Volvic Côteau

This plot is made of 2 completely different entities, one on the steep hills of one of the first volcano of chain of the Puys : the « Puy de la Bannière » and the other one on the still very steep hills created by a past seismic activity. Both entities are linked to the « Limagne » fault.

On the first entity we can find basaltic scoria, little bombs (small stones) of pozzolan or basalt. Three islands of vines are planted on this part, the youngest of the pinot noir has about 20 years old and just below 2 old « ladies », an interplant with a multitude of grape varieties which was planted around 1903. There we can find gamay from Auvergne, damas noir (name given to the syrah in Auvergne), chasselas and ugni rose. This plot is facing east.

The pinot is harvested to make part of the cuvée « Tournoël Riot » and the old vines are making a splendid rosé being the base of the cuvée « Bulette dans ta tête ».

The second entity is much larger and offers a wonderful view on the Tournoël castle. The terroir is made of granitic sand stemming from the erosion of volcanic rocks. The granite is so old that it crumbles in the hand. The geologists call it monzonite porphyry biotite granite. At the bottom of the hill, we can observe undifferentiated colluvium, sediments for which we are missing some details. Simply put, it is a complex mixture of materials from various origins. This area is facing south east. There we can find gamay, gamay from Auvergne and pinot noir. Both gamay are used for the cuvée «Rockaille Billy» and the pinot for the other part of «Tournoël Riot ».