Still Wines

Poiré de la combe d'Ire White 17/18

Jean-Yves Péron

Poiré de la Combe d’Ire is a sparkling cuvée from Jean-Yves Péron made with pears. Organic, biodynamic, and natural, this perry is the winemaker's only grape-free cuvée.

Vinification

Around ten varieties of old pears, growing in Savoyard orchards, are the basis of this perry from Combe d’Ire, a clay-limestone area classified as a biological reserve and protected area near Chevaline. The pears are grated and then pressed. The perry is aged for three years in 350-liter barrels.

Tasting

Completely dry (zero dosage), beautiful golden color with a lovely fine note of sweetness in the background, coexisting with a symphony of bitterness, fruitiness, and salinity. A great richness of taste, the pear sublimated in a sparkling beverage. Intensely fresh finish. This aged perry is at its best after five years of aging.

Learn more about Jean-Yves Péron

Jean-Yves Péron skillfully embodies the organic, biodynamic, and natural renaissance of the Savoyard vineyard, which is based on varied soils and numerous indigenous grape varieties (Jacquère, Altesse, Mondeuse, etc.). At his Chevaline winery in the Bauges region, he vinifies grapes from his plots in Conflans, near Albertville, and Fréterive, in the Isère valley.

High-altitude biodynamics

Jean-Yves Péron's work follows the principles of minimal intervention. On narrow, steep slopes, his hand-worked mountain vines in micro-plots receive no synthetic products, Jean-Yves preferring horsetail and nettle manure. All of Jean-Yves Péron's wines are sulfite-free, made from hand-harvested grapes, vinified in whole bunches and foot-trodden in the vat. For all vintages, the free-run and press are blended, then aged on lees for at least one year, in two- or three-wine barrels, amphorae or tuns, before final blending. They must be stored at a temperature below 18°C. No sulfites are added, or as little as possible, and the wines are not fined or filtered.

Italo-Savoyard trade

Since 2011, a trading activity has allowed Jean-Yves Péron to buy the harvest from neighboring organic winegrowers and to collaborate with winegrowers from Northern Italy: this is the I Vicini series, which allows him to diversify the terroirs and deepen his experiences in winemaking and aging.

Canotière Red 2021

Danis dans la vigne

Canotière is an organic and natural Cahors red wine produced by Danis Bessières (Danis dans la vigne) in the Vin de France category. It is part of his "Esprit du lieu" range of single-plot cuvées. The name of this cuvée alludes to the puppies that attack the grape pickers and to the meandering Lot River near the plot.

Vinification

The plot from which Canotière comes, on the banks of the Lot, is planted with Malbec, the emblematic grape variety of Cahors. Danis' single-plot cuvées are vinified by Danis with a certain neutrality, adapted to the grape variety, in order to highlight the vintage and the place. They are often "easier" than other cuvées.

Tasting

Canotière is a beautiful red wine from Cahors that has the particularity of not emphasizing the density of the grape variety. The somewhat delicate conditions of the vintage produced a refreshing, vegetal and minty wine. The olfactory attack evokes a mentholated chewing gum and the palate is very pleasant, fresh, fruity and herbaceous, with a cherry side without excess ripeness.

Learn more about Danis dans la vigne

Under the name Danis dans la vigne, Danis Bessières vinifies organic grapes from the family property, the Domaine de l’Antenet, which was the first organic vineyard in Cahors in the early 1980s.

Organic and natural since 1983

Danis respects the principles established in the vineyard and cellar by his grandfather and then his father: making wines without additives, organic and natural, from the grape varieties of the terroir while respecting the environment. It was in 1983 that his grandfather obtained the organic label Lemaire-Boucher, followed by Nature & Progress followed by AB and Eurofeuille organic labels. Danis Bessières continues this momentum.

Malbec, but not only

Malbec reigns supreme in the Cahors region, but Danis also uses Cabernets, Jurançon Noir, Merlot, and recently created grape varieties, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Colombard as single-varietals. These experiments allow him to moderate the density and opacity of the main grape variety.

M&M Rouge 2022

Jean Louis Pinto
M & M is an organic and natural red wine from Jean-Louis Pinto of the Es d’Aqui estate. Classified as a Vin de France, it comes from the Languedoc and Roussillon terroirs, and presents a rather atypical profile due to its blend. The blend is made from Mourvèdre (40%) and Muscat of Alexandria (40%) with some secondary varieties, all grown on clay-limestone soils.

Vinification
The harvest is manual and treated differently depending on the grape variety: destemmed maceration, whole bunch maceration, direct pressing. The wine is a blend of several macerations and pressings. Once blended, the wine is aged in resin vats.

Tasting
This aromatic and slightly tannic wine is made for surprises. The blend produced can only give an extraordinary result. M & M brings together several dimensions: aroma, delicacy, fruit, tannins. It is both robust and opulent. Pair it with a nice roasted poultry, a rack of roasted pork or game.

Learn more about Jean-Louis Pinto and the Es d’Aqui estate
A child of Ariège, Jean-Louis Pinto chose to stay in the country and make wines that resemble their terroir, hence the name Es d’Aqui (“He is from here”) that he gave to his wine merchant estate, located in Moulin-Neuf, a town near the Aude, between Mirepoix and Limoux. A region where vines once abounded, until the major mildew attacks at the beginning of the 20th century.

Winemaker and merchant
Jean-Louis buys grapes grown organically by winegrower friends. He monitors fruit set and ripening, and does everything he can to understand the grapes before harvesting them. He vinifies them at home using natural methods, practicing long macerations on whole bunches and very gentle pressings in a vertical press. He says he has "a lot of vines in common" with his friend Anthony Tortul (La Sorga).

All the terroirs of Languedoc
Jean-Louis Pinto's collection area extends throughout Languedoc, particularly in Hérault, Aude, and Tarn. "I make wines from the South," he says. "I'm mainly looking for terroirs that give freshness." The most powerful reds are made in five terracotta jars, which help him control extraction and give his wines, he says, "a very crystalline quality."

Burgundy Bedeau red 2022

Fréderic Cossard

Bedeau is an organic and natural red wine from Frédéric Cossard in the AOC/AOP Bourgogne region. While a "generic" red Burgundy, it perfectly evokes the character of its appellation and is suitable for all occasions. This is the red counterpart to the Bigotes cuvée.

Vinification

Bedeau is made from Pinot Noir vines grown on clay-limestone soils, on forty-year-old plots in Volnay and the surrounding area, as well as a plot of fifty-year-old vines in Nuits-Saint-Georges. The harvest is macerated in whole bunches.

Tasting

The nose is fresh, natural, evocative of tangy red fruits (morello cherry, plum, redcurrant). Bedeau is a beautiful, delicious and refined Pinot Noir, bursting with fresh, tangy and satiny fruit with a touch of insolence to enhance the whole. Lively and voluminous on the palate, spicy, with velvety and well-integrated tannins. Pair it with Red Meats, charcuterie, freshwater fish matelotes in red wine or beefstewed in sauce.

Learn more about Frédéric Cossard and the Domaine de Chassorney

Frédéric Cossard and the Domaine de Chassorney gives voice to Burgundy wines (and others) in organic and natural ways, undistorted by agricultural chemicals, according to the style and convictions of this winegrower and merchant. Wherever the grapes come from, his wines bear the Cossard brand, both classic and creative.

Between viticulture and trade

Frédéric Cossard created the Domaine de Chassorney in 1996: initially a few ares of vines in Saint-Romain, Auxey-Duresses and Savigny-lès-Beaune, and currently ten hectares spread across the Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard, Volnay, Bourgogne-Hautes-Côtes-de-Beaune and Bourgogne appellations. In 2006, he created his own trading house and buys organic grapes from the greatest climates of Burgundy, but also from Jura, Languedoc and elsewhere.

A solid commitment to nature

At Frédéric Cossard, the work of the soil and the vines is done naturally: plowing by horse, biodynamics, no chemical fertilizers or weedkillers. The harvest, by hand, is carried out at full maturity. Frédéric Cossard's vintages are rare and sought-after, wines that are always highly anticipated but which sometimes require waiting.

Burgundy Bedeau Qvevris Red 2022

Frédéric Cossard

Bedeau Qvevris is an organic and natural red wine from Frédéric Cossard in AOC/AOP Bourgogne, vinified in qvevri (Georgian-style terracotta jars). While a "generic" red Burgundy, it perfectly evokes the character of its appellation and is suitable for all occasions. This is the red counterpart to the Bigotes cuvée.

Vinification

Bedeau comes from Pinot Noir vines grown on clay-limestone soils, on forty-year-old plots in Volnay and the surrounding area, as well as a plot of fifty-year-old vines in Nuits-Saint-Georges. The harvest is macerated in whole bunches and the aging is done in qvevri; the use of terracotta for aging produces a fusion and a particular velvety tannins.

Tasting

The nose is fresh, natural, evocative of tangy red fruits (morello cherry, plum, redcurrant). This Pinot Noir is delicious, velvety and very fine, bursting with fresh fruit, with beautifully melted tannins, the result of aging in qvevri. Lively and voluminous mouth, satiny, spicy. Pair it with Red Meats, charcuterie, game in salmis or prepared with red wine, or beef simmered in sauce.

Learn more about Frédéric Cossard and the domaine de Chassorney

Frédéric Cossard and the domaine de Chassorney give organic and natural voice to Burgundy wines (and elsewhere), undistorted by agricultural chemicals, according to the style and convictions of this winegrower and merchant. Wherever the grapes come from, his wines bear the Cossard brand, both classic and creative.

Between viticulture and trade

Frédéric Cossard created the domaine de Chassorney in 1996: initially a few ares of vines in Saint-Romain, Auxey-Duresses and Savigny-lès-Beaune, and currently ten hectares spread across the Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard, Volnay, Bourgogne-Hautes-Côtes-de-Beaune and Bourgogne appellations. In 2006, he created his own trading house and buys organic grapes from the greatest climates of Burgundy, but also from Jura, Languedoc and elsewhere.

A solid commitment to nature

At Frédéric Cossard, the work of the soil and the vines is done naturally: plowing by horse, biodynamics, no chemical fertilizers or weedkillers. The harvest, by hand, is carried out at full maturity. Frédéric Cossard's vintages are rare and sought-after, wines that are always highly anticipated but which sometimes require waiting.

Les Poupettes Red 2022,

Clos des B

A remarkably bright color and an equally brilliant aromatic palette! Produced in the Vin de France category and under the Écocert organic label, Les Poupettes is an organic and natural red made from 100% Grenache with no added sulfites, sourced from the Grimaud terroir in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. It is the result of a three-week carbonic maceration of the destemmed harvest in a closed stainless steel vat. No sulfites are added, either during vinification or bottling. Les Poupettes offers beautiful aromas of fresh fruit on the nose: raspberry, cherry, but also plenty of minerality due to the schist sands. The finesse of Grenache with a touch of flint that fits well into the overall picture. A round and delicious palate, plenty of freshness and an incredible rich and brilliant grenadine color.

Why “Les Poupettes”?

Under this pretty name, dedicated to the six granddaughters of Jean-Jacques Granger, nicknamed “the poupettes,” here is a magnificent glouglou, a true gift from the schist terroir of Grimaud, in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. Les Poupettes is a light, pleasant, easy-drinking wine, a cuvée that demonstrates the decision to reduce deliberate extraction as much as possible. You can pair it with a good piece of roast pork, for example a fillet or a rack of Black Pork of Bigorre/Collectif Padouen.

Learn more about Clos des B

Clos des B (initials of the two owners) is an organic and natural wine estate located in Grimaud, in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. Gwendolyn Berger and Jean-Jacques Branger are the happy producers of the very first natural cuvées from this geographical area. Before the two Bs bought these three hectares of vines, all these wines went to the cooperative cellar of the Vignerons de Saint-Tropez. Driven by a "thirst for vines," as they say, Gwendolyn and Jean-Jacques overcame administrative difficulties, restored the vineyard, and soon produced reds, rosés, and even a blanc de noirs. Their grape varieties are typical of the region: Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, growing on schist sands crisscrossed by quartz veins. The property benefits from a microclimate that protects the vines from humidity, disease, and frost. The viticulture and winemaking approach resolutely embraces organic (the estate is under the Écocert label, applied for in 2020), biodynamics, and natural methods. The wines are made without added sulfites, fining, or filtration. The wines of Clos des B are a true reflection of their terroir and climate: fresh, fruity, and very pleasant to drink, beautiful natural wines from the terroir of Provence.

L'Opéra des Vins Charme Blanc 2021

Jean-Pierre Robinot
This 2021 vintage of Charme comes from a particularly warm year: it displays pure fruitiness and beautiful maturity with a remarkable acidity that can reasonably be called "a little taste of comeback." It's a great seducer that you won't be able to do without. It lives up to its name: this exquisite Loire Chenin offers beautiful notes of citrus and spices: white fruits, honey, lemon peel, and dried fruits on the back palate. Elegant, deep, refined, and full of liveliness, a little exotic on the edges, it exhibits beautiful minerality and plenty of freshness. Charme comes from forty-year-old Chenin vines growing on very mineral soils: siliceous, clayey (red clay), and limestone. The harvest is directly pressed and fermented in oak barrels. Vinification is done by spontaneous alcoholic fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Aging is twelve months in oak barrels, followed by three months in vats before bottling without filtration. Decanting for one hour is recommended.

Find out more
Anyone interested in natural wine in France has inevitably come across Jean-Pierre Robinot at some point and has never forgotten this smiling, bouncy figure. It is clear that while it has not yet been proven that all wines resemble their winemaker (a study to be undertaken), the vintages produced by Jean-Pierre, warm, friendly, and luminous, are a reflection of their creator. After running the wine bar L’Ange Vin on rue Richard-Lenoir in the 11th arrondissement of Paris for nearly fifteen years, Jean-Pierre returned to his native Chahaignes, a small village in the south of Sarthe, on the borders of Anjou and Touraine. His dream is to acquire his vineyard and make sulfur-free wines. He reclaims hillside wasteland on great terroirs, as well as troglodyte cellars dug into the tuffeau. 2002 will be his first vintage. At the same time, under the L’Opéra du vin brand, he vinifies grapes purchased from local winegrowers. Jean-Pierre Robinot practices demanding organic viticulture, without chemical weed control. The soil is worked and amended with natural composts. All harvests, carried out at maturity on healthy grapes, are done by hand. The location and climate favor noble rot.

Marguerite Red 2020

Domaine Bois Moisset

Marguerite is a beautiful bouquet of sweet and spicy spices: cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg. This red wine from the Gaillac region offers plenty of freshness and volume on the palate, expressing the quality of both its terroir and its grape variety. It is made from 100% Duras, a typical Gaillac grape variety, a cross between Savagnin and Tressot. Some of the vines, around thirty years old, grow on the third terrace of the Tarn, therefore on sandy loam soil, and the other part, also thirty years old, grows on clay-gravel soils exposed to the north. The harvest is destemmed and vatted for two weeks without the addition of sulfites in a cement vat. The marc is punched down twice at low temperature. The wine is aged in cement barrels before bottling.

To find out more

The name Gaillac, the region where the Bois-Moisset estate is located, in the hands of Sylvie Ledran and Philippe Maffre, has been associated with wines since Antiquity; it is the oldest vineyard in France, with two thousand years of history and an impressive collection of ancient indigenous grape varieties. It is also a region of dazzling beauty, nicknamed "French Tuscany" because of its gentle hills planted with groves and its almost Florentine luminosity. Many estates, including that of Bois-Moisset, showcase this uniquely rich winemaking heritage. Along with an estate planted with vines, it is an organic mixed farm that directly sells its production of lentils, sunflower oil, cereal flours, and grape juice. A herd of old local breed cows also thrives there, and guest rooms are available in the summer. It is in this small rural paradise that natural wines typical of their origin and terroir are born, on fifteen hectares of boulbènes, gravelly and sandy-loam soils carried by the Tarn for thousands of years. The grape varieties are dominated by Syrah and Duras, but the ampelographic richness of Gaillacois (braucol, prunelart, loin-de-l'œil, etc.) is also evident in the vintages of the Bois-Moisset estate, which consist particularly of red wines with crisp fruitiness, concentrated but with smooth and delicate tannins.

Skin-Contact Zizifredo White 2021

Fréderic Cossard

Skin Contact Zizifredo is a surprising wine, a blend of Grenache Gris, Bourboulenc, and Muscat d'Alexandrie, macerated on the skins for a long time. Rare, appetizing, and sophisticated, with plenty of presence and character, it expresses notes of tropical fruits (pineapple) and various citrus fruits: mandarin, grapefruit, orange, in addition to iodine notes. On the palate, it is fresh and appetizing, with very fine tannins and plenty of fruit alongside the tension inherent in a long-macerated wine. Beyond the pun that its name constitutes (do we need to draw you a picture?), it also alludes to zibibbo, as Muscat of Alexandria is called in Sicily, the distinctive grape variety of this vintage. The grapes are purchased in the south of France by a winemaker friend of Frédéric Cossard. The vines are organic and harvested by hand, the harvest is vinified in whole bunches for nine months (it's really skin contact!) before being slowly pressed. The wine is aged in concrete eggs and bottled without the addition of sulfites, fining or filtration.

To find out more

Through his entirely natural work, Frédéric Cossard gives voice to the terroirs and Burgundy wines, undistorted by agricultural chemicals. Having observed, during his years of trading, the existence of harmful wine-growing practices, the winemaker used this counter-example to practice unadulterated viticulture. Thus, he produces vintages of purity and elegance without artifice which are among the most sought-after in Burgundy. Frédéric worked for a time as a wine broker before creating the domaine de Chassorney with his partner Laure in 1996: initially a few ares of vines in Saint-Romain, Auxey-Duresses and Savigny-lès-Beaune, and currently ten hectares spread across the Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard, Volnay, Bourgogne-Hautes-Côtes-de-Beaune and Bourgogne appellations. In 2006, he created his own wine merchant company and purchased organic grapes to vinify, according to his style and convictions, great vintages such as Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Pommard, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée and several Beaujolais vintages. The practice is not limited to Burgundy, as vintages are made from grapes purchased in the Jura, Languedoc and elsewhere. At his place, the work of the soil and the vines is done as naturally as possible: regular plowing by horse, no addition of chemical fertilizers or weedkillers. The vines are cared for according to the principles of biodynamics: homeopathic treatments based on essential oils, copper and sulfur in minimal doses. The harvest is entirely manual, carried out at full maturity, at the end of October. Red or white, classic Burgundies or more atypical or less "regional" bottles, Frédéric's vintages are rare and sought-after wines, which sometimes require waiting.

Volnay Red 2021

Domaine de Chassorney

This warm and straightforward wine from the Volnay appellation, with notes of red and black fruits, reveals itself on the palate to be balanced and lively, with lovely, gently spicy notes. On the nose, it has already expressed beautiful notes of red fruits (strawberry), spices, and candied fruits. On the palate, it is warm and powerful, with floral aromas and a great minerality on the finish. This Volnay comes from old Pinot Noir vines growing at the bottom of the slopes, on dense, stony soils of ferruginous red clay and limestone. The plots are steep, facing west-southeast and located between 230 and 280 meters above sea level. The vines are worked on horseback, respecting the soil and the earth. The harvest is manual and is carried out when the grapes are fully ripe. The grapes macerate in whole bunches. Aging is approximately one year in barrels.

To find out more
Through his entirely natural work, Frédéric Cossard gives voice to the terroirs and Burgundy wines, undeformed by agricultural chemicals. Having observed, during his years of trading, the existence of harmful wine-growing practices, the winemaker used this counter-example to practice unadulterated viticulture. Thus, he produces vintages of purity and elegance without artifice that are among the most sought-after in Burgundy. Frédéric worked as a wine broker for some time before creating the Domaine de Chassorney with his partner Laure in 1996: initially a few ares of vines in Saint-Romain, Auxey-Duresses and Savigny-lès-Beaune, and currently ten hectares spread across the Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard, Volnay, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune and Bourgogne appellations. In 2006, he created his own wine trading house and buys organic grapes to vinify, according to his style and convictions, great vintages such as Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Pommard, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée and several Beaujolais crus. The practice is not limited to Burgundy since vintages are made from grapes purchased in the Jura or Languedoc. At his home, the soil and vines are worked as naturally as possible: regular horse-drawn ploughing, no addition of chemical fertilizers or weedkillers. The vines are cared for according to biodynamic principles: homeopathic treatments based on essential oils, copper and sulfur in minimal doses. The harvest is entirely manual, carried out at full maturity, at the end of October. Reds or whites, classic Burgundies or more atypical or less "regional" bottles, Frédéric's vintages are rare and sought-after wines, which sometimes require waiting.

Ma' Carotte Blanc 2020,

Frédéric Gounan
Lively, fruity, balanced, fresh, and mineral, Ma'Carotte reveals citrus (dried and roasted orange peel), pineapple, and guava on the nose, with hints of honey. A saline finish characteristic of the basalt soil, and a delicious acidity on the finish. Ma'Carotte is a dry white wine from Auvergne made from equal parts Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc, directly pressed. Capped like a beer, it's perfect for all occasions and all pairings. If you see him passing by, take advantage of it, Frédéric doesn't make it every year.

To find out more
Coming from a family of farmers established in the commune of Saint-Sandoux (Puy-de-Dôme) for at least two centuries, Frédéric Gounan was in his first life a mechanic and prototype creator for the French motorcycle brand Voxan, whose headquarters were in Issoire. He turned away from the industrial world to devote himself to wine with his partner Caroline. He intends to take advantage of the magnificent terroirs of his native village, far from "pissing the vines", as was done in the past: he notes that everything that comes from this land has exceptional taste qualities. He takes over plots of Gamay d'Auvergne, plants other grape varieties, and ends up producing vintages that are among the tastiest and most sought-after in Auvergne. On this land of the Chaîne des Puys, Pinot Noirs grow on black basalt soils, while Sauvignons and Pinot Gris grow on white clay-limestone soils with basalt pebbles. A follower of organic and biodynamic farming, Frédéric also applies methods he deems appropriate to the climate and terroir: to facilitate photosynthesis in this harsh and contrasting climate, he practices lyre trellising, which allows the vines' foliage to be aerated and exposed to the sun, guaranteeing ripe fruit at harvest. Always a mechanic at heart, he makes his tools and tinkers with his tractors according to his needs. His wines are rare and distinguished, highly sought after by wine lovers: small estate (less than two hectares), small production (by volume, not by spirit).

Le Litre Arbitre White 2020,

Château Lafitte

Le Litre Arbitre, a dry white wine with a strong aroma of white fruit and lemon, is deliciously mineral and lively, perfect for all occasions and also a joy to drink on its own. It's so perfect for gatherings with good friends that Château Lafitte decided to pour it directly into a one-liter bottle. The beverage is obtained by directly pressing different grape varieties from a very old, planted plot whose birth date is unknown. The blend includes the classic Petit Manseng and Gros Manseng grapes from the Jurançon terroir. The harvest is done among friends, the viticulture and winemaking (100% biodynamic) are done without the slightest addition of chemicals or sulfites. Fruity as desired, designed for the most intense conviviality, and not even a pinhead of added sulfites. This wine will keep for a very long time if given the chance.

To find out more

Château Lafitte is located in Béarn, on the noble terroir of Jurançon, the origin of superb sweet wines and dry wines that have nothing to envy. Since the 14th century, Monein, the commune where the estate is located, has been nestled in an exceptional natural, rich and hilly environment. In the 16th century, vines already occupied a significant part of the property, and they have persisted to this day. Philippe and Brigitte Arraou, the current owners, have undertaken to revive viticulture on the site, assisted since 2012 by their son Antoine, a winemaker as passionate as his parents. Château Lafitte is now managed biodynamically and with agroforestry: five hectares of marl-limestone soils typical of the appellation, on a hilly terrain that can become very cold in winter. The king grape varieties of Jurançon, Petit Manseng and Gros Manseng, represent the majority of the grape varieties. Also typical of Jurançon and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques in general, viticulture en hautains, that is to say raised and trained very high, is practiced. As it was in many primitive vineyards, some of which are still active (Portugal, Spain, Georgia, etc.). On this beautiful estate, winemaking experiments are legion: aging in terracotta jars for dry wines, solera for sweet wines in untopped barrels, photovoltaic roofs for the cellar, rainwater harvesting, gravity-fed vinification. Château Lafitte produces sweet Jurançons as well as still dry wines and a very successful natural sparkling wine, Funambule.

Terre Mère Rouge 2020,

Clos des B Provence - Côtes de Provence AOC AOP



Red and especially black fruits (blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry) abound on the nose and palate. The wine is structured, the tannins are supple and well-blended, and the bitter almond note on the finish is somewhat reminiscent of an Amarone from Valpolicella. One clearly perceives through tasting Terre Mère, which is not named so by chance, the producer's desire to stick to the terroir, to extract its quintessence. This mature and evolved character (15% alcohol) results from particular winemaking methods: Terre Mère, a red in AOP Côtes-de-Provence, is composed of 50% Grenache, 20% Cinsault and 30% Mourvèdre harvested overripe in the second half of September (September 19 in 2020). As biodynamicist Jean-Michel Deiss says, "when the maturity is good, the grape variety disappears and the terroir appears." Vinification is done 90% in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats and 10% in open barrels. Foot punching is carried out, as well as some small pumping over. Malolactic fermentation is complete. The wine is aged in 600-liter barrels and in barrels of several 228-liter wines. No sulfites are added, neither in the vineyard, nor during winemaking, nor bottling.

Find out more
Clos des B (initials of the two owners, Gwendolyn Berger and Jean-Jacques Branger) is located in Grimaud, in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. They are therefore the proud producers of the very first natural cuvées from this geographical area. Those who know that this region is home to some interesting viticulture will avoid thinking of the celebrity seaside resort and poolside rosé: before the two Bs bought these three hectares of vines, all these wines went to the cooperative cellar of the Vignerons de Saint-Tropez. Driven by a "thirst for vines," as they say, Gwendolyn and Jean-Jacques overcame administrative difficulties, restored the vineyard and soon produced reds, rosés and even a blanc de noirs. Their grape varieties are typical of the region: Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, growing on schistose sands crossed by quartz veins. The property benefits from a microclimate that protects the vines from humidity, disease, and frost. The viticulture and winemaking approach resolutely embraces organic (the estate has been in conversion since 2020), biodynamics, and natural methods. The wines are sulfite-free, unfined, and unfiltered. The wines of Clos des B are a true reflection of their terroir and climate: fresh, fruity, and very pleasant to drink.

Bourgogne Bedeau Qvevris Rouge 2020,

Frédéric Cossard


Aging in qvevris, Georgian-style buried terracotta jars, further accentuates the velvety texture and refinement of this beautiful, highly refined Pinot Noir. This wine offers sumptuous, satiny fruit, a touch of fresh earth, and a touch of insolence to enhance the overall effect. The harvest comes from plots of forty-year-old vines in and around Volnay, and from a plot of fifty-year-old vines in Nuits-Saint-Georges.

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Through his entirely natural work, Frédéric Cossard gives voice to the terroirs and Burgundy wines, undistorted by agricultural chemicals. Having observed, during his years of trading, the existence of harmful wine-growing practices, the winemaker used this counter-example to practice unadulterated viticulture. Thus, he produces vintages of purity and elegance without artifice which are among the most sought-after in Burgundy. Frédéric worked for a time as a wine broker before creating the Chassorney estate with his partner Laure in 1996: initially a few ares of vines in Saint-Romain, Auxey-Duresses and Savigny-lès-Beaune, and currently ten hectares spread across the Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard, Volnay, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune and Bourgogne appellations. In 2006, he created his own wine merchant house and purchased organic grapes to vinify, according to his style and convictions, great vintages such as Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Pommard, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée and several Beaujolais vintages. The practice is not limited to Burgundy since vintages are made from grapes purchased in the Jura or Languedoc. At his place, the work of the soil and the vines is done as naturally as possible: regular plowing by horse, no addition of chemical fertilizers or weedkillers. The vines are cared for according to the principles of biodynamics: homeopathic treatments based on essential oils, copper and sulfur in minimal doses. The harvest is entirely manual, carried out at full maturity, at the end of October. red or white, classic Burgundies or more atypical or less “regional” bottles, Frédéric’s vintages are rare and sought-after wines, which sometimes require waiting.

Cric Cric Blanc 2020,

Clos Lentiscus


This still white wine is light, pleasant, refined, and crisp. It should be drunk young and well chilled. It's a good thing it comes in a liter bottle, because it's easy to pour over, especially as an aperitif with lots of friends. Made from the famous traditional Catalan grape variety Xarello, it comes from vines planted on calcareous-sandy soils and harvested by hand. It is pressed directly, the must is vinified using indigenous yeasts and fermented for six months in stainless steel vats.

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It is in Sitges, Catalonia, in the heart of the Garraf Natural Park, that Manel Avinyo and his brother Joan took over the family estate, renamed Clos Lentiscus by Manel. Even though Barcelona is only a half-hour drive away, the beauty of the landscape is striking and the immersion in nature is total: Mediterranean forests rub shoulders with Catalan scrubland (thyme, rosemary, rockrose, mastic tree which gave its name to the estate, etc.). The Penedès region also has a long winemaking history. Nestled in its gentle hills is Clos Lentiscus, in the Penedés appellation, on twenty hectares of sandy and clay-limestone soils facing due south at an altitude of 225 meters. According to historical documents, the family of Manel and Joan Avinyo has been established here since at least the 14th century. For a long time, the grapes were sold to local cooperatives, but since the two brothers took over the estate, organic and biodynamic farming has replaced conventional practices. The entire harvest is used in the house vintages, and organic and biodynamic practices have allowed this beautiful property to regain its former prestige: in the 19th century, its wines were sold in France and as far away as the Americas. Manel quickly earned a nickname: The Bubbleman, a tribute to his talent for vinifying cavas, the sparkling whites characteristic of the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, from native varieties that only Catalonia has the secret to: sumoll, ull de llebre, xarel·lo, malvasia from Sitges, cartoixà vermell, cariñena (carignan), accompanied by tempranillo and muscat from Alexandria. The vines are old, sometimes centuries old. No synthetic additives are used in the vineyard, and operations such as planting, pruning, de-budding, and harvesting are dictated by the lunar phases. Pollination is facilitated by the presence of beehives; sheep contribute to fertilization and control of the plant cover. Ringo, the white horse, takes care of working the soil.
Elegance, purity, and a crisp minerality due to the limestone characterize the productions of Clos Lentiscus. The note of controlled oxidation, when it is felt, does not dominate the tasting, and the wines are never deviant. The cavas are renowned for their exuberance, but those of Clos Lentiscus never have more than two grams of residual sugar per liter. The estate also produces still wines, red, white, and rosé.

Le Grenache du Bois Saint Jaume Rouge 2020,

Fond Cyprès
Fresh, delicious, supple, intense, balanced, and with a surprising length on the palate, this beautiful red Grenache is perfect for drinking or keeping. Delicate and velvety, it offers beautifully blended tannins and a magnificent balance with notes of undergrowth and garrigue plants. It has the generous and caressing character of its grape variety. This is a good example of Fond Cyprès' "forest" wines, marked not only by their grape varieties but also by the wooded and windy environment that refreshed the grapes' growth. After hand-harvesting, destemming, and four weeks of fermentation in concrete vats, the wine spends ten months aging in old barrels. It comes from a sandy plot of Grenache vines surrounded by a forest and a biodynamic olive grove. It is aged for nine to twelve months in old 228-liter demi-muids, which have the advantage of not oaking the wine but ensuring a comfortable, gentle aging process.

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This Languedoc estate is built on solid foundations: its two winemakers, Rodolphe and Laetitia, are also descendants of winemakers. Even before planting their first vine, they already had a clear objective: "to produce southern wines that reflect us, wines with character, attached to our soils, with freshness and refined tannins." They want to obtain entirely natural wines, concentrates of terroir. In the old Corbières massif, they are taking over an old heart of the estate already planted with abandoned Carignan and Grenache, which have seen neither fertilizer nor pesticides for years: these clean, living soils are an ideal condition for launching into natural wine. Around this historic heart, they first planted Grenache Noir and Syrah, then a plot of white grape varieties: Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne. The estate has been Ecocert certified since 2010 and also complies with the Nature & Progrès charter. The vinification is done without the addition of sulfites or exogenous yeasts. "We make wines for pleasure," say Laetitia and Rodolphe. For them, natural wine is first assessed by taste, from the harvest. The vintages closely follow the plots, the musts are fruity, fluid, and complex. The wines of Fond Cyprès poetically evoke the estate's ecosystem and the vegetation that protects the plots: the pine forests, the shady springs, the beauty of the natural environment that brings freshness to the wines and leaves the soil's signature. Deliciously balanced between mineral imprint, vegetal environment and expression of fruit, the wines of Fond Cyprès reflect the South: the caress of its sun, but also the freshness of its shadows.

Les Fesses Blanc 2018,

Frédéric Gounan
A beautiful, rich, and distinguished gastronomic wine, beautifully mineral, dominated by notes of honey and white fruits (quince, apple, pear, rhubarb) of remarkable purity. No provocation in the appellation, Les Fesses is the name of the plot from which this white Sauvignon and Pinot Gris, produced biodynamically and using natural vinification, comes. The soils are rich in minerals: clay-limestone, granite, and basalt. The direct-pressed Sauvignon must ferments for six months in vats with the destemmed Pinot Gris, before aging for three years in barrels.

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Coming from a farming family established in the commune of Saint-Sandoux (Puy-de-Dôme) for at least two centuries, Frédéric Gounan was in his first life a mechanic and prototype designer for the French motorcycle brand Voxan, whose headquarters were in Issoire. He turned away from the industrial world to devote himself to wine with his partner Caroline. He intends to take advantage of the magnificent terroirs of his native village, far from "pissing the vines", as was done in the past: he notes that everything that comes from this land has exceptional taste qualities. He took over plots of Gamay from Auvergne, planted other grape varieties, and ended up producing vintages that are among the tastiest and most sought-after in Auvergne. On this land of the Chaîne des Puys, Pinot Noirs grow on black basalt soils, while Sauvignons and Pinot Gris grow on white clay-limestone soils with basalt pebbles. A fan of organic and biodynamic farming, Frédéric also applies methods that he considers appropriate to the climate and terroir: to facilitate photosynthesis in this harsh and contrasting climate, he practices lyre trellising, which allows the vines' foliage to be aerated and exposed to the sun, guaranteeing ripe fruit at harvest. Always a mechanic at heart, he makes his tools and tinkers with his tractors according to his needs. Its wines are rare and distinguished, highly sought after by connoisseurs: small estate (less than two hectares), small production (by volume, not by spirit).

Lulu Rouge 2020,

Patrick Bouju
A magnificent and renowned wine, a rich and velvety Lulu cuvée, with animal and spicy notes, and where the red fruits are generously expressed. Lulu comes from a basalt plot in Corent, planted with Gamay d'Auvergne vines over seventy years old. The destemmed harvest macerates for five months in amphorae. Aging is twelve months in oak barrels. Decanting is recommended.

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Near Billom, the Limagne clermontoise rises eastward to form a hilly area with a mild climate, dominated by volcanic hills. This is the Tuscany of Auvergne, so named because of its resemblance to the Italian province. This land of mixed subsistence farming was once covered in vines and was the preferred domain of Gamay d'Auvergne, a robust ancient strain, the origin of dense, deep, and fruity wines. This is where Patrick Bouju cultivates and vinifies, on these high-quality volcanic soils and mainly on old vines. The soils vary between basalt, limestone, clay-limestone, and pozzolan. Patrick collects and cares for the best terroirs of Puy-de-Dôme, often abandoned, and gives them new life. He also preserves the indigenous grape varieties, of which he cultivates a good fifty, and simultaneously works as a wine merchant using purchased organic grapes. The current renaissance of the Auvergne vineyard (which was once the third largest in France) owes much to Patrick. The fact that he enjoys lending a helping hand to his winegrowing friends from France and elsewhere only confirms his image as a model, a leader. His partnerships are famous: with Action Bronson for the series A la Natural, with Jason Ligas in Greece for Sous le Végétal… Patrick practices long macerations, and the wines rest for up to six months after bottling. Very sensitive to sulfites in wines, Patrick has found that his own do very well without them. He has also found that if the grapes are healthy and concentrated, the balance is achieved by itself, whatever the successive phases a vintage goes through. His noble, chiseled, distinguished, never bland wines are immediately recognizable in the glass. They are straight, clean, precise, often marked by floral notes and a spicy minerality. They also constitute a formidable anthology of the terroirs and ancient vines of Basse-Auvergne and its volcanic soils.