Les Accoles

From Burgundy to the Ardechois Accoles

First of all, this estate is a family adventure, created by Florence and Olivier Leriche.

The two acolytes studied together, in Bordeaux and then in Dijon. Olivier studied œnology and Florence agricultural technics. While in Dijon they discovered and learnt about the Burgundy terroirs in 1998. Then followed 13 years at Domaine de l’Arlot, in Nuits-Saint-Georges. It’s there that they developed the knowledge of whole bunch wine making and biodynamics.
But, the family’s roots lie in the Rhône valley, from the Geneva Lake to the Mediterranee. In 2005, Florence and Olivier bought an old house near Privas and rebuilt it. Then, little by little, they began the discovery of the terroirs from Ardèche.

In 2010, vines were for sell in Saint-Marcel d’Ardèche… Old vines, little parcels… An ideal situation to create an organic and biodynamic vineyard…

We bought the vines and in 2011 the adventure began and the Domaine des Accoles was born.

The estate in a few words

Des accoles takes its name from the occitan and means terrasse. Our vineyard lies on a bit more than twenty-one hectares in Saint-Marcel d’Ardèche. It is at only few kilometers of the Rhône river and Gorges de l’Ardèche in the heart of the IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée, or GPI, Protected Geographical Indication) Ardèche.

From organic to biodynamic

The vines which a half are more than 50 years old are planted on limestone and clay terrasses dating from the Miocene era. These vines are also surrounded by woods. They are cultivated respecting biodiversity, no pesticides, no chemically based fertiliser, controlled natural grass growing. The vineyards conversion to organic was started in Spring 2011 and first biodynamic preparations were applied in autumn of the same year and in spring 2012. We are certified AB (organic) since 2014, Demeter since 2015 harvest, and we keep going this way.