THE STORY OF
A LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
THE STORY OF A LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
After his studies, Nils learned about wine making in several wine estates. However, these experiences, too “conventional”, were not the connection that Nils wanted to establish with wine and nature. He then decided to embark on a professional sporting career, while keeping in mind that one day he would realize his dream: to become a committed winemaker.
It was in 2019 that Ombretta and Nils decided to find their little corner of paradise to ripen their own grapes.
Multiple searches led the couple, in 2021, to visit Domaine Delesvaux, without knowing that they would fall in love for the second time. But how can you not fall in love with this unique place, with its hilly terrain and its remarkable view of the Louet and the Layon. It was love at first sight!
This is when the Domaine Drost adventure begins. Ombretta, thanks to her creativity and intuition, is the magician of this alchemy with nature. And Nils, thanks to his vision and his organization, is the architect of this new wine adventure.
Together, they complement each other perfectly to create a single rich and lively entity, Domaine Drost.
ELEVATE THE BIODIVERSITY
TO THE LEVEL OF ART
The vineyard has been in Ecocert-certified organic farming and Demeter-certified biodynamic farming since 2003 and 2010 respectively.
Nils and Ombretta have immense respect for the land that welcomes them. They return its benefits, by developing the plots of vines like a lush garden with its native fauna and flora. It is their duty to elevate the biodiversity of the vineyard to the level of art, so that it can express its full potential in return.
The domaine is currently working on a project to restructure its vines, in order to allow the continuity of this balance of life. It is through constant questioning and constantly renewed curiosity that Nils and Ombretta engage daily in our quest for harmony with nature, for us and generations to come.
IN THE VINEYARD : CREATE A LUSH GARDEN
In the vineyard, the team practices cultivation methods that preserve biodiversity. The soils are worked in a reasonable and respectable manner, always with the idea of creating a lush garden.
Pruning is a crucial moment in the season, and each vine is pruned according to its vigor. The pruning practiced at the domaine is a double Guyot pruning: one arm on each side of the trunk, always respecting the flow of sap.
Biodynamic preparations, herbal teas, decoctions and a very moderate use of sulfur and copper make it possible to fight against diseases.The harvest is done manually with the aim of selecting each cluster and keeping only the highest quality grapes whose maturity will be optimal for the production of aromatic wines.
A UNIQUE TERROIR ON THE CORNICHE ANGEVINE
The estate covers 10.5 ha, mainly planted with Chenin Blanc. It is located southwest of Angers, on the Corniche Angevine, a UNESCO heritage site. The Corniche Angevine is bounded to the north by Louet and the Loire valley; and to the south by the Layon.
The vineyard is located in the Armorican Massif and is cultivated on a very ancient substrate of around 320 million years, composed of sandstone shale, carboniferous shale, coal, quartz, puddings and sandstone.
Thanks to our hilly terrain and our temperate climate of transition between the oceanic influence and that of the Loire, we benefit from a microclimate called “Angevin gentleness”.
Together, this landscape, this subsoil, this climate and our hands complement each other perfectly to create a single rich and living entity that will be reflected in the estate's wines.
A CONTEMPORARY
APPROACH
TO WINEMAKING
AND AGING
By bringing all their energy to the cellar, Nils and Ombretta wish above all to produce wines in their own image, more mineral for Nils and more floral for Ombretta.
They have a contemporary approach to winemaking and aging, with the use of concrete eggs, sandstone amphorae and tuns, to preserve the natural aromas of Chenin, the estate's emblematic grape variety, right through to the glass. And with attention to the smallest detail, the couple gives their wines a profile that is both precise and joyful, without exuberance or superfluity.
