Grand Nicolet

Domaine Grand Nicolet's story in Rasteau begins in 1875, when Joseph Nicolet's family farmed cereals and olives alongside a single hectare of vines. In 1926 the family opened the Nicolet cellar, one of the earliest private estates in the village, and 2026 marks a full century of wine made under the name. The domaine passed through the Leyraud family before Jean-Pierre Bertrand, a native of the Auvergne who first arrived in Rasteau in the late 1980s, began working the vines alongside Bernard and Maurice Leyraud. He married Bernard's daughter Véronique in 1990 and took the helm when the Leyrauds retired, steering the estate from bulk sales to bottling its own wines. A tireless champion of his village, he has served as co-president of the Rasteau appellation.

Today the domaine farms 23 hectares, 19.5 in Rasteau and 3.5 in neighbouring Sablet. Rasteau's slopes of limestone, ochre, yellow clay and blue marl give powerful, deeply coloured wines, while Sablet's sandy limestone brings a fresher, fruit-forward lift. The vines average 50 years of age, with the oldest approaching 90.

Every grape is picked by hand and rigorously sorted. The vineyards earned High Environmental Value certification in 2022 and are farmed to standards close to organic, with full organic certification underway. In the cellar, concrete tanks do most of the work and new oak is used sparingly, leaving Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan to speak plainly of their place.