Le Clos des Rocs is a 13-hectare wine-growing estate comprising 6 hectares of Pouilly-Loché, 6 hectares of Mâcon-Loché and a few parcels of Pouilly-Fuissé and Mâcon-Fuissé.
Vines were first planted in the area by the Romans, but their development and reputation took off in the Middle Ages under the impetus of the monks of Cluny from the 10th century onwards.
From the beginning of the 6th century, the spread of Christianity had encouraged the expansion of vineyards through the creation of large estates attached to the abbeys. The vineyards flourished under the influence of the monks of Cluny, as evidenced by the octagonal bell tower dating from the 12th century.
The estate, owned for over five centuries by the Bérard family under the name Domaine Saint Philibert, has now become Domaine du Clos des Rocs, a reference to its "Monopole" vineyard.
This magnificent family estate, nestling in the heart of the village of Loché, was enriched in 1999, thanks to the ingenuity and perseverance of Philippe Bérard, with the Vigneroscope, a museum retracing the history of vines and wine that was well worth the diversions.
Olivier Giroux farms 8.8 hectares of vines, including 6 in Pouilly-Loché. The estate's name comes from a 3.5-hectare parcel of vines grown as a monopoly at a place called "Les Mûres".
In 2002, Olivier Giroux bought the Saint-Philibert estate in Loché, with 7.5 hectares of vines, including 6 hectares of Pouilly-Loché and 1.5 hectares of mâcon-loché. He then renamed the estate after his largest parcel, a 3-hectare monopole, and the name Clos des Rocs was adopted.
The winegrower waited almost 10 years before applying for the organic label, although the conversion process began unofficially in 2006. Olivier was quickly convinced of the merits of this approach, in order to express the full potential of each of the estate's plots.
Information about Clos des Rocs