Meet Domaine de Chèrouche
Marc and Andrea met whilst working harvest with a domaine in the Lavaux near Lausanne back in 2007. It was back then when they began working on the idea of farming and making their own wines together. Domaine de Chèrouche (lieu dits who translate for "under the bedrock”) came to be in 2010, when they found a few small, isolated vineyards that they could work by hand, using their own philosophies. Being as far away from your neighbours is primordial in Valais, as working the steep slopes is evidently extremely hard. Some commercial wineries here continue to use a lot of chemicals whilst spraying their vines (quite often still using a helicopter).
Prior to this, Marc had worked two years in the nearby winery Mythopia, and there is certainly a very similar approach in the way of working the land. As of 2017, they now look after 8 plots, all located in Ayent, on a mixture of schist and quartz soils. Altitudes are between 550-850, with often up to 30-35% gradient slopes. They work with local varieties Arvine, Amigne, Paien & Chasselas, but also some international varieties such as Chardonnay, Gamay and Pinot Noir. In the tiny cellar under their house, one needs to work meticulously and pragmatically, as there isn’t a lot of room to manoeuvre machinery. The cellar is spotless, and when doing a tasting with Marc, you realise that he is very well organised in the tiny space. All of their wines are aged in small stainless steel tanks. Whites are directly pressed for at least 10-12 hours, and see one or two rackings (natural clarification) when needed. The reds are all destemmed by hand, and depending on the year, some whole bunches can be used too.
All of their wines have a strong alpine identity. They are lifted and elegant, and possess an extra layer of juiciness that will please all the Jura drinkers. We are proud that they have chosen us to represent them in the UK, as we will be bringing their wines in for the first time.
