Jean-Luc COLOMBO From the Heart Soul of

Jean-Luc COLOMBO From the Heart & Soul of the Rhône

A little history § § § 1982: Jean Luc moved to Cornas with his wife Anne to set up a pharmacy & an oenology lab 1986: Bought les Ruchets (First vineyard) 1987: First vintage of Les Ruchets 1988: Went to Vinexpo with 1 st vintage & all the wine was sold to an American broker who established Colombo in USA (our first market) 1993: Sold pharmacy and invested in vineyards and house in the heart of Cornas vineyards 1995: Started a negoce with 100, 000 bottles of Cotes du Rhone 1996: Bought land in the “Blue Coast” to create a vineyard linked to his Marseille origins 2005: First Vintage of Vallon de l’Aigle, a rare cuvée only made in the best vintages 2008: Jean-Luc and Anne received the French Légion d’Honneur 2009: Creation of a new winery in Cornas 2010: First Vinification of Laure in Cornas

The Wine for the Colombo’s A Family Tale!

The Wine for the Colombo’s A way of life! § Jean-Luc Colombo is a man of warmth, energy, passion and an insatiable appetite for the Good Things in Life. § His dedication to the “plaisirs de la table” took root early, stemming from many long and happy hours spent as a small boy, assisting his mother (a talented restaurateur in Marseille) in the kitchen. § His hospitality is legendary and he is always eager and ready to entertain and surprise his Provencal friends and overseas visitors with unforgettable meals – as many will testify. § He is equally a man of deep convictions, who can always be relied on to ably defend the rich cultural heritage of the French gastronomy. § THE KEY WORDS FOR WINES: Balance, Elegance & Finesse

The Rhône Valley 76 000 ha in total, 4% only in the North § Southern Rhône § Mostly GSM (Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre) § Mediteraneen influence ( « garigue flavour » ) § Northern Rhône § Place where Syrah and Viognier grape variety were born Origin § Very steep slopes Everything is done by hand § Wines with strong personality, very refined and recognised by gourmets

Cornas § 100% Syrah The Original Syrah! § The Smallest appellation in the Rhône Valley: 100 ha § Steep hillsides: everything is done by hand § Soil : Pure granite, very rocky where roots go very deep § Cornas appellation has been rated the #1 Quality Appellation in the Rhône Valley by THE wine magazine in France, La Revue du Vin de France § Wine Spectator in 2008 also wrote about Cornas as the growing appellation – the one to watch!

Viticulture Philosophy The vineyard of Cornas: Living in the middle of their vineyards in Cornas, Jean-Luc and Anne have always wanted to preserve their environment by acting in harmony with nature’s abundance. It is essential to them to maintain an atmosphere where insects, animals and grapevines co-exist and flourish.

Being close from nature Thus, for many years organic methods have been used in their vineyards: • No pesticides or weed-killers are used in the vineyards. A 5 cm bark mulch layer covers some parts of the vineyards to limit erosion and to maintain natural microbial life and humidity in the soils while retarding the growth of plants which compete with the vines for water and nutrients. In some other parts of the vineyards the soil is plough with the help of horses.

Being close from nature • Planting and preservation of local vegetal varieties along the edges of the vineyards allow fauna and flora biodiversity while improving the sanitary health of the vines and other life forms in the vineyards. • Irrigation is simply banned from the vineyards which results in deep rooting of the vines, thus allowing full and pure expression of the entire terroir, in keeping with the uniqueness of each vintage. Laure has begun the official certification process in 2012, to confirm the organic status of the Domaine.

Bee Helpful Jean-Luc and Anne have a strong connection with bees and are very proud and protective of the 4 beehives producing honey in their Cornas vineyard. The very first plot they purchased in 1986 was named Les Ruchets, meaning The Beehives, in honour of the bee colonies found on the property. Later on they named their white and red Côtes du Rhône Les Abeilles, meaning The Bees, as a renewed tribute to the mysterious dwellers of the vineyards.

Bee Helpful Honeybees pollinate more than 90% of flowering crops including many of the fruit and food items we eat, thus playing a vital role in our food supply. In many places around the world, however, bee colonies are in severe jeopardy. The causes for “Colony Collapse Disorder” remain unknown while the phenomenon is worsening at an alarming rate. To help fight this bee crisis, the Colombos have created the JLC “Bee Helpful” programme in the US and UK, with donations going to several organizations dedicated to research and development of methods to bring back the honeybee colonies.

Winemaking Philosphy § Classic winemaking process to respect the fruit § Vinification and ageing serve to define a style that should exalt elegance and complexity with good fruit and freshness § Very good balance is the top priority Minerality / Alcohol /Tannins and no sugar § Wines that are made mostly to pair with food Gourmet Wines!

The painter’s word Painter and illustrator Marie Annick Dutreil first painted Jean-Luc Colombo’s vineyards in her elegant, delicate, inspired style before she was asked to create the labels for the Colombo family. "Just go to Cornas”, says she, “listen to the Colombo’s and like an echo you will hear the vines praise the soil, love songs escape from the hands that work on them, and the poetry inhabiting their souls. Everything is vertical there and music from the heart rises up like the aromas. This brought me inspiration and joy in the intimacy of my studio, when I was creating labels that would match the fervor, spirit and elegance of the wines, in the same way clever and elegant accessories enhance the beauty of a haute-couture dress”.

Our wines!

The famous tables §Elysée palace §Alain Ducasse §Joël Robuchon §Paul Bocuse §Guy savoy §Georges Blanc §Michel Troisgros §Le petit Nice §L’Auberge de l’Ill §Arnsbourg §JF Piège §Seagrill §Comme chez soi §Jean Georges §Le Gavroche §The French Laundry §Lung King Heen §Le caprice §Daniel Boulud

An international fame Avec sa faconde, sa gourmandise de vie et son incroyable capacité à réaliser ses innombrables idées, Jean-Luc Colombo est un des personnages des plus attachants du vignoble français. Bettane et Dessauve Among the most profund wines of Cornas : La Louvée and Les Ruchets Robert Parker Jean-Luc Colombo, o homem que mostrou ao mundo que a região de Cornas, no Rhône, é capaz de produzir vinhos em um estilo mais elegant. Wine Style Brazil Un Cornas comparable aux plus grands crus Le Monde Very Elegant and impressive Condrieu Sommelier India Jean-Luc Colombo agite la Vallée du Rhône. Un Cornas qui figure parmi les meilleurs crus. Le Figaro After all is said and done, the proof is what’s inside the bottle, and Colombo’s Cornas are outstanding wines. Wine Spectator Bekannnt als der Meister des Syrah Vinum Named one of the Top 100 Wineries of the year 2008 Wine & Spirit Magazine. Winzer des Jähres 2005. Wein Gourmet Les Ruchets 2007 among the wines of the Year Decanter Les Ruchets 2001 parmi les 1500 meilleures bouteilles de l’année. Man of the year in the Rhone Valley (2004) Le Revue du Vin de France

Anne receive the Légion d’Honneur With Christine Lagarde, ex-French Finance Minister – Director of I M F

A word from the Chef « It has been a long time since a Cornas impressed me as much as this one does for its balance, elegance, power and complexity. This wine has beautiful colour, a nice length, sweet tannins and. . . I could go on and on. It is a wine with a strong personality (don’t forget: it is a Cornas!), all the elements are there to make it a wine for aging, but surprisingly the pleasure is immediate apparent. Without too much daring, we can say that this superb wine could perfectly couple with a wild hare or with a steak with wild mushrooms (boletus mushrooms). » Antoine Hernandez, Director - Sommelier and partner of Joël Robuchon has highly enjoyed the Cornas La Louvée 2009

Wine & Spirit § JLC parmi les 100 meilleures domaines du monde en terme de qualité, volume, régularité et valeur en 2008 § La même année, la Vallée du Rhône se classe meilleure région viticole au monde dans le Wine Enthusiast!

2 Superbes articles sur Cornas et Jean-Luc Colombo • 4 Pages disponibles sur le développement de Cornas et le rôle joué par Jean-Luc Colombo. • 2 pages de description du profile de Jean-Luc Colombo et de ses Cornas 2005.