Domaine des Moriers began in 2005, born from an unlikely pair of friends who shared a passion for Cru Beaujolais. Dominique Cor had spent his career working in digital technology but always had an eye out for a way into the wine industry, ever since tasting a revelatory bottle of 1953 Château Margaux. François de Nicolaÿ grew up among the vines, working and learning at his family winery, Chandon de Briailles. They began with a plot in Moulin-à-Vent and expanded in 2018 with the purchase of a winery in Lancié.

The focus from the beginning was the health and integrity of the vineyards. François had observed his mother’s transition to biodynamics and knew he would follow the same path, but that nature should never be rushed. After nearly two decades of organic farming, the winery was Ecocert certified in 2023.

“Because we want to magnify the best that Beaujolais can offer, because we want to be among its leading defenders, we advance at a pace that isn't measured in hours, barely in seasons.”

In 2024, François’s daughter, Pauline, joined the team and has since taken over managing the winery. The de Nicolaÿ family values run deep, and Pauline has always been drawn to biodynamic viticulture. She began helping with harvests at Chandon de Briailles when she was 16 and has spent time working at Domaine Marquis d’Angerville in Volnay, Domaine de Villaine in Bouzeron, and Domaine Pignier in the Jura. The different approaches to biodynamics at each estate influence the way Pauline now manages Domaine des Moriers.

Work in the vineyards is done manually, with the assistance of horses. All grapes are hand harvested and pressed in a traditional vertical press. Vinification happens naturally, in cement vats, without chaptalization, commercial yeast, or sulfites. Aging takes place in a combination of stainless steel and used oak barrels. The aim is to produce wines that showcase the individual expression of the vines, wines that may be freely enjoyed today or savored after years in the cellar.

Château Mourgues du Grès is one of the pioneers of the Costières de Nîmes and is recognized as one of the very best estates in the region in the Wine Advocate and in the French magazines Revue de Vin de France, Guide Hachette, and Gilbert et Gaillard. Mourgues du Grès is run by Anne and François Collard. François’s father was the first owner and he made wine, but mostly sold grapes in bulk. François started his career in Bordeaux, working in the cellar at Château Lafite-Rothschild. In 1990, soon after the Costières de Nîmes received appellation status, François was inspired by the potential to make great wines from this little known appellation and he moved back to run the family winery. The first vintage bottled under the Château Mourgues du Grès name was in 1993. 

Nîmes historically made great wines that were famously served centuries ago to the pope of Avignon. The wines were made by the Ursulines nuns of Beaucaire. The nuns were identified by their location; the nuns of the river, nuns from the sea, or nuns from the stones. Mourgues means ‘nuns’ in Provençal, an ancient French dialect. Mourgues du Grès means ‘nuns of the stones’. The nuns managed fruit orchards and vineyards and the Collard family still manages both today.

The Costières de Nîmes is the southernmost region of the Rhône Valley. The terroir is influenced by the Rhône and the Mediterranean Sea. Like most of the southern Rhône, there is abundant sunshine, the weather is hot and mostly dry, and the Mistral wind helps to keep the vines healthy. The vineyards are covered with galets, the same round, flat stones that are famous in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The Costières de Nîmes is unique within the Rhône region because of the influence of the Mediterranean. The sea cools the nighttime temperature, giving the wines a lot of freshness.

Château Mourgues du Grès is on the plateau of Beaucaire, where they benefit from both northern and southern sun exposure. They have a mix of soils, galets stones, sand, and they even have an area with limestone, which is quite rare in the appellation. The Collard’s have always been innovators, working to unlock the very best of the terroir. François’s father was the first to plant Syrah in the region and today it is the most widely planted variety in the Costières de Nîmes. Syrah grows especially well here because of the cool nights. François planted Marselan in 2007 and reported the results back to the appellation administrators and it’s now allowed to be up to 10% of the blend in the red wines. It adds complexity and freshness and has a lower alcohol.

François and Anne are both very passionate about nature. They have practiced organic agriculture since 2004 (certified in 2011); meticulous care and attention are paid to the work in the vineyards. François and Anne Collard never rush to make changes, but at the same time, are constantly searching for the best way to manage their vineyards to get a very pure expression of the Costières de Nîmes. In 2018, they began the process for biodynamic certification and from the 2020 vintage, the wines are certified.

Like the work in the vineyards, in the cellar, all decisions are carefully taken with the aim of getting the best expression. For the Collards, this means making wines in a natural way while maintaining a classic style. Whites and rosés are fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks; the reds are fermented in cement so that there is an oxygen exchange, and then are aged in cement or barrels depending on the cuvée. Since 2015, no sulfur is used during vinification or aging on any of the wines, only a small amount at bottling. Total sulfur used is approximately 50mg/L on the whites and rosés and 40mg/L on the reds. Making wine without sulfur has its challenges, but it is worth the risk for all that is gained in greater fruit purity.

Each bottle shows the emblem of the sundial that is on the wall of the winery, with the words "Sine Sole Nihil," which translates to "There is nothing without sunshine." For Mourgues du Grès, this symbolizes the maturity and harmony expressed in their wines. The Collards are dedicated in every step of the process to make the best wines and their work shines a light on what is possible from this modest appellation. The culmination of more than thirty years of the Collards work has established Château Mourgues du Grès as one of the very best in the Costières de Nîmes.

Murray McDavid was established by London wine merchants Mark Reynier, Simon Coughlin and Springbank Distillery’s Gordon Wright. They quickly gained a reputation for maturing whisky in interesting casks, especially in fine wine casks.

In 2000, the Murray McDavid team set about reopening the closed Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay, engaging the services of Jim McEwan, Islay’s most celebrated Master Distiller.

In 2012, spirits giant Remy Cointreau purchased Bruichladdich Distillery and Murray McDavid. Later, Murray McDavid was sold to its current owners, leading Scotch whisky broker, Aceo Ltd.

Today, the home of Murray McDavid is Coleburn Distillery in Speyside, where they continue the tradition of bottling artfully-matured Scotch whisky.

They buy spirit at many different ages, some not yet old enough to be called a Scotch whisky whilst a small amount has already been maturing for thirty years. Their Whisky Creations Team assess not only the quality of new spirit coming into their warehouses but also the structure of the spirit with one question in mind… what would elevate the character of the whisky?

Whether it’s a hearty peated malt from Islay or a soft sweet malt from Speyside, the interaction between the spirit and oak is equally as critical but they need to be treated differently. A light style of spirit, distilled using tall copper stills, will require a gentler style of maturation – just a few months in a 1st fill bourbon barrel or a refill Sherry hogshead. A thick, oily style of malt will be able to stand-up to a heavier style of maturation, multiple years in a 1st fill red wine barrique or a Pedro Ximinez Sherry cask.

CASK CRAFT Series
The ‘Cask Craft’ is a range of single malts from across Scotland, artfully matured in a variety of wood types, displaying fine balance of oak and spirit.

BENCHMARK Series
The heart of our range offering outstanding, mature single malts, showcasing the art of maturation. Single Casks individually numbered.

Nalle is a small family run winery with father, mother and son all having important roles in daily operations. Doug Nalle received a masters degree in enology at U.C. Davis in 1979 and since the first vintage in 1984 Doug (now alongside his son Andrew) has refused to give in to the fashion for high alcohol, jammy zins. As a result, they remain off the radar of the mainstream wine critics and that's OK with them.

Although they also make tiny amounts of Chardonnay & Pinot Noir from Russian River, Nalle is best known for their Dry Creek Zinfandel, a classic field blend made in a traditional style. With modest alcohol levels, tasteful oak treatment, and incredible age-ability, this estate remains one of the benchmark Dry Creek Zins being made today.

The grapes come from two vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley. Their main source, just steps from the winery, is their family vineyard, Henderlong Ranch, which was planted in 1927 by Fred and Ruby Henderlong, the great grandparents of Andrew Nalle. The other, Sibary Vineyard, was planted more recently in 1999.

The winemaking for the Zinfandel is aimed towards making expressive wines rather than blockbusters. Nalle is always one of the first wineries to begin the harvest each fall and they still check every bunch by hand on a sorting table, a practice considered too time consuming for most California wineries. After sorting they undergo a three day cold soak followed by 7-14 days of fermentation on the skins, punched down 2-3 times per day. Finally the wine is aged for 11 months in 25% new French oak before bottling.

www.nallewinery.com