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 Burgundy estate, share a common passion for natural wines. From this friendship a project dedicated to the table was born, where food and wine speak to one another. The duo first produced their early cuvées by purchasing grapes, between 2018 and 2021, from growers in the surrounding area, favouring Rolle and organic farming.

In 2020, the estate moved to Domaine de Ribières, in Rognes, a beautiful property surrounded by almond and olive trees. Marco gradually took over plots and, from the 2022 vintage onwards, has been producing his wines exclusively from his own grapes. Now at the helm of Colvert, he continues the adventure with a demanding approach rooted in 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

Colvert's vineyard stretches across Domaine de Ribières, at around 300 metres above sea level, on the limestone slopes of the Trévaresse range, between the hamlet of Saint-Canadet and the commune of Puy-Sainte-Réparade. The plots, 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 removed from heavy, sun-drenched profiles.

The grape varieties reflect the estate's philosophy. 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, thirst-quenching reds, while Roussanne, a symbol of the estate's long-term vision, is planted for deeper, age-worthy cuvées. All the vines are farmed organically, within a rich and preserved biodiversity.

Winemaking at Domaine Colvert

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

The estate's signature lies in its pursuit of straight, vibrant and easy-drinking wines with often moderate alcohol levels. Fermentations are carried out with indigenous yeasts, without added yeasts or chaptalization, and the wines are generally unfined, unfiltered and with very little or no sulphur added at bottling. This approach reflects Marco's Burgundian heritage — a desire for well-crafted wines that combine tension, terroir identity and sincerity.

The cuvées of Domaine Colvert

Cuvée R/C: Rolle on Limestone — the estate's emblematic dry white, from vines around fifteen years old on limestone slopes. Whole-bunch pressed, aged on fine lees in tank and partly in barrel, unfined, unfiltered and with no added sulphur, 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 with eight months of ageing on the lees, in a minimalist and very low-sulphur approach, it seduces with its fruity and floral notes and a generous, round and fresh palate. An original wine that illustrates the estate's desire to reinvent Grenache.

Cuvée Cin/C: pure Cinsault on Limestone — a light, thirst-quenching red with a low alcohol level (around 11.5%). Hand-harvested, fermented as whole bunches trodden underfoot after a gentle maceration of around ten days, then aged nine months in stainless steel with no added sulphur, it is straight, vibrant and entirely fresh — perfect with light meals and aperitifs.

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

Cuvée Rosé Cin/C: a Cinsault rosé on Limestone, in the estate's natural and fresh spirit. Vinified with the same delicacy and the same concern for purity, it is a lively and generous rosé, conceived for the table as much as for sunny days.

Orange cuvée (Rolle): occasionally produced from Rolle (Vermentino), this orange wine cuvée is born from a long skin maceration followed by several months of ageing in barrel. Unfined, unfiltered and unsulphured, it offers a complex and complete expression of the grape variety, true to Colvert's identity of genuine, living wines.