Domaine Pierre Sourdais: when the cellar becomes the heart of the story
A cellar worth telling the story of
There are places that have a soul. The cellar at Domaine Pierre Sourdais is one of them.
Carved out of the tuffeau limestone of Cravant-les-Côteaux, in the heart of the Chinon region, it is unlike any other. Fantastic in the truest sense of the word — subterranean, labyrinthine, steeped in history and the memories of Pierre Sourdais himself. A space that embodies a lifetime of winemaking.
The problem is that a cellar like this cannot be summed up on a sign. It has to be experienced. It has to be told.
The aim: to give meaning to an exceptional place
When the estate contacted Merci Gabin, the challenge was clear: to enable visitors to truly understand what they are seeing. Not just to wander through dark galleries admiring rows of bottles — but to understand why this cellar exists, what it says about the winemaker, and what it says about the wine.
And then there’s the tower. High above the estate, a viewing platform offers a 360° view of the vineyards of Cravant-les-Côteaux and the Vienne Valley. A rare vantage point, which puts into perspective everything the visitor has just discovered underground.
The ‘Between Cellar and Wine’ tour was born out of this duality: descending into the depths of the estate, then rising back up towards the light and the landscape.
For this special tour, the estate has chosen to lend visitors an iPad rather than asking them to use their own smartphones. This choice simplifies the experience — no need to scan anything, no codes to enter — and gives the tour a more guided, premium feel.
The voice that introduces the tour
For this project, the choice of voice was carefully considered. Pierre Sourdais himself recorded the introduction and the final invitation to the wine tasting. His voice, his accent, his words — to welcome the visitor and see them off.
For the intermediate stops, a young local actress lent her voice. This choice gives the tour a distinctive flavour: the winemaker’s authenticity at key moments, and the clarity of professional narration for the rest.
This blend works well. Visitors are drawn into the tour by the voice of the man who made this wine. They emerge with a desire to taste it.
What visitors discover
First, the cellar. Its unexpected spaces, its subdued artificial lighting, its silence. The tour guides the visitor from one gallery to the next, explaining the choices made here — the natural temperatures, the way the tuffeau stone ‘breathes’, and how this affects the wine.
Then the tower. The view suddenly opens up to a 360° panorama of vineyards and the valley. The tour puts what we’ve just experienced underground into context: those vines over there are what end up in these bottles here. The connection is made. It’s visceral.
This sequence — descent, immersion, ascent, panorama — structures a complete experience. Visitors don’t come away with mere information. They come away with an understanding.
What has changed since the launch
The team is less in demand. Visitors who choose the audio tour engage with their visit independently — they ask fewer basic questions, as they already have the context. When they arrive for the tasting, the conversation can get straight to the heart of the matter.
Would you like to create an audio tour for your vineyard? Discover our approach →
Xavier Adraste is the founder of Merci Gabin, a platform offering digital audio tours for vineyards.