L’Anglore

From Bee Keeper to influential vigneron, Eric Pfifferling lives a life as close to nature as any. His work demonstrates energy, life and precise craftsmanship. Eric inherited 4ha of ancient vines from his grandmother in Southern Rhone's Tavel in 1988, later adding 3ha in Lirac. The soils are rich with gallets, identical to those found in neighbouring Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Initially Eric sold off his fruit to the local cooperative in Tavel, before deciding to making his own wine. After many trials, his first proper vintage was 2002. In the cellar, Eric is unique. He uses carbonic maceration for all of his cuvées, a practice which has since caught on in the region. With winegrowing and winemaking Eric believes that you cannot force nature. There is not a vintage that resembles another. "From one year to the next, I lose everything I know. It almost happened to me in 2002, the year where we lost bees and three-quarters of the harvest in the floods. This too is a lesson in humility."