The name Houillon might remind us of something. Aurélien is none other than the brother of Emmanuel and Adeline Houillon. The trio learned and worked alongside Pierre Overnoy in Arbois (from 2007 to 2013 as far as Aurélien is concerned), gradually taking him over. Eventually the siblings separated. Aurélien and Adeline (now of Bruyère-Houillon) sold their shares to Emmanuel and went their separate ways.
Aurélien moved to Switzerland where he had the opportunity to convert an estate to biodynamics and develop his expertise with different grape varieties. In 2017, Aurélien and his wife Charlotte decided to return to France and create their own domaine. At first they looked for properties in the Jura, but Loire and Bordeaux were also strong options, but they eventually set their sights on a farm on the border between Vaucluse and Drôme Provençale.
Charlotte and Aurélien took over 9 hectares of land that included fruit and olive trees, woods, and 4.5 hectares of semi-abandoned vines (3 hectares of grenache, 1.3 hectares of syrah and cinsault) averaging 40-50 years old. Applying biodynamic principles from the beginning, they focused on restoring the vines and terracing. Later there is co-planting (grenache blanc, gris, carignan and cinsault again) and experimentation with agroforestry. The domaine's yields are currently around 17-20hl and Aurélien wants to reach 20-25hl. They have two employees, Victoire and Castor, a work horse and a donkey.
Aurélien makes wine according to the principles of Jules Chauvet (1907-1989), the revered winemaker, chemist, and taster who first advocated natural wine after World War II.
Fresh grapes are harvested at dawn in small crates. They are destemmed by hand and undergo semi-carbonic maceration in stainless steel tanks. The tanks are sealed with a "chapeau flottant" (floating lid) that traps CO2, keeps the cap submerged and prevents the growth of bacteria. The fermenting juice goes through a pigeage, a remontage (solo) and a cuvaison that lasts 10 to 14 weeks. This is followed by élevage in a mix of stainless steel and old barrels 7 to 10 years old.
The cellar is buried under the north-facing corner of the farmhouse, which provides perfect conditions for long aging on the lees and bottling "sans souffre."
The domaine's first harvest was 2017, only a few months after the family settled in, and Aurélien decided to vinify and blend the different grapes together. Starting in 2018, he bottled wines from individual varieties to allow a deeper understanding of his terroir, the beginning of a learning curve. It is important to note, however, that from the beginning Domaine Houillon's bottlings have combined a sense of freedom with precision. They show an advanced aromatic range, a well-balanced concentration
