Domaine Louis Cheze

The Domaine Chèze is a family estate picked up in 1978 by Louis Chèze. This domain is located on the top of the hill of the Limony County, on the right bank of the Rhône, 60 km south of Lyon, right in the Northern Côtes du Rhône vineyard. Mr Chèze started the venture with 1 ha of Saint Joseph and some grapevines in lease. Today, the entire domain is 30 ha and includes some highly esteemed appellations such as Condrieu, Saint Joseph and Vin de Pays. Mr Chèze’s resolve, curiosity and meticulousness are applied regarding the vineyard monitoring and the winemaking process. Each vintage is a new challenge, with the purpose of producing the embodiment of the terroirs. Many cuvées with their specificities will delight your inner epicurean

The vineyard is run according to the viticulture raisonnée (sustainable winegrowing), where the main concern is the respect of the grape vine. At the Chèze domain, each vineyard is handled according to the specificities of each parcel. If the slope allows for it, grapevine trellising is used; and if not, grapevine stakes are used on the slopes.

IN THE WINTER :

Pre-pruning

Mechanical weeding by tractor or manual by hoe from January to the harvest period

Final cut at the end of the winter

IN THE FALL :

Manual harvesting

Vineyard maintenance : pathways, trellis, terrace walls

IN THE SUMMER :

Shearing depending on the plots

Green harvest before the véraison

Stripping off the leaves in the side where the sun rises in each plot

IN THE SPRING : 

“Effervescence at the Domain, 1 person for 2 hectares.”

Bud-pruning

Lifting or binding the vine, depending on the plots

Epilonnage, removing the summer lateral at the fructiferous body level

Replacement of the vine stock uproot the previous year

THE RED WINES :

Manual harvest by plot, in 35 kg boxes

1st selection of the grapes in the vineyards

2nd selection of the grapes on a roller table

100 % stripping

3nd selection of the berries on a vibrating table

Gravity vatting

Alcoholic fermentation in thermo-regulated tanks « natural yeasts »

Long period in vat

Hot vatting in the barrels

Malolactic fermentation in barrels

Growing the entirety of the wines of the domain for 8 to 22 months, depending on the cuvées.

THE WHITE WINES :

Manual harvest by plot in 10 kg boxes

1st selection of the grapes in the vineyards

2nd grapes selection on a vibrating table

Gravity-filing the wine press

Cold settling

Clear must vatting

Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation inside barrels of 1 to 3 wines

Batonnage (lees stirring) growing of the entirety of the wines of the domain for 6 to 10 months depending on the cuvees.