Chardonnay

Casa de Uco is somewhat of an atypical Rosforth winery. A fairly large estate in Argentina with the winemaker, Italian Alberto Antonini, being more of a wine consultant/oenologist who makes wine at many different wineries all over the world. Nonetheless, this 20ha organically run domaine have managed to stay true to their land and soil, and they are making clean, juicy and well structured wines at an affordable price. Organic here means no chemical in the vineyard and fertilizing only with their own organic compost!

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.

After having studied wine and gained experience in California, Australia, and with Frank Cornelissen at Mount Etna in Silcily, Sam has returned to his homeland in Western Australia to make some super tasty natural wines. His first vintages (2015-2017) were made from grapes that he bought from his good friends at Si Vintners (whom we also love!), and Sam has just begun leasing his own farm in Margaret River. Sam likes cleanliness and perfect grape material, and his wines are a true expression of just that. No oak, no filtration, no sulphur at any point in the winemaking. Just pure fruit.

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...!

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.

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.

The story goes that Renaud Boyer, originally from Meursault, trained to be an engineer before switching careers and becoming a vigneron of the land in Saint Romain, previously belonging to uncle Thierry Guyot, an organics enthusiast who had been working the vines free of chemicals since the 1980's. Renaud's wines are seen as strong competition to some of the famous names in the region. The vines are divided between Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet and Saint Romain.