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The Rietsch estate has been in the family for seven generations and the land was previously used for tobacco and crops. It was Jean-Pierre’s parents who started cultivating vines in 1970s, and handed on to Jean-Pierre in 1987.  Although Jean-Pierre is now retired, he still contributes to daily runnings and is assisted by Pierre-Etienne Grieshaber, however the domaine is still very much driven by a family-led culture. The vineyard is naturally cultivated, with terroir at the heart of the operation and no use of chemicals.

Very little sulfur is used, and only when necessary. Wines are made with a low-pressure pneumatic press to extract gently, with a slow fermentation and indigenous yeasts. This is also one of the few wineries in the area to experiment with skin contact wines.

Jolie-Laide is a two-person operation based in a Sebastopol winery where winemaker Scott Schultz and his partner Jenny Schultz make only 500 cases of wine a year under their own label. The name Jolie-Laide translates loosely to “Pretty-Ugly,” a French term of endearment to describe something that is unconventionally beautiful. Scott & Jenny make some of the most unique and highly sought-after natural wines in California, using simple winemaking methods--whole cluster, foot crushed, indigenous yeasts, aged in neutral oak and little to no sulfur added.

Scott’s passion for wine was ignited when moved to Napa from Chicago in 2007. Having had extensive experience in the restaurant business, he switched gears upon his arrival in California to lead the wine program at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon. Working a harvest and as a cellar master are a few of Scott’s many achievements. He now shares a winemaking facility with Wind Gap, Ryme Cellars, and formerly Arnot-Roberts, all of whom share similar philosophies as Jolie-Laide in discovering unconventional beauty. 

Clos Roche Blanche was one of the most important estates in the Loire Valley and an inspiration to young vignerons who followed their conversion to organic and biodynamic farming and more natural methods of winemaking. The estate was inherited by Catherine Roussel from her grandfather and managed by Catherine and Didier Barouillet until their retirement in 2014.

A succession was uncertain until Julien Pineau, who was already working at the estate, and Laurent Saillard, who was then working with Noella Morantin, were each able to purchase half the vines and begin making wine in 2015. Julien had become very interested in wine while doing harvest with Bertrand Jousset in Montlouis, then received a viticulture degree in Amboise and worked with Jean-Christophe Comor in Provence. Returning to the Loire, Julien worked a year at Clos Roche Blanche under Didier before purchasing his half of the estate - and though Catherine and Didier had retired, they both worked for Julien during the 2015 harvest! 

In 1997, when the young couple Sophie Kumpf and Philippe Meyer started their new winery, they simply merged their Alsatian family estates. They began with a lot of passion, but as life sometimes happens, Philippe left for new adventures and wasn’t interested in making wine anymore. Luckily Sophie found Julien Albertus in 2010 to take over the winemaking, so she could focus on the business side of things.

Since 2012, Julien Albertus of Kumpf et Meyer has been working biodynamically in his Alsace vineyards. He keeps busy with 16 hectares of organic/biodynamic vines spread across 70 vineyards, some of which have been used for growing grapes since the 17th century. Always searching for new ways to express the full potential of his varietals as naturally as possible, Albertus makes his wine in a local cave on the outskirts of Rosheim—its cool climate perfect for production, with great energy and enthusiasm for each of his terroirs.

Cyrille Vuillod comes from the Hautes-Alpes, and worked in the mountains as a ski instructor before shifting to a career in winemaking, a decision he made solely based on his enjoyment of wine. Cyrille started winemaking in 2011 where he worked and learned the trade under Jean-Claude Lapalu for three years. Having picked grapes in the Beaujolais area, he set up shop at the edge of Brouilly, and in 2012 he produced his first vintage in his own cellar, under the La Dernière Goutte label.

Gamay is the only grape Vuillod grows, but he buys some Riesling and Chardonnay from friends. Farming is organic. Everything is basket press and he uses fully carbonic maceration for a long time. He uses very little sulphur, only if he deems it absolutely necessary. His wines are full of life, unpretentious and delicious.

La Villana owner Joy Kull was born and raised in Connecticut and developed an interest in wine while working with her father at his wine shop. After spending some time taking classes in school, working as a sommelier on the side, and exploring options in the U.S., she realized that she wanted to try actually farming and making wine. She set her sights on Italy. Having been introduced to the Le Coste wines before her trip, Joy reached out to the winery, and she was given a job as an intern. While working at Le Coste in Lazio, Joy developed a love for the region, in particular the area around Lake Bolsena, a tranquil lake surrounded with sandy volcanic soils about half way between Rome and Florence and 10km from Tuscany.

La Villana was born in 2016. With the help of her husband, a local shepherd (thus the colorful sheep on the labels), Joy was able to find small vineyard parcels and take them over from old villagers who didn't want to see their land go unused. Focusing on only local grape varieties, she also planted vines overlooking the lake, including Procanico, Malvasia, Roscetto, and Petino grapes for white wines, along with some local red varieties. She now has about 2.5 hectares spread across multiple small parcels, and 1.5 hectares that she planted on her land (about 10 acres in total).

For anyone familiar with the wines from Le Coste, Joy's wines encapsulate a similar spirit. She is committed to non-interventionist farming, indigenous varieties, indigenous yeast, and no-sulfur winemaking. Joy's wines are simple, enticing and delicious, and meant for early or immediate consumption.

This is a fascinating project started in 2004 by Gian Marco Antonuzi and Clementine Bouveron. The couple are winegrowers in the Lazio region, about halfway between Pisa and Rome, who farm 6.5 hectares of vines near the village of Gradoli, overlooking Lago di Bolsena, and work biodynamically. The soils are volcanic, rich in iron and minerals. 

The primary red grape here is Greghetto, which is the local version of Sangiovese. White varieties include Procanico and Malvasia. Half their vines are sourced, half are owned. Winemaking is natural, fermentation occurs spontaneously due to indigenous yeasts, and wines are made with no additions, including sulfur. Production is very small. 

These are some of the most natural wines of Italy. Extremely pure and expressive, they are a joy to drink.

Madson Wines, a collaboration between viticulturist Ken Swegles and winemaker Cole Thomas, is committed to expressing the terroir of small vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains. With Swegles’ devotion to organic and biodynamic viticulture and Thomas’ light-handed vinification the two have created a voice in their wines that is unobscured, elegant and precise.

Madson wines are rooted in respect for nature and the vineyard. They believe that wine is made by nurturing balanced vines at sites with optimal temperatures and unique soil composition. They are not categorical in their practice. Instead, they manage each site singularly, adapting each year to improve their fruit.

At Madson, the goal is for the wines to express the vineyard with authenticity. All fermentations occur spontaneously and naturally. By macerating the reds gently, they limit the extraction of harsh tannins and jammy fruits, and are able to extract softer tannins, acquire balanced structure and avoid using fining agents or other chemicals. Élevage occurs mostly in neutral or seasoned oak casks. 

Margins Wine is a small winemaking project of Megan Bell, a winemaker living and working in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Prior to settling on the central coast of California, Megan received her BS in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis and apprenticed in wineries and vineyards in Napa, the Livermore Valley, the Willamette Valley, Central Otago (NZ), and the Loire Valley (France).

Margins Wine produces fresh and vibrant low-intervention wines using grapes from underrepresented regions, vineyards, and varietals. The winery is part of the growing movement in California to make wines from organically farmed vineyards using little to no additives during the winemaking process, thereby showcasing the vineyards the grapes came from.

Much like people living on the ‘margins of society,’ vineyards can be outcasts too. Most consumers of wine are only familiar with a handful of grapegrowing regions and types of wine. Margins draws attention to vineyards and varietals throughout northern and central California that find themselves on the margins without the recognition they deserve.

Martha Stoumen Wines is a one-woman grape growing and natural winemaking project out of Northern California that was founded upon the desire to recapture a farming and winemaking culture that has all but faded away--a winemaking culture of patience. Martha works with varieties with history in California, such as Carignan and Zinfandel, as well as those she's helping to pioneer in California’, including Nero d’Avola. Martha leases and farms 75% of her vineyards, which is becoming more and more rare in California amongst winemakers today. She focuses on biodiversity, and prunes with vine longevity in mind. She farms the vineyards in a way that maintains healthy ecosystems using traditional farming and winemaking practices.

Minimalist winemaking techniques are used in the cellar, including letting the natural yeast and bacteria on the grape skins perform the fermentation, and allowing longer macerations and aging to provide stability rather than adding tannins, acid, or stabilizing agents in the wines. Martha learned these traditional winemaking practices while apprenticing in Italy and France.

"For my wines I lease and farm around half of the vineyards myself. The other half are farmed by multi-generation farmers who understand their land, and their family's land, far better than I ever will, and who farm with my same philosophies in mind. Patience in the vineyard means composting rather than adding synthetic fertilizers, allowing predatory insects the ability to outcompete pests rather than spraying insecticides, and doing proper handwork, such as pruning for vine longevity rather than high yields." - Martha Stoumen

Steve Matthiasson and his wife, Jill Klein Matthiasson, have turned the common perception of the typical Napa Valley winemaking family on its head. Unlike much of the new generation of California dreamers, Steve has worked in the field for more than two decades. The Matthiassons’ wines are not only exceptional, but they are often dramatically lower in alcohol than typical wines from the area, and their entire ethos is antithetical to the exclusivity exuded by many local vintners. Both are also unapologetic environmentalists who seem on a mission to prove that growing grapes and making fine wine can be a positive force in the battle against climate change.

Since launching their brand in 2003, Steve and Jill have been evangelizing for a reversal of the past two decades' trend toward overly ripe flavors and high alcohols, and the result of their unorthodox approach has been extremely successful: Their wines are highly regarded by both customers and critics. Matthiasson has been named Winemaker of the Year by both the San Francisco Chronicle and Food and Wine Magazine, and the winery has received numerous awards.

The couple share in running the business. Jill, an orchardist, runs the business side, while Steve focuses on winemaking and vineyard operations. Beyond Matthiasson wines, Steve also has become one of Napa's top viticultural consultants, with a client list that has included Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Araujo Estate, Spottswoode and Hall.