Jean-Luc Colombo makes La Belle de Mai Saint-Péray, a Marsanne and Roussanne white from an organically farmed Cornas estate.
The producer
Jean-Luc Colombo grew up in Marseille in a culinary family, then studied pharmacology and enology before building a wine consulting practice in Cornas with his wife Anne. Commercial production under the Vins Jean-Luc Colombo label began in 1994. Their daughter Laure joined the family estate in 2010 and launched its organic certification process. The estate's named white is La Belle de Mai Saint-Péray, a Marsanne and Roussanne cuvée fermented in oak barrels.
Known for
Marsanne led Saint-Péray white
Notable facts
Jean-Luc Colombo and Anne founded the Centre Oenologique des Côtes du Rhône in Cornas in 1984.
Commercial production under the Vins Jean-Luc Colombo label began in 1994.
Laure joined the family estate in 2010.
ECOCERT certification has been effective from the 2015 vintage onward.
The story
From Consulting To Bottles
In 1984, Jean-Luc Colombo and his wife Anne created the Centre Oenologique des Côtes du Rhône in Cornas. Colombo had earned degrees in pharmacology and enology from the University of Montpellier. In 1987, the Colombos purchased an 8 hectare plot of vineyard land in Cornas. Commercial production under the Vins Jean-Luc Colombo label began in 1994. The work moved from a consulting centre to a family vineyard, then to bottles under the Colombo name.
From the atlas
Jean-Luc Colombo
Jean-Luc Colombo works from Cornas and makes La Belle de Mai Saint-Péray, a Marsanne and Roussanne white from an organically farmed family estate.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Region
Rhône Valley
Base
Cornas
Appellation
Saint-Péray
Main grapes
Marsanne and Roussanne
Signature wine
La Belle de Mai Saint-Péray
Defining feature
Organic viticulture with ECOCERT certification
The Producer
Jean-Luc Colombo grew up in Marseille, where his mother was a cook, and carried that culinary background into studies of pharmacology and enology at the University of Montpellier. With his wife Anne, he founded the Centre Oenologique des Côtes du Rhône in Cornas. Commercial production under the Vins Jean-Luc Colombo label began in 1994.
Their daughter Laure, a viticulturist and oenologist, joined the family estate in 2010. The estate uses organic viticulture, with ECOCERT certification effective from the 2015 vintage onward.
Place
Cornas is the base for Colombo's consulting centre and vineyard holdings. La Belle de Mai carries the Saint-Péray appellation, a Rhône appellation for white wine made from Marsanne and Roussanne. The bottle therefore names Saint-Péray, while Colombo's family vineyard history begins in Cornas.
Wines
La Belle de Mai Saint-Péray is Colombo's Saint-Péray white cuvée, made from Marsanne and Roussanne. The grapes are fermented slowly in oak barrels.
The wine is golden yellow with green highlights. Hawthorn, linden blossom, quince, citrus and sweetbread lead into a full bodied, fruity and mineral palate with a persistent finish.
Final Word
Jean-Luc Colombo works from Cornas, farms organically and makes La Belle de Mai Saint-Péray as a Marsanne and Roussanne white with slow oak fermentation.