History of DomaineWinesTech SheetGalleryLabelsInsights
Romain took the reins from his parents Odette and Leon in 1986, marking the domaine’s third generation of stewardship under the Papilloud name. Aided by his wife, Gladys, and Vincent, their son, Romain cultivates four hectares of vines, with the majority located in Vétroz, supplemented with smaller holdings in the neighboring villages of Conthey and Ardon, all centered in the heart of the Valais. The steep slopes of the vineyards require intense manual labor throughout the growing season and through the harvest, which fits in nicely with the minimal-intervention approach to the entire production at the estate.
A wide range of wines are produced from these relatively modest vineyard holdings, which Romain categorizes into four headings: Tradition (most of the wines belong to this group), Grands Crus, Reserve and Saveurs Nobles. We currently offer a selection of Tradition and Grands Crus, as these typify the varietals and terroir of the region with the most fidelity.
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Fendant Amandoleyre Grand Cru: Fendant, also known as Chasselas, is grown high up on the slopes of the Alps and produces a refreshing wine of fine structure with a stony minerality. The Amandoleyre vineyard takes its name from the almond trees that were once planted here. The wine from this prime site within Vétroz is declared a “Grand Cru”. |
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Petite Arvine de Vétroz: One of the most ancient grapes of the Valais, Petite Arvine brings more powerful citrus notes on the nose and finishes with a hint of salinity. It gives birth to a long-lived wine of great concentration. |
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Amigne de Vétroz Grand Cru: The Amigne grape was introduced to Vétroz by the Romans some 2000 years ago; the viilage of Vétroz now accounts for 90% of all production of this obscure varietal. While the sturdy grape can produce wines anywhere from bone-dry to very sweet, depending on weather, location and length of time on the vine, Papilloud prefers to vinify his wine dry, with notes of honey integrated into a substantial structure that even carries some tannin. |
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Cornalin de Vétroz Cornalin: was the first red grape planted in the Valais region and is characterized by power and elegance, with dark fruit and deep purple color, a wine that asks to be paired with meats and Alpine cheeses. |
Download Vieux-Moulin tech sheet
| Domaine Name | CAVE DU VIEUX MOULIN |
| Family/Owners Name | FAMILLE PAPILLOUD. ROMAIN ET VINCENT PAPILLOUD |
| How many years has the family owned the domaine? | 1927 |
| How many generations? | 4 |
| How many hectares of vines are leased? | 3 ha 1/2 |
| How many hectares of vines are owned? | 2 ha |
| Are your vineyards or wines Organic or Biodynamic Certified? If yes, in the EU? In the US? If no, are you in the process of becoming certified? When? | Lutte raisonnée |
| Describe your vineyard management practices (e.g. low-intervention, organic, biodynamic, standard, etc.) PLEASE ALSO ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING IN YOUR REPLY:.Do you do field work and harvest manually? By machine? By horse? Do you practice green harvest? Leaf thinning? | Job mainly by hand. Leaf-thinning. Early july : green harvest |
| How do you fertilize? | No fertilizer for 18 years |
| Do you typically sell or buy any grapes? Please specify. | No |
| Do you sell off any of your wine en vrac/allo sfuso? | No |
| WINE 1 | |
| GENERAL INFORMATION | |
| Appellation | Amandoleyre Fendant Grand Cru |
| Cepage/Uvaggio | Chasselas |
| %ABV | 12% by vol |
| # of bottles produced | 4500 |
| Grams of Residual Sugar | 0 |
| VINEYARD AND GROWING INFORMATION | |
| Vineyard/lieu dit name(s) and locations | Amandoleyre |
| Exposures and slope of vineyards | Vines planted on terraces with south exposure (right bank of the Rhone) |
| Soil Types(s) | Moraine and black schist |
| Average vine age (per vineyard) | 22 years |
| Average Vine Density (vines/HA) | 10 000 vines/ha |
| Approximate harvest date(s) | Late September and early October |
| PLEASE SHARE ANY NOTES ABOUT HARVEST/GROWING SEASON FOR THIS WINE IN THIS VINTAGE | The year was exceptional, Lots of rain in May. Flowering in June with humid and hot conditions. The summer drought has limited the development of the deseases and was perfect for the ripeness of the grapes. |
| HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO PREVIOUS VINTAGES? | The dry and sunny weather in September gave perfect harvest conditions |
| WINEMAKING/CELLAR INFORMATION | |
| % whole cluster, % destemmed | Whole cluster |
| Fermentation: vessel type and size | Stainless steel tank with temperature control |
| Duration of contact with lees | Settling for 24 hours then vinification on lees 3 months |
| Select or indigenous yeast? | Select yeasts |
| Please share notes about winemaking process for this wine. PLEASE ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING, IF APPLICABLE: pump-overs, punch-downs, racking, movement/transfer of wine done by gravity or pumping?), battonnage, malolactic fermentation allowed, chaptalization | No chaptalization. Malolactic fermentation |
| Elevage: vessel type(s) and size(s) | Stainless steel tank |
| Duration of elevage | 8 months |
| Duration of bottle ageing before release to US market | 3 months |
| Do you practice fining and filtration? If yes, please describe | Plate filter constituted with cellulose |
| Do you add sulfur? If so when and how much? How much sulfur remains in the wine at release? | We use SO2 only after malolactic fermentation and before bottling at 35 mg/l |
| PLEASE DESCRIBE THIS FINISHED WINE FROM THIS VINTAGE. HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO PREVIOUS VINTAGES? | Reds are powerful, generous, concentrated with soft tannins. Whites are well balanced |
| WINE 2 | |
| GENERAL INFORMATION | |
| Appellation | Amigne de vétroz grand cru |
| Cepage/Uvaggio | Amigne |
| %ABV | 14.5 % by vol |
| # of bottles produced | 7800 |
| Grams of Residual Sugar | 2 gl |
| VINEYARD AND GROWING INFORMATION | |
| Vineyard/lieu dit name(s) and locations | Vétroz |
| Exposures and slope of vineyards | Vines planted on terraces with south exposure (right bank of the Rhone) |
| Soil Types(s) | Moraine and black schist |
| Average vine age (per vineyard) | 20 years |
| Average Vine Density (vines/HA) | 10000 vines/ha |
| Approximate harvest date(s) | First week of October |
| PLEASE SHARE ANY NOTES ABOUT HARVEST/GROWING SEASON FOR THIS WINE IN THIS VINTAGE | The year was exceptional, Lots of rain in May. Flowering in June with humid and hot conditions. The summer drought has limited the development of the deseases and was perfect for the ripeness of the grapes. |
| HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO PREVIOUS VINTAGES? | The dry and sunny weather in September gave perfect harvest conditions |
| WINEMAKING/CELLAR INFORMATION | |
| % whole cluster, % destemmed | Whole cluster |
| Fermentation: vessel type and size | Stainless steel tank with temperature control |
| Duration of contact with lees | Settling for 24 hours then vinification on lees 5 months |
| Select or indigenous yeast? | Select yeasts |
| Please share notes about winemaking process for this wine. PLEASE ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING, IF APPLICABLE: pump-overs, punch-downs, racking, movement/transfer of wine done by gravity or pumping?), battonnage, malolactic fermentation allowed, chaptalization | No chaptalization. Malolactic fermentation |
| Elevage: vessel type(s) and size(s) | Stainless steel tank |
| Duration of elevage | 8 months |
| Duration of bottle ageing before release to US market | 3 months |
| Do you practice fining and filtration? If yes, please describe | Plate filter constituted with cellulose |
| Do you add sulfur? If so when and how much? How much sulfur remains in the wine at release? | We only use SO2 after alcoholic fermentation and before bottling at 35 mg/l |
| PLEASE DESCRIBE THIS FINISHED WINE FROM THIS VINTAGE. HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO PREVIOUS VINTAGES? | Reds are powerful, generous, concentrated with soft tannins. Whites are well balanced |
| WINE 3 | |
| GENERAL INFORMATION | |
| Appellation | Païen |
| Cepage/Uvaggio | Savagnin blanc |
| %ABV | 14.5 % by vol |
| # of bottles produced | 2260 |
| Grams of Residual Sugar | 7 gl |
| VINEYARD AND GROWING INFORMATION | |
| Vineyard/lieu dit name(s) and locations | Vétroz - Conthey |
| Exposures and slope of vineyards | Vines planted on terraces with south exposure (right bank of the Rhone) |
| Soil Types(s) | Moraine and black schist |
| Average vine age (per vineyard) | 16 years |
| Average Vine Density (vines/HA) | 10000 vines/ha |
| Approximate harvest date(s) | First week of October |
| PLEASE SHARE ANY NOTES ABOUT HARVEST/GROWING SEASON FOR THIS WINE IN THIS VINTAGE | The year was exceptional, Lots of rain in May. Flowering in June with humid and hot conditions. The summer drought has limited the development of the deseases and was perfect for the ripeness of the grapes. |
| HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO PREVIOUS VINTAGES? | The dry and sunny weather in September gave perfect harvest conditions |
| WINEMAKING/CELLAR INFORMATION | |
| % whole cluster, % destemmed | Whole cluster |
| Fermentation: vessel type and size | Stainless steel tank with temperature control |
| Duration of contact with lees | Settling for 24 hours then vinification on lees 3 months |
| Select or indigenous yeast? | Select yeasts |
| Please share notes about winemaking process for this wine. PLEASE ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING, IF APPLICABLE: pump-overs, punch-downs, racking, movement/transfer of wine done by gravity or pumping?), battonnage, malolactic fermentation allowed, chaptalization | No chaptalization. Malolactic fermentation |
| Elevage: vessel type(s) and size(s) | Stainless steel tank |
| Duration of elevage | 8 months |
| Duration of bottle ageing before release to US market | 3 months |
| Do you practice fining and filtration? If yes, please describe | Plate filter constituted with cellulose |
| Do you add sulfur? If so when and how much? How much sulfur remains in the wine at release? | We use SO2 only after alcoholic fermentation and before bottling at 35 mg/l |
| PLEASE DESCRIBE THIS FINISHED WINE FROM THIS VINTAGE. HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO PREVIOUS VINTAGES? | Reds are powerful, generous, concentrated with soft tannins. Whites are well balanced |
| WINE 4 | |
| GENERAL INFORMATION | |
| Appellation | Petite Arvine de Vétroz |
| Cepage/Uvaggio | Petite Arvine |
| %ABV | 13.8 % by vol |
| # of bottles produced | 2260 |
| Grams of Residual Sugar | 8 gl |
| VINEYARD AND GROWING INFORMATION | |
| Vineyard/lieu dit name(s) and locations | Vétroz |
| Exposures and slope of vineyards | Vines planted on terraces with south exposure (right bank of the Rhone) |
| Soil Types(s) | Moraine and black schist |
| Average vine age (per vineyard) | 18 years |
| Average Vine Density (vines/HA) | 10000 vines/ha |
| Approximate harvest date(s) | Second week of October |
| PLEASE SHARE ANY NOTES ABOUT HARVEST/GROWING SEASON FOR THIS WINE IN THIS VINTAGE | The year was exceptional, Lots of rain in May. Flowering in June with humid and hot conditions. The summer drought has limited the development of the deseases and was perfect for the ripeness of the grapes. |
| HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO PREVIOUS VINTAGES? | The dry and sunny weather in September gave perfect harvest conditions |
| WINEMAKING/CELLAR INFORMATION | |
| % whole cluster, % destemmed | Whole cluster |
| Fermentation: vessel type and size | Stainless steel tank with temperature control |
| Duration of contact with lees | Settling for 24 hours then vinification on lees 3 months |
| Select or indigenous yeast? | Select yeasts |
| Please share notes about winemaking process for this wine. PLEASE ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING, IF APPLICABLE: pump-overs, punch-downs, racking, movement/transfer of wine done by gravity or pumping?), battonnage, malolactic fermentation allowed, chaptalization | No chaptalization. Malolactic fermentation |
| Elevage: vessel type(s) and size(s) | Stainless steel tank |
| Duration of elevage | 8 months |
| Duration of bottle ageing before release to US market | 3 months |
| Do you practice fining and filtration? If yes, please describe | Plate filter constituted with cellulose |
| Do you add sulfur? If so when and how much? How much sulfur remains in the wine at release? | We use SO2 only after alcoholic fermentation and before bottling at 35 mg/l |
| PLEASE DESCRIBE THIS FINISHED WINE FROM THIS VINTAGE. HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO PREVIOUS VINTAGES? | Reds are powerful, generous, concentrated with soft tannins. Whites are well balanced |
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