Colvert

History of Domaine Colvert

The story of Colvert begins around 2017 and 2018, with the meeting of two passionate individuals from different backgrounds. Pierre Hochart, a chef committed to a local and authentic approach, and Marc Kemlin, a winemaker trained for several years at a domaine de Bourgogne, share a common passion for natural wines. From this friendship a project dedicated to the table is born, where cuisine and wine speak to each other. The duo first produced their early cuvées from purchased grapes, between 2018 and 2021, sourced from local growers, with a preference for Rolle and organic farming.

In 2020, the domaine settles at the Domaine de Ribières, in Rognes, in a beautiful property surrounded by almond and olive trees. Marco gradually takes over parcels and, since the 2022 vintage, produces his wines exclusively from his own grapes. Today at the helm of Colvert, he continues the adventure with an exacting standard nourished by his Burgundian heritage, replanting new vines each year to progressively expand the range and affirm the identity of the place.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Colvert

The vineyard of Colvert spreads across the Domaine de Ribières, at around 300 metres of altitude, on the limestone hillsides of the Trévaresse range, between the hamlet of Saint-Canadet and the commune of Puy-Sainte-Réparade. The parcels, facing north, benefit from a living soil with a high clay-limestone content and a temperate Mediterranean microclimate. This altitude-driven freshness, rare in Provence, gives the wines a singular tension and salinity, far from heavy and sun-baked profiles.

The grape variety selection reflects the philosophy of the domaine. Rolle, considered the white soul of Provence, brings brightness, purity and minerality. Grenache noir is reinvented here, sometimes vinified as a blanc de noirs to gain freshness and complexity. Cinsault yields light and thirst-quenching reds, while Roussanne, a symbol of the domaine's long-term vision, is planted for deeper, age-worthy cuvées. All the vines are farmed organically, within a rich and preserved biodiversity.

Vinifications at Domaine Colvert

In the cellar, Marco vinifies with a natural approach and as little intervention as possible. Harvests are done by hand, often picked in the cool of the morning. The reds are produced as whole bunches, foot-trodden, with gentle macerations that favor infusion over extraction. The whites and the blanc de noirs are whole-bunch pressed, then aged on fine lees in stainless steel tanks, sometimes with a portion in barrel to add a touch of complexity without masking the purity of the fruit.

The signature of the domaine lies in this pursuit of straight, vibrant and easy-drinking wines, often with moderate alcohol levels. Fermentations take place with indigenous yeasts, without added yeasts or chaptalization, and the wines are generally unfined, unfiltered and with very little or no added sulfur at bottling. In this work one finds Marco's Burgundian heritage, this desire for well-crafted wines that combine tension, terroir identity and sincerity.

The cuvées of Domaine Colvert

Cuvée R/C: Rolle on Limestone, the flagship dry white of the domaine, from vines around fifteen years old on limestone hillsides. Whole-bunch pressed, aged on fine lees in tank and partly in barrel, unfined, unfiltered and with no added sulfur, it offers a refined nose of white fruits (pear, apricot), flowers and mineral notes, with a palate balanced between vivacity and roundness.

Cuvée Gn/C: Grenache noir on Limestone, a bold blanc de noirs. Vinified in stainless steel tanks with eight months of aging on the lees, in a minimalist and very low-sulfite approach, it seduces with its fruity and floral notes and a rich, round, fresh palate. An original wine that illustrates the domaine de réinventer le Grenache.

Cuvée Cin/C: pure Cinsault on Limestone, a light and thirst-quenching red with a low alcohol level (around 11.5%). Hand-harvested, fermented as whole bunches foot-trodden after a gentle maceration of around ten days, then aged nine months in stainless steel tanks without added sulfur, it shows itself straight, vibrant and fully fresh, perfect with light meals and aperitifs.

Cuvée Gre/C: Grenache noir on Limestone as a red, the first Grenache red cuvée produced by Marco at La Ribière. The grapes, hand-harvested in the cool of the morning, ferment largely as whole bunches foot-trodden. The result is a taut, saline and entirely infusion-driven red, far removed from the clichés of Mediterranean heaviness.

Cuvée Rosé Cin/C: a Cinsault rosé on Limestone, in the natural and fresh spirit of the domaine. Vinified with the same delicacy and the same concern for purity, it is a lively and pleasurable rosé, conceived for the table as well as for sunny days.

Orange cuvée (Rolle): produced on occasion from Rolle (Vermentino), this orange wine cuvée is born from a long skin maceration followed by several months of aging in barrel. Unfined, unfiltered and without added sulfur, it offers a complex and full expression of the grape variety, true to the identity of genuine and living wines so dear to Colvert.