Magnificent terroir of white marls high on the hill-side and facing south. Very calcareous ground, with good drainage, allowing harvests at optimal maturity. From three tenths of one hectare of vines that average thirty-five and fifty-five years-old. The persistence on the palate is ridiculously...

In Remington Norman and Charles Taylor’s book, The Great Domaines of Burgundy, Les Vergelesses and Île des Vergelesses are described as top sites in the village of Pernand-Vergelesses, “wines of weight and structure, capable of aging for twenty years or more.” Les Vergelesses is just below Île,...

Many argue that Île des Vergelesses should be classified as a Grand Cru. It’s true that in the best years, with it’s eastern exposure and mid-slope location, it behaves as a Grand Cru. Chandon de Briailles has a healthy three hectares planted to pinot noir, located in an area with a nice slope, and...

In 2012, Agnès met Elisabetta Foradori, who makes wine from the local Teroldego in the Italian Dolomites, notably in amphora. Agnès said that the first wine she tasted from Elisabetta was a white made in amphora and it gave her “the sensation of touching a truth that resonated in me, a wine that...

95% Grenache/5% Pineau d'Aunis. "Bille en Bulle" is a new wine in Bellivière's "Les Arches de Bellivière" line-up, which was created in recent years to give the Nicolas family an opportunity to expand beyond their estate bottlings. The Grenache vines in this case are in Ventoux in the southern...

50% Gamay/50% Pineau d'Aunis. From certified-biodynamic estate vines planted on flinty clay over tuffeau and yielding a maximum of 25 hl/ha. Harvest is manual. The grapes are destemmed, gently crushed and fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in vat. Maceration lasts several weeks with...

100% Chenin Blanc. "Les Rosiers" is from Bellivière's younger Jasnières vines, across 24 parcels totaling 5 hectares. The vines are planted on flinty clay soils rich in tuffeau (soft limestone), are certified-biodynamic and harvested by hand. The bunches are direct-pressed into tank and the juice...

100% Pineau d'Aunis. The Nicolas family bottles a Pineau d'Aunis called "Rouge Gorge" annually; in some vintages, they single out the very oldest vines, which total 0.9 hectare and clock in at over 100 years old at this point, for their "L'Hommage à Louis Derré" bottling. Needless to say, the...

60% Corvina/20% Corvinone/20% Rondinella. The Venturini family bought 1.5 hectares of vines in San Giorgio, about 8 kilometers from their estate vineyard, in 2015. They farm these vines biodynamically, like all of their others, but there are key differences in the site itself. It is a steeper,...

50% Corvina/20% Corvinone/ 20% Rondinella/10% Molinara & Oseleta. A very short maceration of the Valpolicella varieties. Biodynamically farmed vines in pergola on restored ancient  terraces on the south-facing hill in front of the winery. Light in color, body and alcohol (10.5%) and in a liter...

40% Corvina/30% Corvinone/20% Rondinella/10% Oseleta & Molinara. From certified-biodynamic estate vines ranging from 25-65 years old, the same ones from which Monte dall'Ora makes their entry-level Saseti and their ripasso Saustò. The vineyard is a south-facing hillside of ancient terraces that...

100% Sangiovese (40% Montesecondo/60% sourced). The organically farmed bunches are harvested by hand and destemmed. The berries are slowly pressed, picking up a deep pink color in the process. Fermentation is spontaneous with native yeasts and without sulfur or temperature control in stainless...

100% Sangiovese. From certified-biodynamic estate vines in San Casciano in Val di Pesa at the northern edge of the Chianti Classico zone. The fruit can come from two sites--one lower-lying, warmer, with heavier clay soils with alluvial stones, the other much higher, cooler, north-facing and...

100% Sangiovese. From certified-biodynamic vines in San Casciano in Val di Pesa at the northern edge of the Chianti Classico zone. The fruit comes from two sites--one lower-lying, warmer, with heavier clay soils with alluvial stones, the other much higher, cooler, north-facing and limestone-forward...

95% Trebbiano/5% Malvasia. From certified-biodynamic vines up to 50 years old in the home Montesecondo vineyard in San Casciano in Val di Pesa (at the northern edge of the Chianti Classico zone). The old vines have been propagated by the old traditional marcottage method (wherein a vine attached to...

100% Frappato. From multiple certified-organic parcels with vines averaging 40 years old, planted on red-sandy, limestone soils and trained in alberello and guyot. The bunches are hand-harvested and destemmed with the berries left whole. Fermentation is spontaneous with native yeasts in 20-...