in 2012. In 2015, organic status was awarded, and so all vintages from this year on are organic, but for specific Cuvées only.

There are no pesticides and herbicides are used on the vines. Green manure and wood chip are spread over the soils thus sustaining bacterial life. In some parcels, the estate’s mare trots between the vines in order to lightly agitate it, further improving soil quality.

The estate has a similar approach to sustaining wildlife. Jean-Luc Colombo has reduced use of copper and sulphur in treatment the wine, protecting flora and fauna. Hedges were planted around the plots to encourage shelter and habitats for animals.

Jean-Luc’s final commitment is one of “zero irrigation”. This allows the vines to go deeper to receive and reveal the purest expression of terroir possible.

In sum, this is a family affair! They are deeply committed to sustainability and absolutely dedicated to their vineyards. This passion has become Jean-Luc’s signature style.

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Red wines from Jean-Luc Colombo

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