Pinot Nero

Maison Brûlées (lit.Burnt Houses) is named so because of a fire that destroyed several houses in the village. It's infamous vineyard and winery have recently passed hands from longtime vigneron Michel Augé to Paul and Corine Gillet who have been making wine there since 2013. Michel was head of one of the first biodynamic coops in France, and he still hosts meetings in Maison Brûlées where the members gather to make their biodynamic preparations together (the estate was officially certified Biodynamic in 1994).

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.

Pierre Frick is a man before his time. Having already converted his vines to organic in the 1970's, he achieved biodynamic status in 1981, several decades before the 'movement' began. Pierre and his wife Chantal grow Riesling, Gerwurztraminer, Pinot Gris and a small planting of Pinot Noir. Several biodynamic preparations are made in accordance to the lunar calendar and the duo takes care to apply less than 1kg of copper per ha each year. The majority of the wines we carry contain no added SO2.

Enigmatic and wild. Words for the person as well as the wines Pierre Rousse makes in Western Languedoc! With his 5 ha of vines, Pierre plants seemingly standard varieties Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, although the results are anything but standard. Pierre also produces a cidre 'Babiole' from local apple varieties. Truly bonkers juice from a truly bonkers man.

Pierre and Sophie Lamarndier are without a doubt true kings of Chardonnay in Champagne. For them, choosing to farm their vines biodynamically wasn't a reaction to a trend, rather an absolutely necessary step to communicating the extraordinary terroir of their parcels in the wine glass. Their 15ha vineyard falls in the 1er Cru area of Vertus and the Grand Cru appellations of Cramant, Chouilly and Avize. Naturally, the harvest is done by hand and no yeast is added - another rare practice in Champagne. The grapes are pressed extremely gently and each Cru is vinified individually.

Where to begin with the legend behind Escoda-Sanahuja? Unapologetically big personality, unapologetically awesome wines. Vigneron Joan Ramon began making his magical wines in 1997, caring for his vineyards without chemicals from the start. This evolved over time to Biodynamic practices which have been the standard since 2003. In 2007 Joan quit adding any So2 to his wines at any point, and he is now a passionate opponent of the practice. The land spreads over 10ha near Montblanc in Catalunya, which along with the vines is used for olives, almonds, vegetables and animals.

Once a region covered in vines, Domaine St Nicolas is now one of the few remaining winemakers in the lesser known Region of Brem, situated south of the city of Nantes and nestled under the Fief Vendéens appellation. Vigneron Thierry Michon started working biodynamically in 1993 and hasn’t looked back since. He describes his approach to biodynamics as going far beyond the absence of chemicals in the vineyard, rather creating a deeper connection with the soil leading to an amplified expression of terroir.

Husband and wife duo Bruno and Isabelle Perraud make wine under their domaine 'Côtes de la Moliere' in the northern corner of Beaujolais. Their 8.5ha of vineyard cover Moulin-á-Vent, Morgon, Fleurie and a few plots outside of the appellation. Also, they rent a few parcels just north of Beaujolais, in Pouilly-Fussé and Saint-Véran. In 1989, Bruno accidentally poisoned himself with insecticide and decided to remove it from his vineyard practices after observing the effects on his body. In 2002 the domaine was certified organic.

Thierry and Jean-Marie Puzelat enjoy making wine, which is a good thing as they produce a lot of them, sometimes close to 30 different cuvées a year. They feel so many of their parcels offer something unique worth exploring in its own right. Some of their cuvées are made from rare local varieties on the verge of extinction such as Romarantin, Grolleau and Menu Pineau (a natural mutation of Chenin Blanc). Wines made from these grapes rarely gain AOC recognition and so are labelled Vin De France, one of the biggest disappointments of modern winemaking laws.

Charles Dufour is a relative newcomer in Champagne's rebel Aube district. He is first and foremost a wine grower, tending his own vines instead of purchasing grapes from others. His desire to create wines that are as close to nature as possible has led to him adopting unique practices in Champagne, such as having his vineyards certified organic by Ecocert, avoiding the use of industrial yeasts, rarely adding sugar and often choosing to age the wine in steel rather than barrel.