Les Pervenches, Farnham, Québec

Domaine Les Pervenches is located in Farnham, in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. The two owners, Véronique Hupin and Michael Marler, have been operating the vineyard since 2000. When they arrived, the previous owner almost advised them to pull up the Chardonnay plants he had planted in 1992, because he thought there was nothing good to be had from this variety in Quebec… Véronique and Michael decided to keep them. It was a brilliant idea as they now have the oldest Chardonnay vines in Quebec and are able to produce wines that are considered among the best in the province. Their wines are sold only at the vineyard and individuals and the best restaurants in Quebec flock to the estate’s wines which are released in early summer. Michael and Veronique have succeeded in demonstrating that it is possible to plant and make good wine in Quebec with vitis viniferra grapes, not just hybrids designed to withstand the cold Quebec winter.

Michael Marler and Véronique Hupin, the owners of Domaine Les Pervenches

While Domaine Les Pervenches is known for its chardonnay, the three-hectare vineyard also includes seyval blanc, maréchal foch, frontenac and zweigelt. The vineyard has been managed since 2005 according to the principles of organic and biodynamic agriculture. The grapes of the domain are all certified organic and harvested by hand. The wines are fermented without any yeast foreign to the terroir and contain little or no sulfites.

Michael studied agriculture at McGill University and at the École Supérieure d’Agriculture de Purpan in Toulouse, France. He is in charge of the vineyards and winemaking. Véronique, who holds an MBA from HEC Montreal, handles the commercial and financial aspects.

The Domaine les Pervenches currently produces six vintages. During my visit to the vineyard, I was unfortunately only able to taste three of them. The rosé (a novelty) and the Zweigelt were already out of stock only a few weeks after their release. As for the Le Couchant Chardonnay, the 2014 vintage was not yet bottled. The estate’s wine lineup is thus as follows:
– A seyval-chardonnay blend at $19.50/bottle
– A pinot noir-based rosé
– Solinou: a blend of frontenac, chardonnay, zweigelt and pinot noir at $16/bottle
– Chardonnay Les Rosiers at $25/bottle
– Chardonnay Le Couchant, from a parcel to the west of the vineyard, where the soil is different from the rest of the vineyard (silt, clay and pebbles). It also contains the oldest vines on the estate at 23 years old. Price: $32 per bottle
– a red based on zweigelt: $27/bottle