Domaine Colombo

Both Jean-Luc and his wife Anne were originally from the South of France, he from near Marseille where his mother was a chef, and Anne from near Béziers. They both studied for a degree in pharmacy as well as oenology. After their studies they moved to the Rhône valley to set up a wine laboratory analysing wines for other growers, this then grew into a consultancy business advising these wineries.

At the same time they had started to buy vineyards, predominantly around Cornas, this was 1984. Their first vintage was 1987 and they went on to create Vins J-L Colombo in 1994. Anne took charge of the vineyards; a keen gardener and beekeeper biodiversity has always been at the heart of what they do. Since 2016 she has also been President of the Cornas wine Syndicate. Jean-Luc looked after the wine making side of the business and has been joined, since 2010, by their daughter Laure after extensive studies and travels which included studying commerce in Lille; Oenology in Bordeaux (including a yearlong placement at Château Haut-Brion); travelling to the USA where she worked with Disney and Chef Alain Ducasse; she has also worked for Dom Pérignon Champagne and spent time in Delhi, India before returning to France and gaining a Master from Montpellier university. They now have 12ha in Cornas, 5 in St Péray, as well as vineyards near the Mediterranean, from near where Jean-Luc was born. They have been certified organic since 2015 though have practiced for many years before choosing accreditation.