The Tonnellerie Sylvain is in Libourne in the Bordeaux region and was founded in 1957. The 3rd generation of Famille Sylvain oversees all three companies Sylvain, Meyrieux and Grenier.
The production at Sylvain is of over 33,000 barrels a year made selecting oak trees from the most beautiful French forests that are managed sustainably by the ONF - National Forestry Organization.
Sylvain barrels are recognized worldwide for their elegant and subtle aromas, helping wine to have improved mid palate structure and lots of length. Each oak profile achieves a distinct goal so please contact us to receive guidance in making the right choice.
The Tonnellerie Sylvain has its own stave mill with solar panels, a water reclamation pond, and a stave yard with 4 years of supply integrated with biodiversity parcels.
The French oak barrels profiles are based on a very selective process of grain tightness used as a precise tool for a variety of benefits.
Barrel profiles
Sylvain Blanc
Selection
Reserve
Grand Reserve
Signature - Limited Series
Biodynamie - Limited Series
Toasting regimes
Medium, Medium Plus, Heavy
Tonnellerie Meyrieux is near Beaune in Bourgogne. Meyrieux crafts about 8,000 barrels a year choosing oak trees from specific forests plots carefully selecting grain. Oak purchases are 100% French from forests managed by the ONF.
Meyrieux barrels are used in France and around the world for many grape varietals, most notably Pinot noir, Chardonnay and Syrah.
Particular attention is devoted to select grain and toast levels to lift fruity wine aromas and enrich a more defined mid palate structure.
Recently the workshop was expanded in surface to provide improvement of the toasting and finishing areas, including a special positive air displacement and dust-fumes suction hood.
The oak staves are aged in a unique chimney stack pattern for an homogeneous exposure to sunshine, wind and rain.
The oak profiles range from high Aromatic to structuring Tannin, and a choice of a rapid influence of oak or more nuanced and elegant to support the expression of wines of character.
Barrel profiles
Premier Cru
Tradition
Grand Selection
Byodinamie
Acacia
Champagne Selection
Toasting regimes
Blonde, Medium, A Coeur, Max
The Famille Sylvain includes since 2015 Marc Grenier, a prestigious Oak Tank builder in Beaune, Bourgogne. Grenier is an innovator in creating new types of conical oak tanks and foudres and has supplied the most renowned wineries in France and abroad. The production is now managed by Remi Sylvain and there have been major renovation and expansion of the production facility.
We provide Truncated Oak Tanks (Cuve) for fermenting and aging, as well as Oval and Round Tanks (Foudre) for aging.
The ONF manages all french forests owned by the government with very strict rules. An army of 10,000 workers oversees 11million Hectares of forest.
These majestic oak trees are not planted by humans, they follow a natural 200+ years growth cycle with very little man intervention.
A Haute Futaie is a mature oak tree of about 50-80cm in diameter and 180-220years old. It grows straight up looking for sunlight and fighting for its survival.
The Sessile Oak species has a distinct look and provides more pleasant aromas and less tannin than its counterpart the Pedonculate Oak specie. You will find more vanilla, eugenol and whisky-lactone aromas.
The first step to insure mechanical and organoleptic quality is to split trunk sections following the natural grain direction of the oak to insure leak proof staves. Eventually the staves are cut in to the ideal size.
The action of letting staves age naturally in open air allows for enzymes to eat away harsh tannin over 24 to 36 months. Sunlight, rain, heat and cold and wind patterns all play a very important role.
2017 Tree cutting during our visit of the Troncais Forest
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