Wine Producers

Les Vignobles St Didier Parnac

Renowned as two of the leading pioneers of the Malbec grape in Mendoza, Argentina, Hervé and his wife Diane have decide to invest in a new project in Cahors, the original home of their favourite grape variety. The place is picture perfect; Hervé explained, when they first visited the vineyard land ‘we stood quite still and were both struck by its beauty and overwhelmed with an incredibly good and peaceful feeling’. Hervé and Diane also found themselves impressed by the diversity of the terroirs surrounding the Prieuré De Cénac. Built on a limestone headland dating from the Jurassic period, the Prieuré De Cénac dominates both valley and hills of the Cause at 300m above sea level, with 20-30% slope inclination. The main wine produced by Les Vignobles St Didier Parnac is named after the Prieuré De Cénac - and it is a beautifully well-made example of a traditional-style Cahors Malbec; structured and firm, yet wonderfully ample and generously-fruited. The Mission de Picpus is a thoroughly-modern expression of the Malbec grape, and recently picked up the Trophy for Best Cahors at the International Wine Challenge.

Weingut Wechsler

The story behind Katharina Weschler becoming a shining light in the midst of a growing number of exciting young winemakers in the Rheinhessen is an incredible one. Coming from a local winemaking dynasty, she grew up wanting to do anything and everything but carry on the work at the family winery. It took a true journey of discovery from Stuttgart to Paris, working in numerous vocations, for her to realise that her passion, and indeed her destiny, lied in following her ancestors’ footsteps in producing superb wines in the small, idyllic village of Westhofen. However, whilst previous generations had focused on grape varieties and vinification methods that would lead to the greatest quantity of production, Katharina wanted to do things differently. After learning the ropes and gaining the skills required by training in oenology and viticulture, she sharpened the winery’s focus on the traditional varieties of the region, paying particular attention to Riesling.

Her vineyard currently covers 17 hectares and the level of production is 80,000 bottles a year. The grapes are handpicked and the low-batch production approach has led to a range of wines that offer exceptional value for money. Expect a soaring freshness on the palate matched by a purity of aroma and balance that typifies Weschler’s ability to tread the line between tradition and innovation with triumphant aplomb.

André & Michel Quenard

The Savoie region must be one of the most beautiful wine regions in France, and sadly often overlooked. Where else will you find snow capped mountains, rolling hills, wild streams and plentiful wildflowers surrounding your vineyards?

Andre & Michel Quenard farm 22 hectares of very steep, terraced vineyards around Chignin. Andre’s grandfather started the domaine in 1930’s, slowly buying small vineyards to increase production. Most of the wine was sold off in bulk, to satisfy the thirsty drinkers in the nearby ski resorts. It was only when Michel’s father, Andre, realised the potential of the Savoie that the domaine started bottling the wines with their name on.

They are not the only Quenard family in the Savoie, but certainly the most famous. It’s not just the quality of the wines they can thank for this; Andrew Jefford waxed lyrical about them in his book The New France and they quickly became hot property.

The vineyards, despite the mountainous location, enjoy a warm microclimate. There are 16 crus in the Savoie, each famous for a different grape variety. Here we focus on three, the Jacquere, Gamay and Mondeuse. Everything is hand harvested. The Jacquere is a dry white aged in stainless steel for 9 months with gentle lees stiring. The Monduese is aged in foudre for one year, with maceration lasting 12 to 15 days. They include some grapes that are whole-cluster to add some structure and tannin.

Bergström

One of the finest sources of Pinot Noir, not just in the United States, but in the world, Bergström's story began in 1999, when Josh and Caroline returned to the Willamette Valley, where his parents had been sowing and ploughing under rich green cover crops to revitalise the soil and prepare the land for vines. During his first year back from France, Josh planted vines and purchased grapes from other vineyards to make the first vintage of Bergström wine. He sourced fruit from other vineyards until 2001, when he produced his first wines using grapes from his family's vineyards.

The estate has more than 36 acres under vine, all of which are organically certified. Additionally, since 2000, the farming has been biodynamic and the results have impressed with an extra degree of vitality and freshness visible.

The amount of effort that Josh invests in the vineyard is one of the key reasons the wines are so impressive. Ten months of the year he is out on his tractor, all day, managing the vineyards. His approach is painstaking, meticulous and has been an inspiration to many young winemakers in the region.

Château Lafon

Château Lafon is unique in Sauternes. Located in the heart of the Sauternais, it is in the middle of the famous Yquem vineyards, the best site in the region, and blessed with vines that are over 50 years old. The story goes that the Lafon family had always had these plots and decided to build the château on top of them in 1867. With the Great depression in the 1920’s, the estate ran in to financial difficulties and the family were forced to sell the property in an auction – at which point the Dufour family stepped in.

While most of its neighbours are owned by multinational companies and foreign investors, Lafon is now in its 4th generation of the Dufour family’s ownership and has kept its independence despite the difficulties of making (and selling!) Sauternes.

In total Lafon has twelve hectares of vineyards (98% Semillon and 2% Sauvignon Blanc), planted on gravelly ridges, on top of limestone subsoil and (as well as those next to the château itself) spread across Fargues, Bommes, Preignac and Sauternes, especially on slopes adjacent to the best site of the legendary Château Guiraud. Up to six harvests are done by hand in order to select only the best, noble rot-affected grapes. The winemaking is traditional and uses indigenous yeast for the fermentation, with twelve months elévage in French oak barrels, many reused from Yquem.