His own man

Yves Cuilleron is Mr More. More vines, more appellations, more projects… Is he hyperactive? No, just afraid of boredom. A megalomaniac? Definitely not! But he does have a healthy measure of ambition, oh yes! And why not. Here is a man who started in 1987 with just 3.5 hectares of vines, bought from his uncle. At the time, anything was possible in the northern Rhône Valley: buying vines, planting vines, clearing hillsides. It was a propitious period, supplemented by a solid family education – with always a good bottle of wine on the table and good meals with fresh farm produce – and by military service in Alsace, where he and his mates spent their pay on tastings and restaurants! Which is how wine led Yves Cuilleron to the vine. He decided to make it his profession, with a passion but extensive plans too. He wanted to understand everything and control everything: from planting to pruning, from vine vigour to grape maturity, from parcel-byparcel vinification to ageing in barrels. Yves Cuilleron wants his wines to be “100% home-made”. So yes, he’s interested in organic and biodynamic cultivation, but rejects turnkey thinking. Yes, he vinifies and ages his wines in barrels, but copying Bordeaux is out of the question. And if his wines aren’t perfect, then good! As long as people say “That’s Cuilleron’s wine!”. What more could Yves Cuilleron ask for? To play a part in the renaissance of the vineyards of Seyssuel? Done. Open a restaurant with his grower friends? That’s done too. Make Crozes Hermitage? Now there’s an idea…