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Guide
to the Loire regions
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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