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Domaine Charvin

Domaine Charvin

Domaine Charvin was created in 1851 by Guillaume Charvin. For more than a hundred years, the harvest of Domaine Charvin was sold in bulk to negociants in the Southern Rhone Valley. The modern age of Domaine Charvin began in 1990 when the young, energetic Laurent Charvin took over the management of the estate. Laurent was the sixth generation of his family to work at the property, but 1990 was the first vintage for the domaine to produce, bottle and sell their own wine.

The small family estate is located in the north of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The domaine has vineyard holdings of just 8 hectares in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and 13 hectares in Côtes du Rhône. The average age of the vineyards is over 50 years old, with the oldest being nearly 80 years old. Laurent Charvin describes his vineyard site as being cool for Châteauneuf, as a result of their vines being mostly planted on sandy north facing slopes. Farming is biodynamic and the estate is certified organic.

Charvin produces finely styled, Grenache-based wines showing great depth and finesse (approximately 80% Grenache for each wine with small amounts of Vacaresse and Mourvedre as well as small amounts of Carignan and Bourboulenc for the Côtes du Rhône). Winemaking is traditional, with no de-stemming, and all aging is done in cement tanks. No wood is used for the elevage of either wine. There is no mystery here, simply old vines, very low yields and minimal winemaking intervention. Domaine Charvin's Côtes du Rhône is regularly rated one of the very best from this area--not surprising as the vines for this cuvée directly border the appellation for Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the northern sector where they are located.

Domaine de la Pinte

Domaine de la Pinte

Domaine de La Pinte was first planted in the 19th century, however, after the ravages of phylloxera, the vineyards were not replanted until the early 1950s by Roger Martin, a geologist and native of Arbois. Roger, a wine enthusiast and geologist, selected Domaine de La Pinte because it is situated on a band of blue marl which runs through Arbois to Château Chalon at an altitude of 400 metres. Twenty hectares were first planted, more than half with Savagnin, and the first harvest was in 1959.

Today, Roger's son Pierre runs the property, and has earned a reputation as one of the driving forces behind mindful winemaking in his native Jura. With 20 years of organic farming and 10 years of biodynamic practices under his belt, he leads a team that operate purely on a philosophy of minimal intervention.

His belief in biodynamics enables Pierre to coax the very best out of the region. The range is an excellent example of what Arbois has to offer; elegant and complex, always with the backbone of acidity for which Jura wines are known.

Domaine de Saint Pierre

Domaine de Saint Pierre

The man behind Domaine de Saint Pierre is Fabrice Dodane, who studied enology in Beaune before working several years at the cooperative in Pupillin. He started working at Domaine de Saint Pierre in 1989 as a manager and took full control in 2011. The estate covers approximately 6 hectares in the Arbois and Côtes du Jura AOCs with the vines planted in limestone and marl soils. Saint  Pierre achieved organic certification in 2012, having begun conversion in 2002.

All wines are fermented with native yeasts either in tank or neutral barriques; vinifications for the reds are done without the addition of sulfur. The whites are made using both the traditional 'sous voile' method as well as topped-up, or ouillé style. These are wines of great purity, displaying beautifully balanced expressions of their terroir.

Domaine des Comte Lafon

Domaine des Comte Lafon

Domaine des Comte Lafon has the deepest and coldest cellars in Burgundy and they are known for producing some of the greatest dry white wines of Burgundy. Dominique Lafon is the leading producer in Meursault, producing wines of astonishing depth and complexity, yet supremely balanced as well.

The domaine dates back to the building of the house and cellar at Clos de la Barre by the Boch family in 1869. However the real creator of the estate was Comte Jules Lafon who married Mademoiselle Marie Boch on St Vincent’s day 1894, and was shrewd enough to purchase exceptionally well sited plots in the best vineyards of Meursault and Volnay, as well as a treasured piece of Le Montrachet acquired in 1919.
 
Dominique Lafon has been in charge since 1985, taking over a domaine which already had a reputation for outstanding, if irregular whites, and potentially good reds. When Lafon took over the domaine, most of his vineyards were leased out on a share-cropping basis. It was only towards the end of the 80s that he managed to reclaim all the vineyards and thus have full responsibility for them.The white wines are now consistently among the best in Burgundy while since 1989 the reds have reached the top division. Not only are the Lafons' holdings in the best vineyards of Meursault and Volnay, but they are mostly very well situated within the vineyards. The domaine is now cultivated according to biodynamic principles with no use of herbicides or chemical sprays. All the wines are barrel-fermented, using new oak for the 1er Crus upwards. There is only one racking after the malolactic and the wines are bottled nearly two years after the vintage, one of the latest bottlings in Burgundy. This is the very pinnacle of White Burgundy with superlative fruit, power, complexity and total harmony being the wines' hallmarks. The reds (incl. those from Volnay, Monthélie) are first class as well.

In September 1999 the Lafons bought a domaine in the Maconnais at Milly Lamartine, sold under the label of Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon. Further vineyards have been bought subsequently, and from 2009 there is a contract in place to farm the vineyards of the Chateau de Viré. Dominique has also established a small label of his own, the wines being made in Beaune.

The white wines are whole bunch pressed then settled in tank at 12°C for 24 hours. No new oak is used for the village wines, up to 70% for Charmes and Perrières, less for Genevrières, and 100% for Le Montrachet, though these are subsequently racked into older wood. The wines spend a second winter in wood.

The red grapes are 100% destemmed and put in stainless steel tank with a cooling and heating system. Temperature reduced to 14° for a three to five day pre-fermentation maceration. The vats are typically punched down twice a day during fermentation. Post-fermentation maceration depends on the tannins, while sometimes the juice is pressed and run off into barrel to finish fermenting there. 30% new oak is used. Maturation takes place over 18 months with two rackings before bottling without fining or filtration if possible.

Domaine des Marnes Blanches

Domaine des Marnes Blanches

Natives of the Jura, both Pauline and Géraud’s families owned tiny plots (used to make wine for personal consumption) and spending time in the vines in their childhood was enough to give them the wine bug. They met while studying winemaking in Dijon and created Domaine des Marnes Blanches when they returned to the Jura in 2006.

They farmed organically from the beginning and have added parcels along the way to reach a total of 12 hectares today, spread across three towns in the Sud-Revermont (south of the Côtes-du-Jura AC). Cesancey, their first acquisition, is home to the white marl after which the domaine is named, while Gevingey, Vincelles and Ste-Agnès have more varied soil types, the majority being red marl and gryphées (limestone rich in fossils).

A recently built new winery off the main road in Ste-Agnès  gives them plenty of space and allows them to vinify and age every parcel separately. Wild yeast fermentation is standard, wines are fermented in stainless steel and then aged in minimum 5 years in barrels. Sulfur is used sparingly for the whites or not at all for the reds.Their range concentrates on topped-up Chardonnay and Savagnin, but they also produce a stunning Vin Jaune and tiny quantities of Crémants, Pinot Noir, Trousseau and Poulsard, usually vinified through semi-carbonic fermentation with whole bunches.

The Marnes Blanches vineyards are divided between three towns: Cesancey, Vincelles, and Ste-Agnès. The vineyards in Ste-Agnès and Vincelles are primarily red marl, with fossilized limestone. With vines up to 100 years old and interesting local strains such as Melon-Queue-Rouge and Savagnin Muscaté, the Fromonts have excellent material to work with in the cellar. They began farming organically immediately upon beginning the Domaine in 2006 and are now Ecocert certified, with plowing between rows.

The Fromonts ouillé white wines are labeled “Reflet” and their sous-voile whites “Empreinte” to indicate which wines are purely reflective of terroir, and which are “imprinted” by winemaking style.  Of particular note amongst their collection of topped-up wines are Savagnin Muscaté “Le Jensillard” and Chardonnay “Le Levrette” from old vines on fossilized limestone.  The reds are typically delicate and elegant, with Poulsard showing the zesty, high-toned notes of pomegranate and blood orange that make us love the grape.  These are clean, pure, vibrant and delicious wines.
Domaine Geschickt

Domaine Geschickt

Domaine Geschickt is a producer from Ammershwihr, a small town located just north of Colmar in Alsace. They have been farming biodynamically since 1998. The grapes are sourced from vineyards Soot and Hochstaden which have very low yields, producing concentrated natural wines with amazing aromatics and complexity.

The wines are aged in old foudres for 14 months before being released, and bottled without fining, filtration or added sulfur.

Domaine Matassa

Domaine Matassa

New Zealander Tom Lubbe was making wine in South Africa when he got the opportunity to do a 3-month internship at Domaine Gauby in the south of France. That internship turned into a 3-year relationship during which time he met Gérard Gauby's daughter Nathalie, to whom he is now happily married.

After learning about Catalan winemaking from Gérard Gauby, the couple struck out on their own in 2002, purchasing some ancient Carignan vines (100+ years old) in the remote hillside village of Vivier at 500m - 600m altitude- saving them from extinction. Thus Domaine Matassa was born. The couple produced their first vintage in their living room before moving into Domaine Gauby's old cellars in 2004.

Domaine Matassa works with old vines of traditional Catalan varieties: Carignan, Grenache, Macabeu, Grenache Gris, Muscat d'Alexandrie and Muscat de Petits-Grains. Most are massal selection. These old vines are incredibly low-yielding and result in terroir-driven wines of intense concentration and focus - the likes of which rarely hail from the south of France.

Indigenous grapes come from old vines, and vineyards are worked naturally, by hand. Matassa uses native yeasts and no additives of any kind, except for minimal sulfur at bottling. Wines are unfined.

These are beautifully balanced subtle old-vine wines driven by acidity and crunchy fruit with outstanding concentration and focus.

Drops

Mar 25, 2021 12:00:00

Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe

Ellsworth Wines

Ellsworth Wines

Ellsworth Wines is the product of Bryn Molloy and Jeffrey Sherwood’s shared vision to create a life devoted to nurturing and harvesting grapes from vineyards they steward close to their home in Nevada County, California. 

They are influenced by the global movement of making fresher and more drinkable wines from grapes that have been cared for in a way that benefits not only themselves and the consumer, but most importantly the soil under the vines and the air around us. In this philosophy they choose to avoid the use of commercial winemaking products in the cellar and in the vineyards. Bryn and Jeffrey do everything by hand; pruning, spraying, canopy management and harvest. They do not use fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides, synthetic or organic in their vineyards. Their vines are located in the northernmost part of Gold Country in the Sierra Foothills, California, at elevations of around 1500ft, where the growing season is dry and hot. Their no- till and dry-farming approach allows the clay soils to retain rain water for the vines to access all year. All of Ellsworth's wines are fermented using native yeast, aged in french oak barrels and spend time in stainless steel before bottling.

Envínate

Envínate

Envínate (which translates as "wine yourself") is the brainchild of 4 friends, winemakers Roberto Santana, Alfonso Torrente, Laura Ramos, and José Martínez.  This gang of 4 formed back in 2005 while studying enology at the University of Miguel Hernandez in Alicante. Upon graduation, they formed a winemaking consultancy, which evolved into Envínate, a project that focuses on exploring distinctive parcels mainly in the Atlantic-inflected regions of Ribeira Sacra and the Canary Islands.

Their collective aim is to make profoundly pure and authentic wines that express the terruño of each parcel in a clear and concise manner. To this end, no chemicals are used in any of the Envínate vineyards, all parcels are picked by hand, the grapes are foot-trodden, and the wines are fermented exclusively with wild yeasts, with a varying proportion of whole grape clusters included. For aging, the wines are raised in old barrels and concrete, and sulfur is only added at bottling, if needed. The results are some of the most exciting and honest wines being produced in Spain today.

Ferme de la Sansonnière

Ferme de la Sansonnière

Mark Angéli was a chemistry student turned stonemason who embraced viticulture as a form of environmental protection. He bought the Ferme de la Sansonnière in 1990, with 7 hectares in Anjou, Coteaux-du-Layon and Bonnezeaux. After years of making sweeter style and celebrated Bonnezeaux wines, he decided to focus on making great dry and semi-dry wines from the plots. This was due to the fact that he wanted to focus on unwired head-trained vines, which is practically unheard of in cooler climates. This allows the gobelet to have more freedom and air, thus leading to purer grapes and less rot, without having to incorporate manipulative techniques during the production process.

Leading the natural wine movement with Nicolas Joly in the Loire Valley, Mark now works with his son Martial, and winemaker Bruno Ciofi, producing precise and complex minimal interventionist wines. Volcanic sulfur from Etna is used to reduce usage by almost half. They make a total of 6 different cuvees, with four being white wines.

La Lune is the benchmark wine made entirely of Chenin Blanc.; a version of La Lune aged in ‘Amphora,’ giving it a texture boost; Les Fouchards, which is their monopole site planted in the 1970s, and aged in barrels for 2 years before release; The top cuvee, Vieilles Vignes des Blanderies, comes from plantings from 1949, also aged in barrels for 2 years. Next up, they also make a semi-dry Rosé from Grolleau Gris, named Rosé d’un Jour. Lastly, the unicorn red wine, Les Gélinettes, made entirely from Grolleau Noir with only 900 bottles or so produced a year.

Foradori

Foradori

Elisabetta Foradori's journey began when the early passing of her father unexpectedly hurtled her to the management of the family estate. Though she grew up amongst the vines, she initially took the helm more out of a sense of duty than of passion or vocation. Eventually, however, that passion and vocation came through the work itself, both in the vineyard and in the cellar.

Despite her status as the unofficial "queen of Teroldego" through the 90's, by 2000 Elisabetta felt she had lost all personal connection to her work. A path of questioning and experimentation (that included everything from biodynamics, massale selection and the use of amphorae) eventually led her to take the estate in a new direction, with the goal of making wines that were respectful of the soil and the local grapes, and using the techniques she found more interesting, less invasive, and more holistic. From decisions like progressively replanting the majority of the land from pergola to guyot and radically changing vinifications, to producing single vineyard expressions of Teroldego (in amphora no less!), it felt like a risk, but Elisabetta stayed true to her instincts. Today, Foradori is widely regarded as one of the most important natural producers in the region.

Elisabetta is still very much a daily presence at the winery, but if you've been following the estate over the last decade you may have met and interacted with her three children Emilio, Theo and Myrtha. All three are lovely and very much evolving the winery into the next phase of its existence.

Forlorn Hope

Forlorn Hope

Winemaker Matthew Rorick started Forlorn Hope in 2005 outside of Murphy's, California, in the Sierra Foothills, having inherited from his grandfather a love of wine’s central place at the dinner table between friends and family. His wine have continued to gain the attention of sommeliers and natural wine devotees worldwide.

The Rorick Heritage Vineyard, peaking up to 2000 feet above sea level, got its start in the 1960’s when the ranching land was purchased by Calaveras County wine luminary Barden Stevenot, who put Calaveras viticulture on the map. Rorick purchased the property in 2013 and began organic conversion. Today, the 75-acre vineyard is devoted to an eclectic range of varieties planted or grafted in the limestone soils under a layer of schist.

Forlorn Hope wines are “honest and pure representations of the site and variety” vinified with just as much respect and care as is shown to vineyard that the individual wine reflects. There are no chemical adjustments, additives, commercial yeast, or bacteria; and there is no new oak allowed in the winery. Some wines are given the minimum effective amounts of sulfur, added either post-ferment or pre-bottling, while others are bottled with no sulfur added. The latest addition to Rorick's range is a line of wines under the “Queen of the Sierra” label. They are fresh and vibrant wines that are highly approachable and are made with fruit grown in Rorick’s own Heritage Vineyard.

Formiche

Formiche

Formiche was created by four friends: Simone, Gigi, Dylan, and a second Simone--three winemakers and an agronomist, who crossed paths and shared experiences in various parts of the world before finding themselves back in Tuscany. The project was born from the two-day reunions they would organize once a month to have dinner and blind-taste various wines. Each of them used to bring 4-5 bottles to fill the weekend with wine, the joy of being together and a lot of laughs. The spark got bigger day by day, and they realized they were all sharing the same energy, the same vision, and the same dream. 

In their minds it became clear that they were being led to only one place and only one grape variety: Ansonica, a late-ripening white variety with a alluring golden hue once ripe, planted along the coast of Tuscany and its nearby islands since the 11th century, considered more rustic by modern oenological standards. It has an intriguing history, and at its best clearly expresses the Tuscan coastal “marine” terroir.

Finding the vineyards was anything but simple. Not much Ansonica had been left in the area, and they looked obsessively and exclusively for old vineyards located on very light sandy soil without any tough clay. It took a couple of years to find the small 2-hectare parcel they began with, south of the Maremma coast in a town called Capalbio, just a few kilometers from the sea. The 30+ year old vines enjoy very pleasant sea breezes, which mitigate the hot spikes in temperature and help keep consistently healthy plants year-round. The old rows of Ansonica were quite dilapidated, but with their own hands, pruning shears, and a huge amount of courage, they bought the vineyard back to life.

The vineyard's red, sandy soils with abundant marine deposits are kept healthy with cover-crops and green manure. Only copper, sulfur and herbal teas (common horse tail, nettle and willow) are used, at minimum dosages and only when strictly necessary. They strive for a natural, holistic approach to viticulture.

At harvest, grapes are evaluated and picked plant-by-plant, in order to take bunches only when they are ready. In the cellar, unnecessary interventions are avoided. Fermentations are spontaneous, whole bunches are gently pressed, no clarifications or fining are done, and sulfur is added only as necessary.

France

France

France - Alsace

France - Beaujolais