Nathalie Larroque and her family live at the farm known as Mas d’Oustry, built in 1498. This blanc “Perlé” is made from 80% Mauzac and 20% Muscadelle – two grapes typical to the Southwest of France. The word “Perlé” indicates a slight prickle – nearly imperceptible bubbles in the wine. It’s bottled...

Nathalie Larroque and her family live at the farm known as Mas d’Oustry, built in 1498. This blanc “Perlé” is made from 80% Mauzac and 20% Muscadelle – two grapes typical to the Southwest of France. The word “Perlé” indicates a slight prickle – nearly imperceptible bubbles in the wine. It’s bottled...

Marine Descombe runs her family winery at Vins Descombe in Brouilly, which was founded in 1905 by her grandfather. A textbook blue stone Brouilly style Beaujolais-Villages. Beautiful purity of gamay noir fruit meets cement ageing, showcasing the unique expression of Beaujolais. Certified...

The Gessler family settled in Gascony after immigrating from Switzerland in 1928. Now in their fourth generation of winemakers, a tiny farm has become a robust family business. The domaine is settled deep in the Bas-Armagnac, where the soil is a mix of red clay and sand. A blend of 50% Colombard,...

Again from the Contrada San Nicola vineyard, outside the village of Mazara del Vallo in western Sicily, we find Nero d’Avola vines tended to by the ever thoughtful Sala sisters. The vines are just 15 years old on average but the wine is ever complex. While some Nero d’Avola wines can be on the...

Quinta da Foz is located at the junction of the Douro River and its tributary, the Pinhão, in the Cima Corgo subregion. The Calém family acquired it in 1872, and today Filipe Ferreira is in charge of winemaking. It’s a small, 20 hectares property, half of which is treasured 50-80 year-old vineyards...

Little known outside of France, Coteaux du Giennois just received AOP status in 1998 – yet it has been producing wine since the 2nd century. Alice Berthier’s vineyards are planted on hillsides of the Loire extensions of the geologic formations of Sancerrois and Pouilly. The terroir is a mix of 50%...

65% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Sémillon, 10% Sauvignon Gris.  From two plots on limestone-clay and gravel soils on the hillside of Tresses & Artigues.  Pressing two days before fermentation. Vinified with little oxygen contact to maximize freshness and aged in stainless steel for three to four months...

From the commune of Cormot-le-Grand, northwest-facing, limited sunshine exposure, clay-marl soil. 100% whole cluster, minimal SO2 addition before vinification, 3-day cold maceration at 12 degrees C, semi-carbonic maceration and ambient yeast fermentation in tank, gentle punch-downs at the end of...

From the commune of Comblanchien, at the base of a slope, humid site, clay-dominant soil. 50% whole cluster, minimal SO2 addition before vinification, 3-day cold maceration at 12 degrees C, semi-carbonic maceration and ambient yeast fermentation in tank, gentle punch-downs at the end of...

100% whole cluster with minimal added SO2, 3-day cold maceration, long ambient yeast fermentation in 3850 L tank with gentle punch-downs, mostly at the end of fermentation. Aged in reductive conditions for 12 months in used barrels and another 8 months in tank. No fining, no filtration. 2,200...

Les Clous: 0.17 ha, southwest-facing, heavy clay and marl soils. Nampoillon:0.52 ha, southwest-facing, cool area with well-draining soils. No tilling,and harvested 5 days after Les Clous. 100% whole cluster with minimal added SO2, 3-day cold maceration, long ambient yeast fermentation in 1600L tank...

From “En Mainbey” in Fussey. South-facing, well-draining clay-limestone soil. Pressed in a pneumatic press (1.5 hours) and settled for 12 hours. Long ambient yeast fermentation in used barrels with no added SO2. Aged for 12 months in used barrels and another 3 months in tank. No fining, no...

A blend from three different parcels in Savigny-les-Beaune. Pretty and elegant. 100% whole cluster.

Les Tosses is a steep, 90-year-old vineyard of head-pruned Carinyena on llicorella soil that Dominik Huber discovered while riding his motorbike on the twisting and mountainous dirt roads around Torroja. While many growers in the Priorat preferred Garnatxa or were planting Cabernet Sauvignon and...

A blend of Pedro Ximénez (90%) and Muscat d’Alexandria (10%). The Pedro Ximenez comes from vineyards in El Molar planted on schist soils and from El Molar, where the soils are clay-limestone. Harvested by hand, the PX is layered whole cluster in a wine press and gently pressed by foot over a period...

Dominik freely admits that the Negre from Terroir Històric will always be a Garnatxa-dominated blend with Carinyena playing a secondary role. Garnatxa makes for a friendlier young wine, and that is really the goal Dominik has with this cuvée. With a healthy dose of Garnatxa grown high in the...

While Dominik Huber produces two white wines at Terroir al Limit, they are made quite differently. Dominik refers to Pedra de Guix as his “oxidative” white, while Terra de Cuques is his “skin contact” white. Guix is a blend of old-vines of Pedro Ximenez on clay soils in the village of Lloar,...

The cru of Baudana can seem undersung compared to more famous sites, but in the recent past it was not so. “This vineyard has contributed to creating excellent signature wines since the 1930s and has always been held in high esteem by the locals”--Atlante delle Vigne di Langa, Slow Food, 1990.  It...