Thierry ALLEMAND

Thierry Allemand does not claim any chapel and even if he has been producing "natural" Cornas for a few years, he has no label, no organic or biodynamic claim. He wants to remain free, independent, frank and authentic like his wines. Fine wines, little marked by extraction with tension, minerality. His wines are today a great success with amateurs and professionals alike. Thierry Allemand trained as an electro-mechanic, but he decided to quickly change course and worked at Winery Joseph Michel, figure of Cornas wine. He acquired a real know-how, a passion and perfected his first vinifications. Independent, self-taught since the beginning, he has had a double job for 15 years: a worker at Robert Michel's and winemaker taking care of his own vines every weekend! In 2001, he had a cellar building built on the heights of Saint-Romain de Lerps, designed to allow the total flow of juice by gravity from the vinification vats to the maturing cellar. The vines (6 ha today, half of which are leased) are scattered over several plots.

Several climates, the best known of which, Chaillot and Reynard, give their names to the two main cuvées of Winery. In some years, since 1992, a sulphur-free cuvée is produced from the Reynard climat. "Chaillot" is made from several rather clayey plots and from vines less than 50 years old. "Reynard" is made from old vines over 60 years old, 50% from the Reynard climat and 50% from other terroirs. The soils are more chalky. It was not until 1986 that Thierry made a major shift in his winemaking. With the support of Philippe Pacalet and Jacques Néauport (a disciple of Jules Chauvet), he seriously deepened his research. Since then, the vinification process has been entirely natural: 1 or 2 punchings of the cap at the start, no pumping over, slow fermentation then gravity flow of the juice, maturing in barrels (never new), no racking for 18 to 24 months and at the blending (after maturing), light sulphiting of 1g/hl.