HC-Vins

Free spirit

Corentin Houillon's origins lie in the Jura, in the heart of a family rooted in the vineyards. If his parents are restaurant owners in Ornans, in the Doubs, three of his uncles and aunts are recognised winegrowers, first united within their GAEC and then each flying on their own wings, carrying the name of Houillon high in the natural wine landscape in France and beyond.

The path was therefore clear for Corentin, who after studying agronomy in Beaune and a diploma in viticultural techniques in Montpellier, set off, first with his family and then with Stéphane Tissot in the Jura, Dominique Derain in Burgundy, and a real world tour of vineyards to quench his thirst for discovery, Mc Guigan in Australia, William Selyem in California or Urlar in New Zealand, accumulating between the northern and southern hemispheres nearly fifteen harvests and vinifications in 8 years.

At the age of 24, in 2015, Corentin arrived at the Domaine de la Ville de Morges, in Switzerland, as head winemaker with the mission of transforming the 15 hectares of vineyards into organic and biodynamic agriculture. He made his first attempts at vinification in 2015, with the Parcelle range, which quickly met with great success throughout Switzerland.

Eager to launch himself independently, Corentin landed in Savoie in 2019, when he was not yet 30 years old. His search between Bugey, Switzerland and Savoie led him to meet Alain Bosson, established at the Domaine de Veronnet, in Serrières en Chautagne, who was looking to hand over his 10-hectare property, run according to a philosophy that suited Corentin. Wishing to be able to work alone and control the whole of his estate, he took over only 5 of the 10 hectares of vines, the rest being taken over by other young organic winegrowers in the region, including Florian and Marie Curtet.

A zero additive, zero product approach, starting with the cultivation of the vines, which is intended to be lively, enriched and diversified, where flowers, plants and insects rub shoulders with the vines in complete harmony. The estate has all the typical Savoyard features, steep slopes and a mountainous exposure, on the banks of the Rhône, molasse soils combining calcareous sandstone and quartz sand.

A first vintage of 1,500 bottles of Altesse and Mondeuse in 2019, then the real start of the estate in 2020 with eight vintages, a true panel of the richness of the Chautagne grape varieties and a demonstration of Corentin's talent, mastering in turn reds, whites, macerations and sparkling wines... a story in the making that we will follow closely, harvest after harvest.