Yves Cuilleron is a highly-regarded, fourth-generation winemaker in the Northern Rhône region of France, known for his meticulous, traditional, and terroir-driven approach to producing world-class wines from appellations including Condrieu, Saint-Joseph, and Côte-Rôtie.

Since taking over the family estate in 1987, he has expanded the domaine significantly and gained a formidable reputation for his distinct style, characterised by balance, finesse, and elegance in both his rich white and minerally red wines, often produced with natural yeasts and aged in oak barrels.

The Rhône Valley, stretching from Lyon to the Mediterranean, is one of France’s most diverse and historic wine regions. Divided into the Northern and Southern Rhône, it offers a wide range of climates, soils, and wine styles.

The Northern Rhône has a continental climate with steep, terraced vineyards on granite and schist soils. This area is renowned for Syrah, the only permitted red grape, producing deeply coloured, age-worthy wines with flavours of blackberry, black pepper, olives, and smoke. Notable appellations include Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, and Cornas. Whites here, made from Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne, are rich, floral, and full-bodied. The best example is Condrieu.

The Southern Rhône enjoys a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and a variety of soils, including limestone, sand, and the famous galets roulés (rounded stones). Blends dominate here, with Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre forming the backbone of reds that are generous, spicy, and fruit-forward. Côtes du Rhône is the largest AOC, known for easy-drinking, fruity styles. Flagship appellations include Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, and Vacqueyras, producing rich and powerful wines.

Marsanne is a classic white grape of the northern Rhône, long associated with Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Saint-Péray, where it is often partnered with Roussanne. Thought to originate around Tain-l’Hermitage, it has travelled modestly: today you’ll also find it in southern France, Switzerland’s Valais (as Ermitage), Australia (notably Victoria’s Nagambie Lakes), parts of California and small pockets in South Africa.

In the vineyard, Marsanne is relatively hardy and productive, favouring warm, well-drained, stony or granitic soils. It ripens mid- to late-season, building high sugar and generous texture, but acidity can drop quickly if picked too late. Managing yields and canopy is crucial to retain freshness and avoid neutral flavours. In humid conditions it can be prone to mildew; in the cellar it benefits from careful oxygen management to prevent premature oxidation.

Stylistically, Marsanne is full-bodied and textural, often with a gentle, waxy feel. Young wines show pear, quince and stone fruit with notes of acacia, honeysuckle, fennel and almond. With lees ageing—or discreet barrel work—they gain mid-palate weight and a creamy, nutty complexity; with bottle age, expect honey, nougat, spice and a savoury, mineral depth. While most examples are dry, Marsanne also underpins the traditional-method sparkling wines of Saint-Péray and occasionally richer, late-harvest styles.