Saint Maurice Farm - Sylvain Thevenet

I am Sylvain Thevenet, a winemaker who has been based in my native village of Saillans, in the heart of the Drôme valley, since 2011.

After spending about ten years working in wine estates in the south of France and the Bordeaux region, I chose to return home to put down roots permanently.

Ferme Saint Maurice was born from this return to the land. Today I cultivate about 10 hectares of organic vines. My grape varieties (Syrah, Carignan, Clairette Blanche and Muscat petits grains) give rise to lively and expressive cuvées, vinified without artifice: fermentations with indigenous yeasts, without filtration, with a light sulfiting if necessary (between 1 and 3 g/hL).

Here, the vineyard is perched between 300 and 400 meters above sea level, on the southern foothills of the Vercors. The clay-limestone soils and the mountain climate produce wines of great freshness.

My approach is guided by agroecology: respecting the soil and sowing cover crops, deeply considering biodiversity in my farming practices (nesting boxes, hedges, ponds), and planting fruit and olive trees to enrich the life on my land. I aim to promote biodiversity and natural balance on my plots, thereby making my farming system more resilient and naturally productive.

My wines:

“KÔRÉ”, a dry white wine made from Clairette blanche, fresh and floral

“Georges is a hen”, a dry Pet' Nat' made from Muscat Petit Grain, delicious and cheerful

“Vita Brevis”, a fresh, fruity Syrah

“Chiendent d'Achigan”, a supple and crisp red wine made from Syrah and Carignan

“Ars Longa”, a more concentrated and complex Syrah

My bottles are reusable thanks to the "My bottle is called 'returns'" scheme, and I mainly sell through short distribution channels: markets, organic grocery stores, wine shops, restaurants in the region, and a few points in Paris…

Saint Maurice Farm is also active within the "Wild and Peasant Farms" association, whose mission, in the face of biodiversity loss and climate change, is to promote the return of wildlife to agricultural areas by actively fostering wildlife (planting hedges, creating ponds, installing nesting boxes, etc.) and by shifting our approach to daily work, particularly by trusting in the natural processes on our land. If you would like to learn more: https://lesfermespaysannesetsauvages.wordpress.com/