Pinot Noir

Monique and Tim were fortunate enough to get their hands on a farm with some of the most exciting vinyards in Adelaide Hills. Roughly 5 parcels planted in 1994 with Savagnin, Garganega, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and a bit of Cabernet Franc+Sauvignon. The solis are perfect for winemaking, and even have quartz running through the vineyard. This yields a potential for very precise minerality - something that Tim and Monique achieve in spades (especially in their Savagnin/Chadonnay blend 'High Paradise'!).

Shaunt and Diego have a very clear goal: to take Californian wine back to what it was before big money and 99 points got in the way. Fresh, easy drinking wines free of commercial techniques, yeasts and other corrective additives that only serve to manipulate the wine into some rich man's idea of what the market wants. Shaunt took the academic route to begin with, but he got into winemaking and had the chance to work with Julie Balagny (we love her!) and Philippe Valette. In other words, the foundation is solid.

François is determined to put Ontario on the world wide wine map as a serious player in the cool climate wine game! Learning his craft at some highly regarded domaines in Burgundy, he came home to Niagara and began making wine the way he believed it should be made. Everything is organic, although not certified, and the wines are allowed to flow with whatever nature throws at us. But that doesn't mean lazy winemaking - the physical processes are keenly monitored, and no flaws or impurities make it past François into the cellar.

Since 2006, Iwo and Sarah have been making wine in Western Australia. In the beginning it was just a few barrels worth, but they now farm and make wine from 12 hectares of land. For them, it's all about natural farming. All about the grapes being able to express the land from whence they came, which is why they have focussed on organic and biodynamic farming from the get go.

In the mid-90's Mathieu Coste went to South America to work on a scientific study in the rainforests of French-Gyuana. In charge was the french botanist and biologist Francis Hallé, and the expereince was eye-opening for Mathieu's way of thinking about plants and plant life.
As a young man Mathieu studied agronomy, and later biology in Tours. One of his firsts jobs was at the Coop of Pouilly-sur-Loire, where Mathieu was in charge of the vinification. Alot of people sold grapes to the Coop, and one of them was vignerons Alain Paulat, who only sold parts of his harvest. 

When Jasper Button was just 10 years old, he helped his parents plant twelve acres of vines on the family farm.
The whole family pitched in to help, though the sloped hills of Adelaide made the job difficult.
For many years Jasper's parents worked in the vineyards, selling their grapes to local wineries. Primarily Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Around the world demand for Australian wine was big, so grapes were easy to sell. But tastes change, and so did the demand for oaky Australian Chardonnay.

Guy Bossard (AKA The Pope of Muscadet) was one of the earlier adopters of biodynamic agriculture in the Loire. As none of his kids wanted to take over his 23ha when Guy retired, he took the help of Fred Niger who has since added several new cuvées to the domaine’s portfolio, including cuvées made from Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Folle Blanche and Chardonnay, in addition to the existing Muscadet offerings, many of them aged in amphora. Fred actually claims to have the biggest collection of amphorae in da worrrld...!

If you want to know anything about the Jura, all you have to do is hook up with Stéphane. The man is a walking, talking (both very fast!) encyclopedia of the history of his beloved center of the wine world. Jump in his SUV, and he will talk you through the geological evolution over the last 80 million years while driving you (again, fast!) to cliff formations and vineyards in order for you to see everything for yourself. And his contagious enthusiasm extends through to his vineyards - imagine being a hands-on craftsman farming upwards of 50 hectares of vines. Biodynamically.

Phillipe Tessier took over 21ha from his father in 1981, 20 years after the domaine was first established at the centre of the Cheverny and Cour-Cheverny AOCs. His vinification demonstrates his admiration for the grapes and their capabilities, opting to use neutral casks and indigenous yeasts. He would rather it is the land that speaks, and not the winemaker.

Marc used to live in a cave set into the Vosges mountains. He began his journey into wine making as a lab technician for a company that controls appellations in France (INAO). He later moved further into the vineyard, responsible for selecting lieu-dits and potential grand crus. The job gave him good insight into who were getting things right and who were getting things wrong in the region. In 1993 Marc and his wife Anne-Marie established their own domaine, formed of plots previously belonging to their parents.