Domaine du Colombier

The Viale family planted their first vines in 1929, establishing Domaine du Colombier at the base of the famed Hermitage hill in Mercurol. For decades the property operated as a mixed agricultural holding, combining fruit and apricot farming with viticulture, and selling its grape harvest to négociant houses including the prominent Guigal. The shift to estate bottling came in the early 1990s, when the second generation handed the reins to Florent Viale, who redirected the domaine's identity toward producing and bottling its own wines starting in 1991-1992. That decision transformed Domaine du Colombier from a fruit farm into one of the appellation's more respected family producers.

• First vines planted 1929 by the Viale family near Mercurol in the Northern Rhône
• Grapes sold to négociants, including Guigal, through most of the domaine's early history
• Estate bottling launched 1991-1992 under third-generation winemaker Florent Viale
• Property originally combined apricot and fruit farming with viticulture before focusing exclusively on wine

Today the domaine is run by brothers Florent and David Viale, representing the third generation of family ownership. Florent serves as the winemaker, guiding all decisions from vine to bottle, while David manages the commercial and operational side of the business. Their collaboration keeps the estate firmly in family hands, with a philosophy centered on expressing the distinct terroirs of both Crozes-Hermitage and Hermitage rather than imposing a heavy winemaking signature. The domaine operates its website from domaine-colombier.com and continues to release wines on an annual vintage cycle, with 2024 and 2025 releases confirming an active production program.

• Florent Viale is the winemaker; David Viale handles commercial operations
• Third generation of Viale family ownership since the 1929 founding
• Domaine headquartered in Mercurol, in the heart of the Crozes-Hermitage appellation
• Annual estate bottling practice established by Florent in 1991-1992 continues to the present day

The domaine works approximately 16-17 hectares across two appellations, with the majority of holdings in Crozes-Hermitage and a small but significant parcel in Hermitage. The Crozes-Hermitage vineyards total around 14.4 hectares, planted to 13 hectares of Syrah for red wines and 1.4 hectares of Marsanne for whites, with parcels in both the Tain and Mercurol municipalities sitting on clay, limestone, chalk, and granite-influenced soils. The Hermitage holdings are far smaller at 1.6 hectares, sited in the Beaumes and Diognières lieux-dits on the granitic hillsides that define this legendary appellation, with Syrah vines averaging 50-55 years of age. The proximity of the Crozes-Hermitage parcels to the Hermitage hill gives them access to some of the best terroir the appellation has to offer.

• Hermitage: 1.6 ha in Beaumes and Diognières lieux-dits, Syrah averaging 50-55 years old on granite
• Crozes-Hermitage: 13 ha Syrah and 1.4 ha Marsanne across Tain and Mercurol municipalities
• Crozes-Hermitage soils include clay, limestone, chalk, and granite elements
• Parcels border the Hermitage hill, placing them among the top-situated sites in Crozes-Hermitage

Florent Viale's winemaking approach is built on restraint and transparency, aiming to let the granite-driven terroirs of Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage speak without heavy winemaking intervention. Vineyards are farmed under lutte raisonnée, an integrated pest management approach that minimises synthetic treatments while stopping short of full organic certification. In the cellar, whole-bunch fermentation is practised, and the domaine favours large-format 600-litre demi-muids and cement vessels over small new barriques, with the notable exception of the Hermitage Rouge, which spends 18 months in French oak with 30% new wood. Wines are bottled without fining or filtration, preserving the texture and aromatic detail that the old vines and careful viticulture provide.

• Lutte raisonnée farming across all holdings; no fining or filtration at bottling
• Whole-bunch fermentation used to build structure and complexity
• 600-litre demi-muids and cement tanks preferred to minimise new oak influence
• Hermitage Rouge is the exception, aged 18 months in French oak with 30% new barrels

Domaine du Colombier occupies a genuinely important position in the Northern Rhône landscape. Hermitage is one of France's most celebrated appellations, producing wines of extreme longevity from 100% Syrah and 100% Marsanne, and the Viale family's 1.6-hectare holding in this appellation carries real weight for a small family producer. Equally significant is the quality of their Crozes-Hermitage, an appellation that can be highly variable, where parcels bordering the Hermitage hill and old vines give the domaine a quality advantage over much of the competition. Multiple awards in the Hachette Wine Guide confirm that recognition is not simply a function of the prestigious Hermitage name. For students of the Northern Rhône, the domaine offers a clear study in the contrast between Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage terroirs from a single producer.

• One of the few small family domaines holding parcels in both Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage AOCs
• Hermitage parcels in Beaumes and Diognières lieux-dits on 50-55-year-old Syrah vines
• Multiple Hachette Wine Guide awards confirm consistent quality recognition
• Crozes-Hermitage parcels adjacent to the Hermitage hill represent the appellation's better terroir