Introducing Bruno Rochard

It’s with great pleasure we introduce a new winemaker from the Loire to our portfolio - Bruno Rochard.

Coming from a family of farmers, it was always lined up for Bruno to take over the large holdings of Domaine de Mirebeau in Anjou. However having seen the benefit to downscale and work more respectfully with the land he now farms just 6ha and has converted to organics, also employing all manner of biodynamic preparations in the vineyards. A calm and considered man, Bruno prefers to spend as much of his time as possible in the vines and over the past decade has garnered a stellar reputation as one of the most fastidious farmers of the region.

On the outskirts of the famed Rablay-sur-Layon where the domaine is situated, the soils change from one end of the parcel to the other which Bruno believes only adds to the interest and complexity the wines. Shale and schist are the main bedrocks, with clay and limestone also running through. While half is planted with Chenin Blanc, the other half is split almost equally between Cabernet Franc and Grolleau with some vines aged up to 100 years old. In the cellar, Bruno prefers a hands-off approach, mostly vinifying by parcel and variety, with bottling done by the lunar calendar. The resulting wines feel extremely precise whilst full of interest and stand up extremely well over a few days.

We received a small amount of Bruno’s Chenin pet nat ‘Des Boires et des Bulles’, his wonderful spring bottling of Cabernet Franc and a small amount of his centennial-vine Grolleau from 2018 all of which are available now via our online shop. Wholesale customers please get in touch via sales@beattieandroberts.com for more information.