Growers / France / Burgundy / Mâconnais / Domaine Clos des Rocs

Domaine Clos des Rocs

Olivier Giroux was born, and developed an early interest in wine, in southern Burgundy’s Mâconnais region.


You may be wondering why you haven’t previously heard about Pouilly-Loché, for which you can hardly be blamed. The entire appellation covers a mere 32 hectares, of which nearly 30% belongs to Clos des Rocs. To our knowledge, no estate-bottled wine from the appellation has appeared in the U.S. in the recent past, despite the fact that the AOC dates back to 1940 and enjoys a strong reputation locally in the Maconnais. As this was our first serious exposure to a full range of cuvees from the appellation, we were eager to understand what, if any, differences in terroir would be evident in the glass. The soils are characterized by iron-rich clay and limestone, often with up to 30cm of dense limestone pebble dispersion at the surface. The resulting wines are leaner than their counterparts in neighboring Pouilly Fuisse and carry a hint of earth, yet they are quite rich in mineral, with enough fruit density to properly support the robust structural elements. Each wine is compelling and exciting to a degree that we have made a significant commitment to the domaine, and will be importing over the coming months each of the seven cuvées produced at the domaine.

Clos des Rocs in field textured background of dirt

No chemical products are used in the vineyard and Olivier is committed to organic processes from start to finish, though he has chosen not to pursue certification.

The estate counts 8.6 hectares of vines across seven parcels, principally in Pouilly-Loché, with plots in Macon-Loché and Pouilly-Fuissé rounding out the holdings. No chemical products are used in the vineyard and Olivier is committed to organic processes from start to finish, though he has chosen not to pursue certification. All grapes are manually harvested before a long pressing, followed by alcoholic fermentation using only indigenous yeasts; the élévage varies by cuvée and is detailed in the specific descriptions of each of the wines.

Farming

Practicing organic

Treatments

Copper sulfate only

Ploughing

Annual ploughing to promote soil health

Soils

Limestone-clay, with iron-rich topsoils and many limestone pebbles

Vines

Average age is over 60 years. Vines are trained in Guyot.

Yields

Controlled with winter pruning and debudding, usually 55-65 hl/ha

Harvest

Exclusively manual, usually in late September

PURCHASING

Entirely estate fruit

Fermentation

Wines ferment spontaneously in wood barrels and stainless-steel tanks of various shapes and sizes.

Extraction

Bâtonnage only to counter reduction

Chaptalization

None

Pressing

Pneumatic pressing

Malolactic Fermentation

Spontaneous, following alcoholic fermentation

Élevage

Wines age in wood barrels and stainless-steel tanks of various shapes and sizes for c. 11 months

LEeS

Wines remain on their fine lees until assemblage prior to bottling

FINING & FILTRATION

Wines are unfined and plate filtered

SULFUR

c. 20 mg/l free, c. 70 mg/l total

Farming

Practicing organic

Treatments

Copper sulfate only

Ploughing

Annual ploughing to promote soil health

Soils

Limestone-clay, with iron-rich topsoils and many limestone pebbles

Vines

Average age is over 60 years. Vines are trained in Guyot.

Yields

Controlled with winter pruning and debudding, usually 55-65 hl/ha

Harvest

Exclusively manual, usually in late September

PURCHASING

Entirely estate fruit

Fermentation

Wines ferment spontaneously in wood barrels and stainless-steel tanks of various shapes and sizes.

Extraction

Bâtonnage only to counter reduction

Chaptalization

None

Pressing

Pneumatic pressing

Malolactic Fermentation

Spontaneous, following alcoholic fermentation

Élevage

Wines age in wood barrels and stainless-steel tanks of various shapes and sizes for c. 11 months

Lees

Wines remain on their fine lees until assemblage prior to bottling

Fining & Filtration

Wines are unfined and plate filtered

Sulfur

c. 20 mg/l free, c. 70 mg/l total

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