Estate
For as long as we can remember, farming has always been a part of our family history; in the past we specialised in vegetable growing and presently we are winegrowers. Today, we are both enthusiastic farmers and devoted winemakers. Our passion for the soil, the vines, good wine and good food, gives us the strength to keep our terroir alive and develop our family heritage. It leads us to grow and make wine in the most natural way possible, whether on the vertiginous slopes of the Côte-Rôtie or on the gentle hillsides of the Coteaux du Lyonnais.
A family passion
The estate is currently run by Guillaume Clusel, Gilbert Clusel and Brigitte Roch.It has 20 hectares vines, on three historic vineyards of the Lyonnais, Ampuis (AOC Côte-Rôtie, AOC Côtes-du-Rhône et Vin de France), Condrieu (AOC Condrieu), Millery (AOC Coteau du Lyonnais).
Back to the origins ...
Back in the nineteen fifties René and Joséphine Clusel l began cultivating vegetables, fruit trees and Côte-Rôtie vines, like many other farmers in the Ampuis region, and they sold the wine in bottles. This was a time when Côte-Rôtie wines did not yet enjoy their current reputation, but René Clusel’s Côte-Rôtie was very popular with connoisseurs.
Even though the vineyard was not well-known, his son Gilbert decided that the future lay with the Côte-Rôties. As soon as he had completed his education, he joined the family estate and began clearing and revamping old abandoned vineyards. Indeed, although it had been highly prosperous from Ancient Times right up until the early 20th century, the Côte-Rôtie vineyard had been almost abandoned since the First World War and many of the hillsides were covered in broom, shrubs and even oaks growing through the former retaining walls. When René Clusel retired, the estate had three and a half hectares of vineyards. In this time the fruit and market garden production operations were abandoned and the Grandes-Places vineyard, which had been planted by René’s parents, Baptiste and Marguerite Clusel saw the wine it produced bottled separately. Also the name of the estate changed and became "Clusel Roch" with the partnership of Gilbert Clusel and Brigitte Roch.
The vineyard evolved considerably during the 1990s. : The planting of the "massales" selection from the vineyard of Grandes Places, resumption of the ploughings, discontinuing of chemical treatments, construction of a new modern and functional cellar which works using gravity.
These changes drove naturally to the certification in organic farming of Côtes-Rôties during the 2000s, as well as to the resumption of grafting in the domain.
As the years went by, a member of the next generation joined the team: Guillaume Clusel, Gilbert and Brigitte's son. He has been working in the estate since 2009 when he finished his studies in « vine and wine ». Currently, he is responsible for most of the work in all the areas of the estate. He has decided to extend the estate by renting vineyards in the villages of "Millery" and "Grigny" which are situated in the well-known, classified area of the "Lyon" region : AOC Coteaux du Lyonnais.
In 2014 he decides to become "negociant-vinificateur" and buying grapes to others wine growers to remedy the bad years and to open to others vineyards. He collaborates with wine growers whom he have faith, organic certified in the AOC "Coteaux du Lyonnais", and working in this spirit for AOC "Saint Joseph".
Even though the vineyard was not well-known, his son Gilbert decided that the future lay with the Côte-Rôties. As soon as he had completed his education, he joined the family estate and began clearing and revamping old abandoned vineyards. Indeed, although it had been highly prosperous from Ancient Times right up until the early 20th century, the Côte-Rôtie vineyard had been almost abandoned since the First World War and many of the hillsides were covered in broom, shrubs and even oaks growing through the former retaining walls. When René Clusel retired, the estate had three and a half hectares of vineyards. In this time the fruit and market garden production operations were abandoned and the Grandes-Places vineyard, which had been planted by René’s parents, Baptiste and Marguerite Clusel saw the wine it produced bottled separately. Also the name of the estate changed and became "Clusel Roch" with the partnership of Gilbert Clusel and Brigitte Roch.
The vineyard evolved considerably during the 1990s. : The planting of the "massales" selection from the vineyard of Grandes Places, resumption of the ploughings, discontinuing of chemical treatments, construction of a new modern and functional cellar which works using gravity.
These changes drove naturally to the certification in organic farming of Côtes-Rôties during the 2000s, as well as to the resumption of grafting in the domain.
As the years went by, a member of the next generation joined the team: Guillaume Clusel, Gilbert and Brigitte's son. He has been working in the estate since 2009 when he finished his studies in « vine and wine ». Currently, he is responsible for most of the work in all the areas of the estate. He has decided to extend the estate by renting vineyards in the villages of "Millery" and "Grigny" which are situated in the well-known, classified area of the "Lyon" region : AOC Coteaux du Lyonnais.
In 2014 he decides to become "negociant-vinificateur" and buying grapes to others wine growers to remedy the bad years and to open to others vineyards. He collaborates with wine growers whom he have faith, organic certified in the AOC "Coteaux du Lyonnais", and working in this spirit for AOC "Saint Joseph".
baptiste-et-marguerite-clusel
rene-et-josephine-clusel
Gilbert Clusel et Brigitte Roch
Guillaume Clusel
G
Guillaume Clusel