Domaine Gallety
The bright and talented Alain Gallety began making wine in the Côtes du Vivarais alongside his father. Together, they had a vision. They built a state-of-the-art winery, constructed right into the hillside below their high-altitude vineyards. Today, Alain’s son, David-Alexandre, works with him. Quietly and diligently, they imagine one day making one of the greatest cuvées of the Southern Rhône. One wouldn’t initially think such a goal is easy to achieve in a little known area as the Vivarais. The Côtes run down the western flank of the Rhône, just south of Montélimar in the Ardèche. Although these hills mirror those of the Côtes-du-Rhône on the opposite bank of the river, the Côtes du Vivarais was only recently awarded A.O.C. in 1999. Over a decade later, the region is finally starting to receive the attention it deserves, both as a cooler and wetter climate than its neighbors across the river, but with a longer ripening season. The wines here stand as a gateway between the Northern and Southern Rhône, frequently seeing equal blends of the noble grapes, Syrah and Grenache.
Though the Galletys reside here, making their exquisite blends with pride, determination, and focus, their minds are frequently traveling to other regions in France, where they are closely studying the methodologies and techniques of their contemporaries. Alain takes every aspect of the process seriously. To grow the quality of grapes he wants, he farms his fifteen hectares of vineyards organically, as he has done since the early 80’s. To best ensure freshness, he has installed top-loading, hatch doors over their gravity-fed tanks, so that the grapes go exactly where they need to immediately following the harvest—bypassing the cellar completely to begin their fermentation. The wines are then aged in Burgundian barrels, as the Galletys believe them to produce wines with greater finesse. Today, they are planting a vineyard so stony and wild that it will have to be worked by a draft horse. Alain Gallety is indeed a man of vision. Domaine Gallety is a new acquisition to the KLWM portfolio, but one well positioned for stardom with wines of such brightness, density, and impeccable balance.

The bright and talented Alain Gallety began making wine in the Côtes du Vivarais alongside his father. Together, they had a vision. They built a state-of-the-art winery, constructed right into the hillside below their high-altitude vineyards. Today, Alain’s son, David-Alexandre, works with him. Quietly and diligently, they imagine one day making one of the greatest cuvées of the Southern Rhône. One wouldn’t initially think such a goal is easy to achieve in a little known area as the Vivarais. The Côtes run down the western flank of the Rhône, just south of Montélimar in the Ardèche. Although these hills mirror those of the Côtes-du-Rhône on the opposite bank of the river, the Côtes du Vivarais was only recently awarded A.O.C. in 1999. Over a decade later, the region is finally starting to receive the attention it deserves, both as a cooler and wetter climate than its neighbors across the river, but with a longer ripening season. The wines here stand as a gateway between the Northern and Southern Rhône, frequently seeing equal blends of the noble grapes, Syrah and Grenache.
Though the Galletys reside here, making their exquisite blends with pride, determination, and focus, their minds are frequently traveling to other regions in France, where they are closely studying the methodologies and techniques of their contemporaries. Alain takes every aspect of the process seriously. To grow the quality of grapes he wants, he farms his fifteen hectares of vineyards organically, as he has done since the early 80’s. To best ensure freshness, he has installed top-loading, hatch doors over their gravity-fed tanks, so that the grapes go exactly where they need to immediately following the harvest—bypassing the cellar completely to begin their fermentation. The wines are then aged in Burgundian barrels, as the Galletys believe them to produce wines with greater finesse. Today, they are planting a vineyard so stony and wild that it will have to be worked by a draft horse. Alain Gallety is indeed a man of vision. Domaine Gallety is a new acquisition to the KLWM portfolio, but one well positioned for stardom with wines of such brightness, density, and impeccable balance.
Technical Information
Wine | Blend | Vine Age | Soil Type | Vineyard Area* |
---|---|---|---|---|
Côtes du Vivarais Rouge |
50% Syrah, 50% Grenache | 40 years average | Clay, Limestone | 13.8 ha |
Côtes du Vivarais Rouge "La Syrare" |
Syrah | 35 years average | Clay | .8 ha |
Côtes du Vivarais Blanc |
50% Grenache Blanc, 30% Marsanne, 20% Roussanne | 40 years average | Clay, Limestone | 20 ha |
Côtes du Vivarais Blanc “Fûts de Chêne” |
50% Grenache Blanc, 30% Marsanne, 20% Roussanne | 40 years average | Clay, Limestone | 20 ha |
* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres |
VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION
• All grapes harvested by hand
• Fermentation is natural and wines are vinified in cement tanks
• Wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered
Côte du Vivarais Rouge:
• Vinification lasts about 20 days
• Pump-overs and punch-downs happen 3 to 4 times a day
• Wine is aged in neutral oak barrels for about 15 months
Côte du Vivarais “La Syrare”:
• Vinification lasts 1 to 1.5 months
• Pump-overs and punch-downs happen 3 to 4 times a day
• Wine is aged in new oak barrels for about 24 months
Côtes du Vivarais Blanc:
• Fermentation in stainless steel tank
• All grapes are fermented together
• Wine ages in stainless steel until bottling, 4 to 8 months after harvest
Côtes du Vivarais Blanc “Fûts de Chêne”:
• Fermentation and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tank
• All grapes are fermented together
• Aged 24 months in old 228-L barrels
General Information
- Country
- France
- Region
- Southern Rhône
- Appellation(s)
- Côtes du Vivarais
- Producer
- Alain Gallety
- Founded
- 1974
- Annual Production
- 4,500 cases
- Farming
- Organic (practicing)