Domaine du Coulet

The vineyard has been created in 1998 by Matthieu Barret. He was 23 when he took over this familial vineyard. Polyculture, specific to the region, has been abandoned for several years. Matthieu works the vine, putting since the beginning the vineyard on the road to organic farming and biodynamics. In 1998, he joined the group Biodyvin, to get the certification "Bio" (2001) and "Biodynamie" (2002). Like other young winemakers, he is looking for a radical shift, far from the marketing of the organic label but aims at adopting a code of conduct and real principles for winemaking. This wish to create wines as natural as possible is developed at any stage of the process. First of all, the work in the vines: "we use a windlass on 2 acres, a track on 4.5 acres and a horse on 25 acres..." he says. The vineyard is 31.5-acre large, representing more than 10% of the Cornas appellation. It is spread over various terroirs such as Patronne, Arlettes, Coulet, and Serre, and also has some vine stocks in the places called Reynard, Mazards, Eygas and Geynale. Besides biodynamics, the vineyard's yields are rather small (9.2hl/acre on average). All means are being employed to respect wines: strict selection during vintage, pressing at low pressure, use of gravity, low to zero sulphur. To Matthieu Barret, biodynamics does not mean positioning; it is both a line of conduct and a contract with the terroir. Even though the metaphor is quite commercial, it also shows values combining long-term partnership (A. De St Exupéry said “we do not inherit the earth from our parents; we borrow it from our children”), seriousness and professionalism. We can talk about micro-terroirs, as each plot is worked according to its specific features. Grapes are therefore of an optimum quality. The minerality of various gore terroirs, specific to Cornas, expresses itself naturally. Then, the wine comes about almost by itself. Matthieu Barret lets things happen, and intervenes only if necessary between the various steps (use of gravity, no finings, no filtration). The wine is then aged in oak barrels or in hogsheads, to allow the wine to breathe without getting “imparted” by oak. Since 2006, the domaine du Coulet has also fit itself with egg-shaped concrete vats. These, mainly used in the whites’ vinification by other winemakers having chosen biodynamics, are used to age 30% of the red wines. They mainly contribute to freshness retention and to the respect of fruit purity. The wines are as good as beautiful. This concern for aestheticism is taken to the design of labels (white letters on black background), which Mattieu Barret wishes to stay true to his wine: simple and elegant (and even classy for the Cornas wines!) Matthieu Barret also makes wines for trade, via Matthieu Barret Sarl. We have noticed that, for other vineyards of the region, the quality of the wines for trade can be inferior to that of the vineyard wines but this is not the case here. The reason for that is simple: the existing partnerships with member of the group renaissance des appellations, respecting the same technical specifications as organic and biodynamic wines. In tune with other talented winemakers, such as his friend David Reynaud, Matthieu Barret must indisputably be followed!