Laure Colombo of Domaine Colombo: "We all love the vine but we can work it differently".

Identity : Laure

Profession : Winemaker

Region: Rhone Valley

Appellation: Saint Joseph, Cornas, Saint-Péray

His domainOwner of several hectares in the Rhone Valley, to the north in Cornas, Saint-Péray and to the south in the Côte Bleue near Marseille, Jean-Luc is a man of passion! Since his very first vintage in 1987, he has never ceased to work on integrated viticulture in order to produce a wine in his image, an authentic and quality wine.

His career path... Why wine? I was born into a family of cooks rather than winemakers. My parents did not come from a wine-growing background. They arrived here nearly 30 years ago and have grown up gradually. Indeed my parents are crazy about gastronomy. My grandmother had a restaurant in Marseille in the "Belle de Mai" district. So I was born a little bit into bouillabaisse, pistou soup and cannelloni. All these things drove my life and even after my business studies and my travels, in the United States and India, it all caught up with me. It was notably during this last trip that I was introduced to the notion of terroir. At that moment I knew it was time to go back! When I returned to France, I trained in viticulture and oenology in Bordeaux and did my training at Château Haut-Brion.

News : I settled in February as a young winegrower in the Saint-Péray appellation in Cornas. I came back to Cornas with the idea of bringing something new to complete the range of Domaine Colombo wines but also to offer a "grand Saint-Péray"! I also wanted to have my independence and work in my own way. We all love the vine but we can work it differently. So I planted all my vines myself. I wanted to learn!

His reincarnation in wine: It would be a mourvèdre in Bandol. A wine which has character and at the same time very calm and delicate. I choose it not only for its organoleptic side but also for everything that surrounds this wonderful product. Its setting, its vines, this sun, this calm...

His favorite time of the year: Fall, of course. Maybe before the harvest. For me the vine is more important than anything else. At this beautiful time of the year, I go to the vineyards with my mother and we spend our time tasting to find the right moment! It's a beautiful moment, a beautiful complicity with my mother. We have the opportunity to meet again and share a common passion.

His temperament: I think I'm a little bit boring. I am above all a go-getter. I have a hard time staying put. And I'm also stubborn.

An anecdote: When I came back to Cornas, I had to find common ground with my father. We love each other very much, but working as a family is not always easy. And I am an only child. If I had had a brother I think I would have been relegated to marketing behind a computer. Things are changing in the world of wine but the image of the winemaker is still very attached to that of the man. The best solution I had was to remind my father of his roots. As a result, we have created a new Domaine near Marseille. There, he has his boat and he can go fishing whenever he wants. With my mother we have fun saying that it's a little bit his excuse to go fishing.

His striking encounter: In wine, I had the opportunity to meet Jean-Michel Comme from Château Pontet Cannet. When I was still a student, I was part of a club that organized tastings and it was during one of them that I found myself sitting next to him. We chatted a little and he inspired me a lot. I actually found myself in his vision of vines, wine and viticulture. All in simplicity, passion and without all those beautiful theories. He then came to Cornas and we exchanged a lot. It was really exciting.

To run away/you hate it: At the risk of repeating what every winegrower has to tell you, I hate hail. But above all, I run away from people who are not passionate, those who don't take responsibility. In fact, for some time now, wine has been in fashion and you start to find a bit of everything in this profession and sometimes you can be really disappointed. I love real people!

Why Les Grappes? What we liked was the community side. With Les Grappes, we work live and we give back the word to the winegrower. No fuss, everything is done in simplicity!

What do you like about your job? I like its diversity! It's an exciting job with no two days being alike. I love this job in its entirety!

Not really a famous person to make you taste your wine? Not really a famous person. I prefer to make discover my wine with friends or new customers. Otherwise I also enjoy having chefs discover my wine. Recently we had the opportunity to have friends of Maison Paul Bocuse taste our wines. It was great!