Rhône Valley, France

Domaine de Romarins

In the quiet little village of Domazon, just south of Chateauneuf du Pape, the Fabre family farms 25 hectares of very old vines.  A true family affair, the fourth generation wine-maker Xavier has now taken over many of the responsibilities from his parents and has been joined by his brother Benoit.  But the Cotes du Rhone remains very true to the old style. While Xavier experiments with oak barrels for some new cuvées, he understands the basic Cotes du Rhone, done in the old cement cuve, is a winner that doesn't need fixing.  50% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% each of Mourvédre and Cargignan make up the blend.  

Côtes du Rhône Rouge

Domaine Galévan

While the domaine has been in the family since the late 18th century, it took a ninth generation daughter to actualize the potential of the vineyards and produce estate bottled wines. Before Coralie Goumarre took over the estate in 1995, the grapes from the 49 hectares of vines were sold to the local co-op. The vineyards were certified organic in 2011. Coralie’s energy and talent are evident in these stunning wines. The Châteauneuf du Papes, red and white, from a mere 2 hectares of vines, have become stars of the appellation.

Domaine Jean-Michel Stephan

Jean-Michel Stefan farms a miniscule 3 hecatres in Côte Rôtie.  His two main plots, Côteaux de Tupin and Côteaux de Bassenon are in the southern part of the appellation near Condrieu.  These are extremely steep vineyards. A remarkable feature is that a third of his red grapes are Sérine, an ancient relative of Syrah which is now rarely planted.  All of Jean-Michel’s vineyards are certified organic. In vinification, none of the wines are fined, filtered or treated with sulphur.  

Côte-Rôtie

Domaine les Bruyères

David Reynaud’s ancestors have been farming this land since the 18th century.  As every generation has made their improvement or expansion, so has David when he took over the family farm in 2000.  His contributions have been to convert the vines to organic and bio-dynamic farming methods and to redefine the quality of the winemaking.  He farms the family’s 20 hectares, most of which are planted to Syrah in Crozes-Hermitage, and works an additional eight belonging to a colleague.  The results have been spectacular. The purity and elegance of his wines both reflect and belie the intense work that goes into every vine, every grape every bottle.

Domaine du Coulet

Matthieu Barret farms 16 acres of vines in the tiny appellation of Cornas.  Cornas is distinguished by its eastern exposure and granitic soils. While Cornas is traditionally know for tannic, muscular wines, Barret seeks to emphasize the elegance of the Syrah grape.  All the vineyards are certified organic and biodynamic. The wines are made without fining, filtering or Sulphur.

Cornas - Brise Cailloux

Cornas - Billes Noires

Franck Balthazar

Casimir Balthazar founded the family estate in 1931 and the two acres of old vines were handed over to his grandson, Franck, in 2002. Since then, Frank has increased his holdings to three and a half acres of Cornas’ granitic vinyards, planted in an ancient local clone called le petite syrah. He works the vineyards single handedly with the help of a horse. He makes wine in a small cellar near the village church employing very traditional methods including whole cluster fermentations and elévage in old demi-muids. With his expressive and aromatic wines, Franck has become one of the top growers of the renaissance of Cornas.

Côtes dy Rhône

Cornas - Cuvée Casimir

Cornas - Chaillot

Cornas - Selection

Crozes-Hermitage - Selection

San Soufre