A Family Story:

5 Generations of Winegrowers since 1919

The adventure began in 1919, when, on their return from the war, Raoul Couston and his father decided to turn the family broom-making workshop into a winemaking cellar. At the very beginning, they had to build the first concrete tanks in Tulette themselves, fetching gravel from the edge of the river with their only tools – shovels and cart drawn by a horse. Once this was done, they bought their first grapes from the farmers in the surrounding area. 

As time passed, the family expanded their ‘territory’ to several more vineyard parcels across Rhône Valley with one criterion in mind – they had to complement each other. Today the torch is taken over by fifth-generation Damien and his brother-in-law Lionel. Domaine Grande Bellane remains a family story and will be so for many more generations to come.

A Unique Location – Isolated from the Rest of the World

at over 400m Altitude

The Grande Bellane estate is located on the commune of Valréas, bordering the Vinsobres appellation area, on a shared plateau that overlooks both villages. With a total of 55 hectares planted in a single spread, the Grande Bellane is a haven of peace isolated from the rest of the world – at between 390 and 430 meters above sea level. Their vineyards are of one of the highest altitudes within the appellation.

Domaine Grande Bellane benefits from a predominantly red clay-limestone terroir with pebbles known to be favourable to the development of great red wines for ageing.

Warm and sunny days follow cool nights. This microclimate allows the different grape varieties to express all their aromatic complexity and preserve all their freshness.

Everything here points to great vine-growing and winemaking potential! 

Working the Lands Organically

All of Domaine Grande Bellane’s parcels are worked according to the rules of organic farming. As one of the pioneers to do so, Domaine Grande Bellane has been certified for nearly 30 years. Interventions on vine-growing are delicate and reasoned with a strong emphasis on the preservation of authenticity and singularity of their terroir.

The winemakers seek to promote soil life and biodiversity. Over at their vineyards, the vine lives in harmony with the entire ecosystem of birds, bees and other insects. Woodlots are preserved as they serve as a home for many species. The microbiological life of soils is also taken care of only by the use of natural intervention.

Thanks to the know-how passed down from generation after generation, each grape variety is associated with a particular parcel and can thus express their full character. This is then expressed in each handcrafted bottle of wine, reflecting the truest expression of their terroir.

A True Expression of Nature in Winemaking

Since the very beginning, Domaine Grande Bellane practises gentle and natural methods in their harvest and vinification. Their priority is to harvest grapes with good maturity and due to their micro-climate, their grapes are often harvested late.

After careful sorting, only the most beautiful grapes are preserved and then vinified. Generally, vinification takes place in stainless steel vats for about 15 days. The use of oenological products and additives is kept to a bare minimum. Each process is left as natural as possible.

As each individual grape variety is unique, Domaine Grande Bellane takes the extra step of harvesting and vinifying them separately, at optimum maturity. Grenache brings about warmth and roundness while the Syrah & Mourvèdre give colour, structure and longevity. Their wines are then racked successively which allow for a natural clarification process. Sulfur-free cuvées are simply filtered and bottled the following spring.

They are then aged in traditional vats, preserving the authenticity of the grape varieties and the terroir.

Sulphite Free Wine

Cotes du Rhone Village Valreas Cuvee “Sans Soufre”