Pierre Gaillard bought Clos de Cuminaille in Malleval in the early 1980s when he had completed his studies in viticulture and oenology. His passion for wine growing, which was sparked when he was 12, inspired him to establish other vineyards in the South of France, namely Madeloc in Banyuls-sur-Mer in 2002 and Cottebrune in Faugères in 2007. Today he manages 77 hectares of vineyards and always strives to achieve just the right hygiene and temperature conditions to get the best from each harvest, plot and grape variety. His wines are in high demand for their clean and polished character.

Syrah and Viognier come from the locality of La Brocarde located in Ampuis and are grown in a sustainable manner. Both come from old vines which are about twenty years old which grow on the soils of quartz schist. François Villard here produces a rather small cuvée (1,200 bottles) with interesting ageing potential which can last 15 years. On the palette, its woodiness delivers notes of mocha. This doesn’t however prevent the fruit from expressing itself. Dense and structured, it is blessed with great length.