Domaine Jean-Luc Colombo

Domaine Jean-Luc Colombo is a major player in the Rhône Valley, famous for its powerful and elegant Cornas wines, as well as for its pioneering role in modernising and promoting this appellation.

🍇 General presentation

• Creation: Jean-Luc Colombo, a passionate oenologist, founded his estate in the 1980s after acquiring his first plot in Cornas in 1986.

• Location: Based in Cornas, northern Rhône Valley, on granite slopes overlooking the Rhône River.

• Surface area: Around 15 hectares in Cornas and Saint-Péray, plus 15 hectares on the Côte Bleue near Marseille, his native region.

• Philosophy: Environmentally respectful viticulture, no herbicides, careful soil work, and a constant search for purity and terroir expression.

🍷 Style and winemaking

• Flagship cuvée: Cornas Les Ruchets, from old Syrah vines, first vintage in 1987, now a benchmark of the appellation.

• Other cuvées: Terres Brûlées, La Louvée, as well as fresh and vibrant whites from Saint-Péray and Côtes-du-Rhône.

• Approach:

  • Syrah in Cornas: intense, structured wines with great ageing potential.

  • Whites (Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier): luminous, fresh wines marked by minerality.

• Style: Straightforward, precise wines that reflect the harshness of granite and the light of the south.

🌍 Terroir

• Cornas: Steep granite slopes, ideal for Syrah.

• Saint-Péray: Limestone and clay-limestone soils, perfect for white grapes.

• Côte Bleue (Provence): Maritime influence, producing more Mediterranean-style wines.

🏅 Particularities

• Renowned oenologist: Jean-Luc Colombo is also a consultant, having founded in 1984 the Centre Œnologique des Côtes du Rhône.

• International reputation: His wines are exported to more than 50 countries.

• Family: Today shared with his wife Anne and their daughter Laure, representing the second generation.

• Impact: Colombo is considered a pioneer of the Cornas renaissance, giving worldwide visibility to this once discreet appellation.

📌 In summary

Domaine Jean-Luc Colombo embodies both tradition and innovation: powerful, structured Cornas, vibrant whites, environmentally respectful viticulture, and a decisive influence in the international recognition of Cornas.