Domaine du Coulet

Domaine du Coulet was set up by the grandfather of current vigneron Matthieu Barret after the second world war. Matthieu's father had no interest in being a vigneron, so Mattieu took control of the estate at the youthful age of 23. Almost immediately he began to transform the vineyards away from conventional farming to organic, then biodynamic practices, and the domaine was officially certified biodynamic by 2002. The Syrah parcels are found on the terraced hillsides of Cornas. Mattieu is dedicated to each individual parcel, crafting wines that each reflect their specific micro-climate and terroir. His cuvées include Brise Cailloux: made from young vines on the bottom slope on clay-silt and old vines from the mid slope on granit gore. The wine spends 13 months in barrel and concrete tanks. The vineyard of Billes Noires (or Black Marbles) is situated on old granite gore aged 24 months; the first 12 months in 10 year old barrels and 12 months in stainless steel. Brise Cailloux Blanc is a mix of Marsanne and Roussane with surprising freshness for a white Côtes du Rhône. On top of this, Mattieu also acts as a négociant, selling grapes to some of the area's most renowned domaines.