A laboratory with vineyards.
Jean Ribéreau-Gayon
Almost a third of the vines we harvest today he planted himself.
What an oenologist does with a wine estate.
Jean Ribéreau-Gayon was a chemist, a professor and a co-founder of modern oenology. In 1938 he bought the Domaine aux Conseillans and turned it into his experimental estate: wine was made in the fermentation cellar, the laboratory lay in the passage behind it. The estate stayed in the family until 2002. The vines he planted in 1953 stand today in the wines of LaSuite aux Conseillans.
- 1938
- Jean Ribéreau-Gayon buys the domaine
- 8,646
- vines from 1953, planted by him
- 1949
- Founding of the Institut d’Œnologie
His dates and work are recorded in the catalogues of the Bibliothèque nationale de France and of IdRef.
Last updated: July 2026
Ulysse Gayon
The line begins in the 19th century with Ulysse Gayon, a student of Louis Pasteur. He brought laboratory science into winemaking and helped develop the Bouillie Bordelaise, the copper-lime mixture that saved Europe's vineyards from downy mildew. Gayon did not live on the domaine, yet his conviction — that quality arises from microbiological understanding — became the foundation on which his grandson built here.
Jean Ribéreau-Gayon
He was a grandson of Ulysse Gayon and one of the co-founders of modern oenology. What is our tasting room today was his fermentation cellar, with the laboratory in the passage behind it; the press, concrete vats and instruments from that time we have kept.
Together with Émile Peynaud he described malolactic fermentation: the conversion of sharp malic acid into softer lactic acid, which gives many great red wines their rounded suppleness. In 1949 he founded the Institut d’Œnologie of the University of Bordeaux.
Pascal Ribéreau-Gayon
His son Pascal Ribéreau-Gayon carried the work forward and directed the Institut d’Œnologie in Bordeaux for nearly two decades. As one of the authors of the Traité d’Œnologie, a standard reference to this day, he shaped the understanding of phenols and tannins — and of when tannins are ripe enough to feel soft rather than hard. Among his students were oenologists such as Denis Dubourdieu and Michel Rolland.
The vines he planted.
In 1953 Jean Ribéreau-Gayon set 8,646 vines: Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Côt, across six parcels on 1.67 hectares. They are all still standing and still bearing.
Old vines yield little, and we harvest them parcel by parcel because we want to see what each one gives on its own. What this family researched is still in the decisions we make in the cellar.
Frequently asked.
Is the Domaine aux Conseillans the same estate where Jean Ribéreau-Gayon carried out his research?
Yes. He bought the estate in 1938 and shaped it as its owner; it stayed in the family until 2002, after which two further owners followed. Our tasting room today was his fermentation cellar, with the laboratory in the passage behind it. Since 2023 we have continued the domaine as LaSuite aux Conseillans.
What did Jean Ribéreau-Gayon discover?
Together with Émile Peynaud he described malolactic fermentation — the conversion of malic acid into lactic acid, which makes red wines softer. Today it is standard for most red wines in the world. In 1949 he founded the Institut d’Œnologie of the University of Bordeaux, which carried the findings into practice.
What remains today from Jean Ribéreau-Gayon's time on the domaine?
The old press, concrete vats and laboratory instruments we have kept. And 8,646 vines he set in 1953: six parcels of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Côt. They are harvested and fermented separately, like every parcel of the Domaine aux Conseillans, so that we can see what each one gives.
Steht das Gut unter Schutz?
Ja. 1975 wurde die Domaine aux Conseillans als „Site classé“ unter staatlichen Schutz gestellt — auf Betreiben von Jean Ribéreau-Gayon selbst. Geschützt sind die Chartreuse aus dem späten 18. Jahrhundert und der Park mit seinem alten, teils seltenen Baumbestand, darunter große Zedern.
Wer hat die malolaktische Gärung entdeckt?
Das Phänomen wurde schon im 19. Jahrhundert beobachtet. Ihre önologische Bedeutung und ihre gezielte Steuerung erarbeiteten in Bordeaux Jean Ribéreau-Gayon und sein Schüler Émile Peynaud — teils hier auf der Domaine aux Conseillans. Wie sie wirkt, erklärt der Kontext-Artikel.
Read on.
Where this science sits in the decisions we make today — and where it has remained visible on the domaine.
From this legacy comes what stands in the glass today.