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Guide
to the Loire regions
Côtes
d'Auvergne

Maison
de vigne above Riom
Grower
Profiles
Jean-Michel Déat
The Déat family has worked the vineyards north of
Riom since 1896, although it would be fair to say that they are as much
polyculturalists as vignerons,
farming 15 hectares of cereals on the land around their vines. Jean-Michel
joined his father in 1971 and they began bottling their own wines of 1978,
three years after replanting their 2.5 hectare parcel in the clay-gravel
soils of Madargues. A further 1.2 hectares are planted on the sandy soils
within Saint-Bonnet, although these fall outside the appellation and are
vinified as Vin de Table, and is either sold off en-vrac,
or goes to produce 2,000 bottles a year of sparkling wine, vinified as
‘Cuvée Brayaud’ Blanc de Noirs.
All of their vineyards are planted to Gamay d’Auvergne and the grapes
are all hand harvested. Jean-Michel’s young son, Jullien, has now joined
the business and is instigating a few changes. Their Madargues rosé which
was once pressurage direct is
now produced by saignée. There
is also an addition to their existing single bottling of red from 2008,
with the introduction of a single lieu-dit
wine with Madagues which is sold as Les
Granges. All the grapes are hand picked and the wines pass through old
wooden foudres for between six to eight months before release. The result
is that they wines can be a little rustic and dry, with an earthiness
ensuring that they are devoid of any great charm.
Jean-Michel
Déat
8 Bis, Rue Michel de l’Hospital
Saint-Bonnet-Près-Riom
T: + 33 4 73 63 37 65
F: + 33 4 73 63 50 67
P: + 33 6 84 17 79 13
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