Syrah

600 meters above sea level, in the appellation of Corbières and IGP of Cucugnan, grow some healthy vines of Syrah, Grenache, Alicante and Carignan. They belong to the earth (and some of them have been around since Alexander II of Russia bought the entire Alaska for just over $7 mio!), but are being cared for by a set of the biggest, yet gentlest hands we think any bunch of grapes has ever seen. These are the hands of Guilllaume.

In an old bodega in the Parral Monestary in Nieva, Ismael Gozalo makes wines on seriously old pre-phylleoxera Verdejo vines.

The sandy soils of this area have protected the vines which date back to 1847.

Ismael also has parcels of Syrah, Merlot, Rufete, Mencía and Tempranillo, but it is definitely the Verdejo which takes center stage at the domaine.

Although Valentin made his first vintage as late as 2011, he was no newcomer to winemaking. For 8 years he worked for vigneron excellence Eric Pfifferling, so he learned his trade from the very best. A mere 30 minute drive from l'Anglore, he is now making wines of his own, primarily from the usual grape-suspects of the southern Rhône, and many times blending these in the cuvées, safe for 'Goëland' which is the odd single-variety Sauvignon Blanc that sweeps you off your feet.

Carole and Fabrice Martinez are members of the untraditional and naturel cooperative 'Les Vignerons des Estézargues' in the southern Rhône. Being a part of this coop means sharing the winery with like-minded colleagues, but still vinifying your own wine instead of blending everything to one uniform wine. Domaine des Fées is made from organic Grenache and Syrah, and although this wine is one of the cheaper wines in our portfolio, it is still a very delicious and clean example of the southern Rhône. Their first vintage was 2009, and they are organically certified.

Les Vignerons D’ Estézargues is a cooperative with a difference. The group of 10 vignerons in Gard in the South of Rhône share a winery and resources, but vinify their grapes separately, making cuvées instead of batches like most cooperatives. They also all make natural wine, which is extremely rare if not totally unique to Les Vignerons D’ Estézargues. Sharing a winery like this enables the vignerons to save a huge amount on winery overheads which is passed onto the consumer who gets amazing quality wines for a fraction of the price of most other wines.

Monsieur Sylvain Bock and his quest to make wine that is a triumphant display of grapes and their surroundings is inspiring. He wasn't born into winemaking, or at least he thought he wasn't, both of his parents were teachers. He later found out that his grandfather was a well known vigneron from Alsace which sealed his fate. Sylvain worked in other people's wineries for 10 years before establishing his own domaine BOCK in 2010 with just over 4ha in Alba la Romaine and Valvignières in the South of Ardèche.

Jean-Sébastien Gion lives and loves near the city of Perpignan in Rousillon. He loves to be in the vineyard, listening to his vines, trying to detect what they need - a practice he learned, no doubt, from his former teacher Thierry Puzelat in Loire. In the winery, Jean-Sébastien tries to craft wines that are as close to nature as possible, often without any added SO2.

Laureano Serres makes wines as natural as they come. After a career in IT, he moved back to his native Catalunya to work at the local wine cooperative, until his dreams of producing natural wines became too radical for the cooperative and they showed him the door. Happily for us, this prompted Laureano to start his own winery, making wines his way. He started out in his own cellar in El Pinell de Brai in Tarragona, and now makes a large range of wines with nothing added at all from his 6ha of low yielding vines.

One of the most well respected vignerons naturels in Languedoc, Rémi's philosophy is simple: Le Temps Fait Tout, "Time Does It All". He is a quiet and thoughtful man, who makes wines that reflect his personality. Also a member of S.A.I.N.S., he is commited to not adding or removing anything from the raw grapes. Rémi has 6ha near the town of Pezenas in Herault, where he grows Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Clairette, Ugni Blanc and Terret.

Nicolas Renaud of Clos de Grillons is exactly the kind of vigneron we are into. Not only is he a good friend and neighbour of the Pfifferlings, the two friends also join forces to make Sune's own gift cuvée 'Venskab'. Formerly a history teacher - with no family ties to wine or ownership of land - Nicolas slowly began renting parcels of land in areas that were overlooked by the cooperatives, who were on the search for more productive vines. Of course these old vines and low yields were exactly what Nicolas was looking for.