HISTORY

OUR

1900

Our story begins with my great-great-grandfather, who owned land which he cultivated and on which he raised livestock.

At that time, mixed farming dominated the agricultural world. Many farmers owned livestock (beef and dairy cows, pigs, poultry, horses, particularly for working the land). The few acres of land were used for the production of cereals (buckwheat, barley, etc.), for feeding livestock (beets, cabbage, etc.) but also for growing vegetables for the household.

1957

At All Saints' Day, my grandfather, Joseph ROCHAIS and my grandmother, his wife Madeleine BONNIN, settled as winegrowers in Martigné-Briand, where they were born. At the time they acquired 4 hectares of vines and a few hectares of arable land.

1973

They bought a farm 4 km from the town of the commune, a place called "La Touche Blanche", where the estate is still located.

1982

My grandparents, Joseph and Madeleine Rochais, left the farm, which was taken over by their two sons (my father and my uncle), who had joined the family business a few years earlier. This was followed by 11 years of collaboration between the two brothers, under the GAEC (a type of agricultural cooperative).

1993

The GAEC (Groupement Agricole d'Exploitation en Commun - a type of French agricultural cooperative) is dissolved. This marks a difficult period for the winegrowers, both personally and financially. Wine prices collapse that year, following the overproduction of 1992 due to the historically mild frost of 1991.

The two brothers separated: my uncle settled on the arable land with the livestock. My father took over the 17 hectares of family vineyards. He would be the very first generation to cultivate vines in monoculture.

Despite the complicated situation, my father, Christian ROCHAIS, with his heart forward and his working spirit, accompanied by my mother, his wife, Christine MORIZUR-ROCHAIS, managed as best he could to keep the family farm afloat, an inheritance from the BIAS AND ROCHAIS ancestors.

2001

I began a BPREA (Professional Certificate in Agricultural Production) apprenticeship in Montreuil-Bellay, at the CFFPPA (Center for Agricultural and Horticultural Training) of the Edgar Pisani high school. This apprenticeship took place on a farm in Saint Aubin de Luigné, producing Chaume and Savennières wines, until June 2003. Following my apprenticeship, I was hired and given responsibility for the mechanical work. But a goal was gradually taking shape and was nagging at me…

2005

I resigned to move closer to the family farm in Martigné-Briand and joined the farm of my father's cousin.

2006

I decided to take the plunge: I resigned and seized a great opportunity in the commune of Chavagnes-les-Eaux, a neighboring town to my father's vineyard, following the retirement of a winegrower. After completing the administrative procedures with the Chamber of Agriculture, I became the owner of 12 hectares of vines.

2007

Under the sign of a year of generational transition, a new father-son family union is born: it is the official creation of EARL ROCHAIS, the Domaine la Touche Blanche.

2012

In March, the new Touche Blanche winery, a lifetime's investment, was completed. Father and son, we began developing our wines, experimenting with different vinification processes, from short to long, in tanks and French oak barrels. We then started to receive awards in various competitions.

2015

A new chapter is dawning for the Domaine: my father's retirement. The cards are in place and the process is finalized; I become the sole manager of EARL ROCHAIS, Domaine la Touche Blanche. The years go by with an increasingly sensible, responsible, and intelligent approach to farming.

2019

The team is strengthened with the arrival of Christophe and Damien to assist me with daily tasks, in the vineyard and in the winery.

2020

The Domaine officially commits to organic farming to affirm its convictions.

2021

The family tradition continues and it is Camille ROCHAIS, my sister, who is joining the family business, after a career change.

2023

Certification and commitment to Organic Agriculture.

In partnership with "Bout' à Bout'", the Domaine is committed to a bottle deposit system. The bottles will be washed and then reused. You can therefore return your bottles to the Domaine or to the various collection points!

All the information is available HERE

This is the logo you will find on our bottles.