Côtes d'Auvergne

Grower Profiles

Yvan Bernard
Yvan Bernard every bit fits the stereotypical image of an Auvergnat: bearded and squat in appearance, monosyllabic and suspicious in demeanor. He’s a first generation vigneron, originating from a village 15 kilometres from his Montpeyroux cellar and tasting room, although his father made wine for the family table. He started his venture in 2002, after attending the Lycée Viticole in Beaune, and now works six hectares of vines across numerous communes, including Montpeyroux, where he has been replanting on some of the steep terraces that are found on its south-facing slopes. Other parcels are in Corent, Boudes, Authezat (where has shared the cellar of retired vigneron, Noël Bressoulay and maintains the old man’s conservatoire of old vines) and in Clermont-Ferrand, where he has access to half a hectare of 50-100 year old Gamay within the cru of Chanturgue which realises just 2,000 bottles a year.

He makes all three wine styles in Corent, with the rosé made from 100% Gamay vinified under direct pressure and a blocked malolactic fermentation. His Corent and Boudes rouge are also made solely from Gamay and produced using carbonic maceration. The generic Côte d’Auvergne rouge comes from Bressoulays old vineyard and is a 50/50 blend of Gamay and Pinot. There is also a barrel aged red wine and two Vin de Pays, a red and rosé, sold under the label of Arkose, taking its name from the famous local red-tinged granite. 

As a relative newcomer and outsider, it’s good to point out that these are some of the best wines in the appellation and are well worth seeking out, but with a relatively small domaine and a strong local following, you’ll probably need to go and buy them direct; Bernard has no export market or a desire to sell internationally. That said a visit to Montpeyroux, a worthy recipient of the title of One of the Most Beautiful Villages in France, should be on every visitors itinerary, so a tasting in the cellar with Yvan Bernard makes it an even greater experience.

Yvan Bernard
Rue de la Reine
Montpeyroux
T: + 33 4 73 55 31 97
P: + 33 6 84 11 49 88
Bernard_corent@hotmail.com  

Arkose granite wall

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