Our cellar
Our philosophy is to minimise our intervention and make the most of our grapes’ natural qualities. We aim to achieve the highest quality of raw material in the vineyard and then take a hands-off approach, treating the grapes with respect in the winery.
We retain a variable proportion of stems, depending on the ripeness of the vintage.
The white wines are pressed as whole bunches.
The entire winemaking process for our four cuvées takes place in oak.
We use only French oak and reuse our barrels across several vintages to avoid altering the character of the wines. The reds are fermented in large truncated-cone-shaped wooden vats before being transferred to barrels ranging from 225 to 500 litres.
As for the whites, they are fermented entirely in barrels to incorporate a small proportion of new oak.
Our wines remain in barrels for at least twenty months and are stirred frequently to develop roundness through contact with the lees. We avoid racking during ageing and do not carry out tartaric stabilisation or fining, in order to preserve all the characteristics of our young wines.
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Our philosophy at the cellar
The classic winemaking protocols are used to produce the Clos de Tsampéhro wines, with the emphasis always on simplicity and respect for the raw material:
All the grapes are pressed at low pressure in a horizontal stainless steel pneumatic press, which ensures that the harvest is treated with the utmost respect;
Static cold settling is carried out for 24 hours in stainless steel vats.
The use of SO2 (to stabilise the wines during their first years of life and during transport) is reduced to the strict minimum.
We do not use any fining.
Tartaric stabilisation is also carried out naturally cold during the 24 months of ageing.
We do not rack during the ageing process.
Both the whites and the reds are matured on the lees, with regular stirring of the lees.
Filtration is very light and only carried out when necessary.
We do not add any additives, with the exception of small doses of SO2.
The protocol in more detail
In 2011, Lens-based architect Joseph Cordonnier was commissioned to design and build a winery that would not only be a technically flawless working tool, but would also reflect the values and location of Tsampéhro. Joseph Cordonnier was chosen for his visceral attachment to the preservation of Valais buildings, but also for his ability to transcend them through a contemporary aesthetic.
Our work tools
The first is that the very place where it was built - a semi-circular plot of land set against the hills - had been, in the memory of the elders, an open-air theatre where all kinds of plays were performed. It was therefore an important place for the villagers to live, meet and enjoy culture.
The second is based on the association of this notion of theatre with Joël Briguet's choice, 25 years ago, to name his winery "La Romaine", in memory of the Roman era, which historically played such an important role in the Valais and most likely brought with it, or at least strengthened, the culture of vines and wine.
So the Clos de Tsampéhro cellar has naturally taken on the shape of a Roman-style amphitheatre: four semi-circular, stepped platforms on which more than 180 barrels can rest. It's a 'wine theatre' with no spectators - or very few - since the utilitarian aspect of the site takes precedence over all other considerations. The decision to use raw concrete as the base material, and only 'industrial' supplies, was justified by the strict temperature, humidity and durability criteria demanded by oenologist Vincent Tenud.
The 'industrial' look of the exterior facade is another reminder of the utilitarian aspect of the site, while at the same time fitting in perfectly with the curves of the land surrounding the winery.