As wine lovers and professionals we often talk about small-production wines made by farmers in the vineyards, but these terms may be used a bit too broadly sometimes. That is not the case when discussing... Read More

As wine lovers and professionals we often talk about small-production wines made by farmers in the vineyards, but these terms may be used a bit too broadly sometimes. That is not the case when discussing Domaine Chambeyron-Manin where Véronique Manin farms just 1/2 of a hectare of exclusively Sérine, the pre-clonal Syrah that makes some of the best Northern Rhone wines.

The family's tiny parcel lies directly above the domaine in Ampuis. Véronique and her brother Michael have taken over for their mother Christiane, who inherited the parcel from her father's larger holdings (now known as Domaine Chambeyron). Véronique's father, Michel Manin is a vegetable farmer, yes a "real" farmer who sells his produce at the local market.

All of the work in the vineyard (and garden) is done organically and entirely by hand, a necessity on the steep slopes of the Côte Brune. The vines are on average 50 years old with some dating to the 1930s. After harvest the whole clusters are fermented in concrete tanks, no de-stemming, with native yeasts. Once fermentation is complete the wine is racked into 550 liter barrels (25-30% new) for 18 months.