Wines that truly reflect the character of the grapes

To ensure the highest quality, the entire harvest is picked by hand at the Pothiers estate. This allows for a more meticulous selection process, ensuring that only flawless grapes are used for vinification. The grapes are placed in vats, destemmed or left whole depending on the cuvée, without the addition of sulphites. Fermentation begins using the grapes’ natural yeasts. Romaine Paire takes great care to preserve the integrity of the harvest throughout the winemaking process. Extraction is carried out gently through a few pump-overs and punching-downs, and the grapes are transferred by gravity.
Ageing takes place in concrete vats or truncated wooden vats. Single-vineyard cuvées are aged in 500-litre barrels and large casks without the addition of new wood. All bottling takes place at the estate. Natural and meticulous vinification techniques result in delicious wines. The fruitiness of the Gamay, the minerality of the granite and the freshness of the altitude are thus able to express themselves.

Organic farming at the Pothiers estate

The vines are planted at a density of around 5,000 vines per hectare. We alternate between tilling the soil and growing green manure between the rows. The soil is ploughed beneath the vines to encourage deep root growth. Fertilisation is carried out exclusively using compost from our cattle farm. The Domaine des Pothiers practises short pruning (Cordon de Royat) combined with green pruning (de-suckering, leaf removal, trellising, etc.). This allows for yield control, as well as optimal aeration of the bunches. This is done to achieve high ripeness and thus perfect quality.

Domaine des Pothiers is constantly committed to the quality of its wines, as well as to respecting the environment and the consumer. That is why Romaine Paire cultivates her entire vineyard using organic and biodynamic methods.

Gamay from Saint-Romain

The soils, which are very sandy and well-drained, are of granitic origin. They are ideally suited to the local grape variety: Gamay Saint-Romain. Some of the more clay-rich plots are dedicated to the cultivation of Chardonnay. The quality and distinctive character of the wines of the Côte Roannaise led to their classification as an AOC in 1994.

Livestock farming: a natural and local form of production

The Pothiers estate is distinguished by its secondary activity: the rearing of Limousin cattle. This hardy breed is renowned for the quality of its meat. Thirty-five hectares of pastureland are dedicated to rearing 25 head of cattle per year. The heifers are reared and fattened naturally until they are 36 to 40 months old. The same care is taken with both wine production and the rearing of Limousin cattle. This ensures healthy, high-quality products. The estate works with a local, small-scale abattoir to provide bespoke ageing and cutting services tailored to each customer’s needs.

A few photos of the Pothiers estate