The Domaine de l’Oyon is located in the Dolmayrac village, in Lot et Garonne, Nouvelle Aquitaine.
This old winery suffered under the phylloxera vastratix in the 19th century.
In 2015, under the advice of locals, we decided to bring this magical property of the
South-West back to life.
Our wish was simple and unique : produce quality wines and give pleasure to the consumers who give us their trust.
Jean-Sébastien Riffaud
To go down that road, we needed a professional team around us : Patrice Gentié – wine nurseryman, Jean-Sébastien Riffaud – specialized in developing vineyards,
Gilles Pons – agronomist, oenologist, winemaker, Jacques Langohr – wine consultant, specialized in champagne, were some of the experts who helped us in the realization of our project.
Jacques Langohr
As the soil analysis looked very promising, we decided to launch the Domaine de l’Oyon under the appellation IGP Agenais,
The Domaine extends on 4 hectares of slopes of clay and limestone,
with a little annex on a more sandy ground named « le Clos ».
The choice of the vine varieties was motivated by our wish to propose new tastes and aromas.
Patrice Gentié coupled typical grapes of the region ;
Colombard and Abouriou, with the classical grapes of the noble Sauvignon and Merlot.
The aim was to guarantee maximum aroma and taste. We opted for an optimal plantation density, rootstocks and a distribution adapted to various types of vines taking into account the characteristics of the soil and the exposure of the slopes.
Small production rimes with quality. With a view to control the number and volume of the future bunches of grapes, we conduct a precise and severe pruning so that we can achieve optimal crop and maturation.
The nursing of the vineyard is thought through. In fact, we select the type of products and the periods when they are used with a lot of care and we take the climate into account. The advantages are two-fold: high quality grapes along with a better response to food safety and environment.
The timing of the harvest is determined by the acidity and sugar levels and by the tasting of the grapes.
We sort the grapes on the vineyard and we harvest by hand.
This way, we avoid splitting the skin of the grape. The destemmed grapes are immediately pressed.
This technique allows us to limit oxidation and the extraction of phenolic compounds, so as to bring harmony to the taste of the wine and avoid bitterness
We pay special attention to the finesse of the aromas. The fermentation of Eden, Expression and Déraison is done at 17 degrees in temperature-regulated tanks. The wine is then matured on the lees which are stirred – bâtonnage - in the vat so as to favour volume and length in the mouth.
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Our wines are presented in beautiful Bordeaux bottles with a conical shape and top quality Portuguese cork plugs. The medallion on the label reflects the “colour of the wine” and was designed by a Belgian contemporary artist Jean Bertot. These medallions of colours can also be found on the flat box containing six bottles.
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This quest for the good and the beautiful forms the basis of an exceptional human adventure.
We thank all those who have helped us to realize our dream.
We also thank you and hope that you will try our wines to become friends of the Domaine de l’Oyon.
The Domaine de l'Oyon
NOT TO FORGET ART...
Some meetings
mark a life
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In the summer of 2016, we had the great pleasure and honour to meet the painter Jean Bertot. Monsieur Jean, in his natural way, transformed what should have been a brief hello into a charming afternoon full of stories, anecdotes and humour. This turned into a unique opportunity for us to listen to Jean talking with passion about his famous dad, his studies at the Rotterdam Academy, his brilliant professional life as painter, his passion for antiques and works of art, his restaurant exhuming « well-being and the good life » ; all of that filled with Belgian humour and the simplicity which characterizes so well Monsieur Jean.
The man left his mark, his talent too. How nice it would be to associate the beauty of his works with our wines... Quite naturally, we found paintings susceptible of illustrating the “colour of our wines”. It didn’t take much to convince our friend to share the chosen creations.
« Your choice! »
Many thanks, Jean.
