Domaine Laroche

The Laroche family established Domaine Laroche in 1850. Vineyard cultivation was predominant but not exclusive: cereal crops and livestock farming also complemented the family's activities, a common practice for many regional producers of the era. In 1980, building on its growth in France and in export markets, Laroche expanded its Chardonnay range into the South of France, selecting cool terroirs in the Languedoc to plant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. In 1995 it acquired the Mas La Chevalière estate near Béziers, and in 2003 it built a winemaking facility designed around energy efficiency and gravity-fed processes. In March 2000 the Union des Grands Crus de Chablis was founded at Domaine Laroche's initiative to defend and promote the quality of wines from the Chablis Grands Crus; the association has 12 members, all owners within the Grands Crus. In June 2005 Michel Laroche was president and main shareholder of Domaine Laroche. In 2010 AdVini was created and acquired Domaine Laroche in Chablis and Mas La Chevalière in the Languedoc. Michel Laroche remained president of the Laroche estates and took a seat on AdVini's board of directors, while Thierry Bellicaud became managing director. The separate Domaine d'Henri, whose name a sign outside subtitles 'Michel Laroche et ses enfants' (Margaux and her brother Romain), is named after Margaux's grandfather Henri; Michel Laroche kept some personal vines, and the domaine's first vintage was 2012.

• 1850: the Laroche family established Domaine Laroche.
• 1995: acquisition of Mas La Chevalière near Béziers; a new winemaking facility followed in 2003.
• 2000: the Union des Grands Crus de Chablis was founded at Domaine Laroche's initiative.
• 2010: AdVini was created and acquired Domaine Laroche; Michel Laroche remained president of the Laroche estates.

Domaine Laroche's ageing cellars are housed in L'Obédiencerie, a former monastery in the heart of the village of Chablis whose oldest foundations date from the 9th century. In 867 King Charles the Bald, passing through Auxerre, announced that he was donating a 'cella' in Chablis, with all its dependencies, to the canons of Saint-Martin of Tours. Between 877 and 887, as Viking raids threatened, the relics of Saint Martin from Tours were hidden in Chablis at the foot of the Obédiencerie tower; the niche that sheltered them is still visible in the remains of a tower. The first known mention of the Obédiencerie as a wine producer dates from 1128, and the first known mention of its press from 1216. The 13th-century press, a double-action beam press, is one of the last four specimens of its size in Burgundy. From the 15th century the Obédiencerie evolved into a residential house in private ownership, and its cellars were further excavated and vaulted. The foundations of the stair turret visible in the cellars are Carolingian. The property is listed as a Historic Monument, with protection covering the residential house, the press building and the press itself.

• 867: Charles the Bald donated a 'cella' in Chablis to the canons of Saint-Martin of Tours.
• 1128 and 1216: first known mentions of the Obédiencerie as a wine producer and of its press.
• The 13th-century double-action beam press is one of the last four specimens of its size in Burgundy.
• Domaine Laroche vinifies and ages its Premiers Crus and Grands Crus in the historic cellars.

Jean-Baptiste Mouton is General Manager of Laroche, a role he took over in 2023 that includes the historic Chablis estate and its Obédiencerie as well as Mas la Chevalière in Béziers; his scope also includes Maison Champy in Beaune. Laroche and Maison Champy are both subsidiaries of AdVini's Burgundy division. Romain Chevrolat, who holds an oenology degree from the University of Dijon, joined Domaine Laroche in 2023 and is its oenologist in Chablis. Amélie Tupinier joined the Laroche team in 2019, after 11 years of experience in viticultural consulting in Chablis, and works in sustainable viticulture there. Anthony Blescher arrived in 2015 as tractor team leader and became vineyard manager in 2018. At Laroche La Chevalière in Béziers, Géraud Blanc joined as oenologist in 2011, and Stéphanie Marquier, who joined as cellar master in 2007, supervises the winemaking process from grape reception to bottling. Grégory Viennois was technical director as of March 2014.

• General Manager (since 2023): Jean-Baptiste Mouton, whose scope also includes Maison Champy.
• Oenologist in Chablis (joined 2023): Romain Chevrolat.
• Vineyard manager in Chablis (since 2018): Anthony Blescher.
• La Chevalière, Béziers: Géraud Blanc (oenologist, joined 2011) and Stéphanie Marquier (joined as cellar master, 2007).

Domaine Laroche has 90 hectares of vineyards in Chablis. In the Grand Cru Les Blanchots it owns 4.34 hectares, approximately one third of the climat's total surface area, with a south-east exposure. The Grand Cru Les Bouguerots was planted with a massal selection from the estate's historic vines. In the Premier Cru Les Vaudevey, Domaine Laroche owns a main single-block parcel in a very narrow, east-facing valley, on a hillside as steep as 30% in places; as of March 2014 it held 10 hectares there, five selected for the Vaudevey cuvée and five going into the village Saint-Martin. Vieille Voye is a single 7-hectare block at the foot of the Premier Cru Les Vaillons, with vines over 45 years old, and the Les Fourchaumes Old Vines and L'Homme Mort cuvées come from vines over 70 years old. Laroche also buys fruit: Les Chanoines is a blend of Chablis parcels from long-standing partners, and as of March 2014 wines from contracts or blended sources carried only a 'Laroche' label, not 'Domaine Laroche'. In the South of France, Laroche grows Chardonnay on cool, high-altitude terroirs in Limoux, the Orb Valley and the Cévennes foothills.

• 90 hectares of vineyards in Chablis.
• Les Blanchots: 4.34 hectares, approximately one third of the Grand Cru climat.
• Les Vaudevey: a main single-block parcel in a narrow, east-facing valley; 10 hectares as of March 2014.
• Purchased fruit: Les Chanoines is blended from parcels of long-standing partners.

Laroche works to an agro-ecological technical specification. In the vineyard it prioritises contact and non-systemic products, uses homeopathy or phytotherapy to strengthen the vines' natural defences, applies biological control techniques such as sexual confusion, and replants with mass selections. Soils rest for three years before any replanting, are sown with plant covers and are worked without herbicides. Each member of the vineyard team is entrusted with a specific plot throughout the year. Domaine Laroche in Chablis obtained HVE 3A certification in 2016, biodynamics is applied in the Grand Crus, and the vineyard in the South of France is fully certified organic. For biodiversity, Laroche runs initiatives with the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO), has planted hedgerows around its plots and has installed beehives in the Vaudevey valley.

• No herbicides; soils rest three years before replanting.
• One person, one plot: each vineyard team member tends the same vines all year.
• HVE 3A in Chablis since 2016; biodynamics in the Grand Crus; organic certification in the South of France.
• Hedgerows, LPO initiatives and beehives in the Vaudevey valley.

The Chablis range covers Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru and Chablis Grand Cru. At village level there are three cuvées: Saint-Martin, a selection from historic Chablis village terroirs in which plots are differentiated by exposure and soil type, dedicated to Saint Martin and celebrated by Laroche every year in November; Les Chanoines, a tribute to the canons of Saint-Martin de Tours, produced entirely in stainless steel tanks; and Vieille Voye, harvested by hand, sorted on a table and vinified in French oak foudres. As of January 2020, Saint-Martin was usually assembled from about 42 of 60 hectares, with separate élevage. The ten Premier Cru cuvées are Les Vaudevey, Les Beauroys, Côte de Léchet, Les Vaillons, Les Montmains and Les Butteaux on the left bank, and Les Fourchaumes, L'Homme Mort, Montée de Tonnerre and Mont de Milieu on the right bank. The Grands Crus are Les Bouguerots, Les Clos and Les Blanchots. La Réserve de l'Obédience, the flagship Grand Cru, is a blend of the best selection of Les Blanchots, made early each summer in the historic cellars since 1991 and limited to 1,500 to 3,000 bottles. In the South of France the range includes La Chevalière, Laroche Chardonnay, Laroche Chardonnay Réserve and, since 2020, Le Petit Chardonnay, with 9.5% alcohol in a screen-printed bottle.

• Village Chablis: Saint-Martin, Les Chanoines and Vieille Voye.
• Ten Premier Cru cuvées across the left and right banks of the Serein.
• Grands Crus: Les Bouguerots, Les Clos, Les Blanchots and La Réserve de l'Obédience.
• South of France: La Chevalière, Laroche Chardonnay, Laroche Chardonnay Réserve and Le Petit Chardonnay.

In 2004 Laroche experimented with screw caps as an alternative to traditional corks, even for its fine wines. Today its Premiers and Grands Crus are sealed with natural cork, while screw caps are still used for village appellations in certain markets and for the southern Chardonnays. Wine Spectator reported in June 2005 that, beginning with the 2003 vintage, Domaine Laroche would ship all its wines to the United States with screw caps, premiers and grands crus included, while wines sold in France would continue to be finished with cork.

• 2004: screw cap experiments began, including for the fine wines.
• Today: natural cork for Premiers and Grands Crus; screw caps for village wines in some markets and for the southern Chardonnays.

Laroche places its signature in 'the art of enhancing Chardonnay to reveal all its nuances according to each terroir.' Oenologist Romain Chevrolat says that Chardonnay 'acquires salinity, purity, and freshness when cultivated on the Kimmeridgian limestone marls.' The estate calls Saint-Martin 'precise and uncompromisingly mineral' and Les Blanchots a wine of 'minerality and aromatic finesse.'

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://larochewines.com/en/, https://larochewines.com/en/history/, https://larochewines.com/en/chablis-in-burgundy/, https://larochewines.com/en/obediencerie-and-saint-martin/, https://larochewines.com/en/our-team/, https://larochewines.com/en/our-commitments/, https://larochewines.com/en/south-of-france/, https://larochewines.com/en/faq/, https://larochewines.com/en/legal-notice/, https://larochewines.com/en/cuvee/saint-martin/, https://larochewines.com/en/cuvee/les-chanoines/, https://larochewines.com/en/cuvee/vieille-voye/, https://larochewines.com/en/cuvee/les-vaudevey/, https://larochewines.com/en/cuvee/les-fourchaumes-old-vines/, https://larochewines.com/en/cuvee/les-blanchots/, https://larochewines.com/en/cuvee/les-bouguerots/, https://larochewines.com/en/cuvee/the-obedience-reserve/, https://larochewines.com/en/cuvee/lhomme-mort/. Parent group site (AdVini, R10): https://www.advini.com/en/our-estates/wine-estates-and-vineyards/wine-estates-and-vineyards-burgundy/, https://www.advini.com/en/advini/our-history/. Secondary sources: Wine Spectator (Bruce Sanderson, 17 June 2005), Burgundy Report (27 April 2014; 17 February 2020; 2019 Domaine d'Henri profile), The Drinks Business (Patricia Langton, 22 April 2010) and Decanter (Natasha Hughes). Last verified 2026-10-18. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.