Romuald Petit | Saint Véran, Mâconnais

After his viticultural and oenological studies led Romuald to different regions of France, he returned to his homeland in 2005 to create his 6 hectare farm in Saint-Vérand. 

Whilst the wine estate continues to grow, the objective and the starting ideology remains the same, namely, to produce authentic and quality wines, in an artisanal and environmentally friendly manner. He has in his hands a unique heritage that comes from the work of his ancestors. Romuald believes it is now up to him to preserve it and pass it on to his children.

His vines are spread over the different climates of the Saint-Véran appellation, and he works each wine separately, to let the identity of each plot express itself.

The 60 - 80 year old vines of “Colas” or “Champs Ronds” generate subtle wines of great finesse, while the young vines produce exuberant wines of fruitiness and freshness.

Romuald also cultivates a small part of old historical grape varieties, in particular chardonnay-muscat, pinot blanc and pinot gris.

Romuald attaches a particular importance to the preservation of his vineyards and its environment. This is why he favours the use of simple and natural products and methods. He practices grassing, tillage, and opts for natural fertilisers and protection products. 

His vineyard is made up of relatively old vines, with a very fragmented plot. Add to that, some steep slopes (up to 70%) which prohibit any mechanization, and you understand why he carries out a large part of the work by hand.

Manual work during the development of the vines includes:

• Winter pruning, Guyot for Chardonnay, or Goblet for Gamay
• Trellising, to keep the vine in its row
• Desuckering and trimming, which allows aeration and good exposure of the bunches
• Soil maintenance, by adding organic matter, plowing, and maintaining a temporary herbaceous cover.
• The protection of the vines
• Upkeep of the plots, by replanting missing vines, or reassembling the dry stone walls.

The Chardonnay is harvested and pressed directly. The juice is placed in a settling vat in order to allow the coarse particles (lees) to settle. It is then placed in vats or barrels, in order to initiate fermentation, alcoholic then malolactic, which transforms the grape juice into wine.

Unlike with red wine, there is no maceration phenomenon (the goal is not to extract colour or tannins). The fermentation is generally quite long, and Romuald sometimes has to wait until the spring following the harvest for it to end.

When all the sugars have been transformed into alcohol, and the malolactic fermentation is complete, the wine is aged for between 6 - 18 months.

At the end of aging, the cuvées are assembled after tasting, to obtain the most balanced wine representative of its terroir.

Romuald's estate is made up of 12 hectares of vines, including 8 hectares in the village of Saint-Vérand, clay-limestone land of the Mâconnais where 80% of white wines are produced, and 4 hectares on the schists and granites of Morgon, land of choice for Gamay, where only red wines are produced. 

For the production of white wines, Romuald almost exclusively grows Chardonnay, which finds in Saint-Vérand a wonderful terroir to express itself. The soils are clay-limestone with marl or volcano-sedimentary variants depending on the different sectors.