Colvert

History of Domaine Colvert

The story of Colvert begins around 2017 and 2018, with the meeting of two passionate individuals from very 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 grew a project dedicated to the table, where cuisine and wine speak to each other. The duo first produced their early cuvées from purchased grapes, between 2018 and 2021, sourced from nearby growers, with a preference for Rolle and organic farming.

In 2020, the estate settled at Domaine de Ribières, in Rognes, on a beautiful property surrounded by almond and olive trees. Marco gradually took over individual parcels and, from the 2022 vintage onward, has crafted his wines exclusively from his own grapes. Now at the helm of Colvert, he continues the adventure with a demanding standard nourished by his Burgundian heritage, replanting new vines each year to progressively broaden the range and assert the identity of the place.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Colvert

The Colvert vineyard spreads across Domaine de Ribières, at approximately 300 metres of altitude, on the limestone hillsides of the Trévaresse mountain range, between the hamlet of Saint-Canadet and the commune of Puy-Sainte-Réparade. The parcels, facing north (ubac), 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, 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 and thirst-quenching reds, while Roussanne, a symbol of the estate's long-term vision, is planted for deeper, age-worthy cuvées. All vines are farmed organically, within a rich and well-preserved biodiversity.

Vinifications of Domaine Colvert

In the cellar, Marco vinifies with a natural approach and the least possible intervention. Harvests are done by hand, often picked in the cool of the morning. The reds are made from whole clusters, foot-trodden, with gentle macerations that favour infusion over extraction. The whites and the blanc de noirs are pressed as whole clusters, then aged on fine lees in stainless steel tanks, sometimes with a fraction 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 digestible wines, often with 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 sulfur added at bottling. This work 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 signature dry white, sourced from approximately fifteen-year-old vines on a limestone hillside. Pressed as whole clusters, 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 lees, following a minimalist and very low-sulfite approach, it captivates with its fruity and floral notes and a generous, round, and fresh palate. An original wine that illustrates the estate's determination to reinvent 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 clusters foot-trodden after a gentle maceration of about ten days, then aged nine months in stainless steel tanks with no added sulfur, it is straight, vibrant, and entirely 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 clusters that have been foot-trodden. The result is a taut, saline, and entirely infusion-driven red, far from the clichés of Mediterranean heaviness.

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

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