Jean RIVOLLET 

He has never grown tired of this view of Mont Blanc and the hillsides of Choulex. “With a view like this, you always get off on the right foot and are in a good mood all day,” admits Jean Rivollet, showing some of the sunrise photos he has taken on his mobile phone. They’re like paintings! The winegrower grew up at the Domaine de Crève Cœur and, although he hadn’t originally intended to work in the vineyard – having opted instead to study agricultural engineering – he found himself taking the reins following his brother’s death in the 1960s.

A heritage to be preserved

“I started out by helping out on the farm, and as my father was in poor health, I soon had to resign myself to taking over the estate,” he recalls. Jean Rivollet has never regretted that decision, having learnt the trade on the job. “I’ve always felt privileged to live in this family home – a heritage we’ve constantly sought to preserve – and to experience that sense of freedom that working outdoors can bring. Being in touch with nature, you develop a certain kind of wisdom and you have no choice but to go with the flow of its rhythm.”

Today, Jean Rivollet, now retired, has chosen to let out the 60 hectares of land used for arable farming, but continues to manage his 9 hectares of vineyards. “I keep some of the grapes for the estate’s wines. I deliver the rest to the Cave de Genève!” Thirteen different grape varieties are grown on his hillside – to offer customers the widest possible range: traditional varieties such as Gamay, Chasselas, Pinot Blanc and Gamaret, but also a few specialities such as Mondeuse (both red and white), Divico and Divona. “Mondeuse thrives in our region. As for Divico and Divona, these are two new, more disease-resistant varieties: we planted them in 2012 and 2020.”

One of the founders of the Cave de Genève

The winegrower from Choulex is, of course, a loyal supporter of the Cave de Genève: he is one of its founders! “Back in 1929, my father was already behind the founding of the Cave de la Souche,” he explains. “Then, in the 1990s, the farmers’ group was looking for a partner to sell our harvests, and it seemed obvious to us that we would be stronger together in promoting Geneva wine… ” Today, Jean Rivollet believes that the Cave de Genève’s structure – with a cooperative for production and a public limited company for sales – is “a good model”. But he would like shops and supermarkets to promote Geneva and Swiss wines even more…

At the dawn of the 21st century, the Choulésien resident nevertheless decided to diversify his business and open the family home to visitors. During the renovation work in 2003, he converted the farmhouse and stables into a rural holiday cottage. The old cellar, meanwhile, has been turned into a function room for weddings and birthdays. “We also use our terrace in the summer to host wine tastings,” he adds. Jean Rivollet even took advantage of the renovation work to install a wood-chip heating system in the slurry pit, which had long been disused. The Domaine du Crève Cœur is well prepared to face the challenges of the future.