The wines of Domaine Les 4 Vents

Domaine Les 4 Vents is a family estate in Mercurol, in the heart of the Crozes-Hermitage appellation in the northern Rhône Valley. It is run by the sisters Lucie Fourel and Nancy Cellier, the third generation of the family. They work biodynamically and make natural wines, mainly from Syrah, with a fresh, pure and approachable character. The name refers to the Les 4 Vents inn that their great-grandparents once ran next to today's family house and winery.

The estate was founded by the sisters' grandfather and further developed by their parents. For a long time they took their grapes to the large wine cooperative in Tain-l’Hermitage, as many growers in the area did at the time. Before Lucie returned to the family business, she worked for several years at various wineries in the Rhône Valley. There she developed her vision of organic and biodynamic winegrowing and of making natural wines.

In 2006 Lucie took over 3.5 hectares of vineyard from her parents, with the plan of making wine under her own name. At that time the estate was called Domaine de Lucie. She bottled her first vintage in 2010. In 2013 her sister Nancy joined the business and the estate got its current name. In 2015 the sisters took over the remaining 6.5 hectares from their parents, bringing the estate to 10 hectares. They currently make around 35,000 bottles a year, which makes it a small wine business.

The estate is in Mercurol, in the southern part of Crozes-Hermitage. Most of the 10 hectares are planted with Syrah, the only red grape of the northern Rhône. Just under a hectare is planted with the white grapes Marsanne and Roussanne. The vines are on average thirty to forty years old.

The sisters have worked organically since 2006, and the estate is certified both organic and biodynamic. They strengthen soil life with biodynamic preparations and in the vineyard also take geobiology into account, an approach that looks at energy flows in the ground. In the cellar, too, Lucie works as naturally as possible. The wines ferment with wild yeasts. Only just before bottling does Lucie add a minimal dose of sulphite, and some wines have none at all.

The calling card of Domaine Les 4 Vents is the red Crozes-Hermitage Les 4 Vents, a Syrah from vines thirty to forty years old. This wine matures for twelve months, half in tanks and half in 600-litre oak barrels. Saint Jaimes is a second red Crozes-Hermitage from Domaine Les 4 Vents. Les Pitchounettes comes in red and white, and La Rage is another red wine from the estate. Among the whites there is Marsana, a Marsanne with the regional designation Collines Rhodaniennes. Finally, there is Les Amazones, an orange wine made from 100 per cent Marsanne, with an amber colour and notes of dried fruit.

If you want to know more about this winery, here you will find the link to the website of Domaine Les 4 Vents.