Domaine Christophe Pichon

Philippe Pichon set up as a farmer in 1961, supported by his wife Michelle; at the time, fruit and vegetables made up most of the family's income. In the mid-1970s the French state expropriated many farmers along the Rhône to develop the riverbanks. Philippe lost farmland, and instead took on hillside parcels around Condrieu, clearing the ground and rebuilding dry-stone walls to restore the old terraces. His first vines went in in 1976: 4.5 ares of Viognier and 20 ares of Saint-Joseph. In the family's own account, the Condrieu AOC claimed barely 10 hectares of planted vines at the time, and Philippe, like his fellow grower Georges Vernay, was among the pioneers who believed in the potential of the steep slopes above his house at Verlieu. The family's history calls him an ardent defender of the Viognier grape and a pioneer of the Condrieu appellation's renaissance from the early 1960s. Christophe trained in viticulture at Davayé and joined the family estate in 1987, when the Pichons farmed 2 hectares of Condrieu and 1 hectare of Saint-Joseph. In 1991 the estate was divided in two: Philippe made 2 hectares of Condrieu available so that Christophe could sign his own wines, Isabelle joined him, and Domaine Christophe Pichon was born. Christophe then enlarged the estate through parcel purchases and by taking over Philippe's vines when Philippe retired in 2000. The estate's legal publisher is the company Christophe Pichon, at 3 Zone Viticole Jassoux Grand Val, 42410 Chavanay.

• 1961: Philippe Pichon sets up, with fruit and vegetables as the main income
• 1976: first vines planted, 4.5 ares of Viognier and 20 ares of Saint-Joseph
• 1987: Christophe joins; the family farms 2 hectares of Condrieu and 1 hectare of Saint-Joseph
• 1991: the estate is divided and Domaine Christophe Pichon is born
• 2000: Philippe retires and Christophe takes over his vines

The estate's site presents three generations. Christophe Pichon, Philippe's son, took on responsibilities at the agricultural and wine union of Chavanay and presided over the Condrieu AOC from 2003 to 2022, and in the family's words his aim today is to have the Rhône vineyard listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Isabelle joined Christophe in the venture in 1991. Their son Corentin studied viticulture and oenology at Mâcon and returned to the estate as a partner in 2015 after six months in Australia; Christophe handed him the keys to the cellar, and he brought a parcel-by-parcel approach to vinification, new cuvées and new plantings. Corentin is now the third generation at the head of the estate, helped by his wife Laetitia and by the Pichon siblings, Alexis and Victor first among them.

• Christophe Pichon: second generation; president of the Condrieu AOC from 2003 to 2022
• Isabelle: joined Christophe in the venture in 1991
• Corentin Pichon: partner since 2015, third generation at the head of the estate
• Laetitia (Corentin's wife) and the Pichon siblings Alexis and Victor: helping Corentin

The estate holds a little over 30 hectares in the northern Rhône, and in the cellar Corentin makes more than 25 cuvées from 40 hectares of vines worked. Its wines cover Condrieu, Côte-Rôtie, Saint-Joseph red and white, Cornas, Crozes-Hermitage red and IGP Seyssuel. Specific holdings stated by the estate include 0.30 hectares of south-facing granite terraces for the Condrieu Caresse, one hectare of Cornas for the Allégorie, about 0.50 hectares of shallow, stony soils for the IGP Seyssuel Diapason, and Saint-Joseph red vines planted in 1985. The vineyard is laid out with a network of tracks so that every parcel can be reached by machine. No vineyard action at the Pichon estate is systematic; each is decided case by case to suit the needs of the vintage, and a horse has worked the soils where possible since 2001. Like his father, Christophe campaigns for the preservation and restoration of the dry-stone walls that hold up the terraces.

• A little over 30 hectares held; 40 hectares of vines worked
• Condrieu Caresse: 0.30 hectares of south-facing granite terraces
• Cornas Allégorie: one hectare of granite soils
• IGP Seyssuel Diapason: about 0.50 hectares, vines trained on stakes and tended by hand
• Horse used to work the soils since 2001

Condrieu is made in four cuvées: Roche Coulante, Caresse, Patience and Pur 100. The Côte-Rôtie range comprises Promesse, Tess, Rozier and La Comtesse en Côte Blonde. The estate also makes Saint-Joseph red and white, the Cornas Allégorie from Syrah, a Crozes-Hermitage red from Syrah, and the IGP Seyssuel Diapason. The Condrieu Caresse is made from Viognier, with yields limited to 35 hectolitres per hectare and vinification and élevage in barrel; the 2019 vintage is 100 percent Viognier at 14.5 percent alcohol. The Saint-Joseph red is hand-harvested and spends 12 months in barrique. The IGP Seyssuel Diapason is cropped at 35 hectolitres per hectare and spends 9 months in barrel.

• Condrieu: Roche Coulante, Caresse, Patience, Pur 100
• Côte-Rôtie: Promesse, Tess, Rozier, La Comtesse en Côte Blonde
• Saint-Joseph red and white; Cornas Allégorie; Crozes-Hermitage red
• IGP Seyssuel Diapason: 35 hl/ha, 9 months in barrel

Christophe and Corentin designed a new cellar, inaugurated in 2022: a 2,000 square-metre building for vinification, élevage and visitors. Its vat room holds a series of small tanks that allow parcel-by-parcel vinification by the half-hectare. For élevage the family works with 11 different coopers, varying wood, toast and cask size by cuvée and vintage. Recent changes include the use of whole bunches, foudres of 300 to 500 litres and the first cuvées made without added sulfites. The family characterizes the Pichon style as one of finesse and elegance, with Corentin adjusting it by small touches toward ever more of both.

• New cellar inaugurated in 2022: 2,000 square metres for vinification, élevage and visitors
• Small tanks for parcel vinification by the half-hectare
• 11 coopers; wood, toast and cask size vary by cuvée
• Recent: whole bunches, 300 to 500 litre foudres, first cuvées without added sulfites
• House style in the family's words: finesse and elegance

Reviewing the 2001 Rhône vintage for Decanter, John Livingstone-Learmonth wrote that at Condrieu, 'Christophe Pichon has been working quietly towards a top position for a few years,' and called his 2001 'excellent wine.' In Inter Rhône's 2018 vintage report, Christophe Pichon is quoted on the vintage: 'Quality and quantity! This is THE great vintage. We’ve got good acidity and excellent freshness.'

• Decanter (John Livingstone-Learmonth): working quietly towards a top position at Condrieu; the 2001 Condrieu 'excellent wine'

The cellar door at Chavanay is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 12pm and from 2pm to 6pm, and a member of the family receives visitors for a cellar visit and a free tasting. The family has also announced a wine-tourism project at the lieu-dit Chanson, planned for 2025, recalling the trains of the end of the 19th century that brought the first tourists to Ampuis to visit cellars.

• Cellar door: Monday to Saturday, 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 6pm
• Free tasting and cellar visit with a family member

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://maison-christophe-pichon.com/, https://maison-christophe-pichon.com/notre-maison/, https://maison-christophe-pichon.com/nos-vins/, https://maison-christophe-pichon.com/informations-legales/, https://maison-christophe-pichon.com/condrieu/, https://maison-christophe-pichon.com/cote-rotie/, https://maison-christophe-pichon.com/saint-joseph/, https://maison-christophe-pichon.com/cornas/, https://maison-christophe-pichon.com/crozes-hermitage-rouge/, https://maison-christophe-pichon.com/degustation-au-caveau/. Secondary sources: Inter Rhône (https://www.vins-rhone.com/en/2018-vintage) and Decanter (https://www.decanter.com/features/2001-rhone-the-verdict-248309/, John Livingstone-Learmonth, last updated 21 April 2020; https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/france/rhone/christophe-pichon-caresse-condrieu-rhone-france-2019-49462/). Last verified 2026-10-19. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.