{"page_id":4744,"is_owner":false,"has_previously_ordered_from_owner":false,"is_published":true,"can_access_v2_rollout":null,"can_access_custom_pages_rollout":null,"is_custom_pages_rollout_complete":true,"can_toggle_publish":null,"is_global_site":true,"account_applications_disabled":false,"single_component_component_collection_names":["cta","text_and_left_image","text_and_right_image","header_and_text","product_list","banner"],"marketing_materials_name":"Trade Assets","owner_id":428,"owner_name":"European Cellars","owner_class":"SupplierCompany","owner_class_display_name":"Supplier","can_manage":false,"page_name":"About","component_collections":[{"type":"header","company_logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/supplier_company_profiles/logos/original/313/EC_Stamp_Imperial_CMYK.png?1631298760","header_image_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/marketing_hubs/marketing_hubs/headers/000/002/379/fixed_height/Montsant2.jpg?1631298598","marketing_hub_pages":[{"url":"/sc/europeancellars/home","name":"Home","id":13522,"active":false,"is_published":false,"placement_position":0,"customizable":false,"is_custom_link":false,"is_external_link":false},{"url":"/sc/europeancellars/about","name":"About","id":4744,"active":true,"is_published":true,"placement_position":1,"customizable":false,"is_custom_link":false,"is_external_link":false},{"url":"/search?all_vendors=true\u0026searched_from=marketplace-storefronts\u0026supplier_company_profile=313","name":"Portfolio","id":17384,"active":false,"is_published":true,"placement_position":2,"customizable":false,"is_custom_link":false,"is_external_link":false},{"url":"/sc/europeancellars/trade-assets","name":"Trade Assets","id":4745,"active":false,"is_published":true,"placement_position":2,"customizable":false,"is_custom_link":false,"is_external_link":false}],"customizable_pages":[],"core_pages":[{"url":"/sc/europeancellars/home","name":"Home","id":13522,"active":false,"is_published":false,"placement_position":0,"customizable":false,"is_custom_link":false,"is_external_link":false},{"url":"/sc/europeancellars/about","name":"About","id":4744,"active":true,"is_published":true,"placement_position":1,"customizable":false,"is_custom_link":false,"is_external_link":false},{"url":"/search?all_vendors=true\u0026searched_from=marketplace-storefronts\u0026supplier_company_profile=313","name":"Portfolio","id":17384,"active":false,"is_published":true,"placement_position":2,"customizable":false,"is_custom_link":false,"is_external_link":false},{"url":"/sc/europeancellars/trade-assets","name":"Trade Assets","id":4745,"active":false,"is_published":true,"placement_position":2,"customizable":false,"is_custom_link":false,"is_external_link":false}],"sign_in_path":"/users/sign_in","sign_out_path":"/users/sign_out","super_user_id_present":false},{"id":4803,"name":"Company Info","header":null,"type":"company_info","components":[{"id":313,"supplier_company_id":428,"slug":"europeancellars","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom the founding of European Cellars in 1990, Eric Solomon has championed unheralded wine growing regions and promoted young, innovative winemakers. His initial focus was France where he was an early proponent of the wines of the Rhône, the Languedoc and the Roussillon. His growing reputation in Europe as a new, dynamic and successful importer prompted Daphne Glorian to send him, unsolicited, a sample of her wine, Clos Erasmus in 1993. This wine would change Eric’s life professionally and personally. \u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDaphne had a similarly unconventional path to wine. Initially she trained in the law and while working in the Paris office of an English Master of Wine she met Rene Barbier. Moving to the Priorat in 1988 at the urging of Rene, she invested her life’s savings in 17 terraces of vines near the village of Gratallops thereby becoming one of the founders of the modern Priorat. Daphne would go on to establish her own cellar, Clos i Terrasses in 1989 and would receive glowing accolades from the critics on both sides of the Atlantic ocean. Shortly after contacting Eric Solomon out of the blue and sending him samples of her wine to taste, she would subsequently meet her enthusiastic American importer and eventually she agreed to marry him. With his allocation of Clos Erasmus secured and with a ready travel partner, astute wine taster and polyglot at his side, Eric \u0026amp; Daphne began to explore the rest of Spain and has assembled a Spanish portfolio as innovative and distinctive as his imports from France. \u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEric Solomon Selections has grown over the years from a few estates to now just over 90 properties. In addition to his original import portfolio, European Cellars, Eric established Indigo Wine in 2015 with a collection of smaller estates from emerging regions, or young growers shaking up established appellations in France, Spain, Switzerland, Chile \u0026amp; Lebanon. Despite the portfolio name on the back of the bottle - European Cellars or Indigo Wine – both portfolios are carefully selected by Eric Solomon and guided by his belief in Place over Process.  \u003c/p\u003e\n","email":"info@europeancellars.com","website":"http://www.europeancellars.com","facebook_id":"EuropeanCellars","twitter_id":"","instagram_id":"ericsolomonselections/","logo_file_name":"EC_Stamp_Imperial_CMYK.png","logo_content_type":"image/png","logo_file_size":209505,"logo_updated_at":"2021-09-10T14:32:40.762-04:00","phone":"704-358-1565","google_geocode_id":2129085,"supplier_company_category_key":"importer","annual_case_volume":null,"created_at":"2020-07-20T15:40:20.937-04:00","updated_at":"2024-04-04T17:34:51.955-04:00","logo_processing":false,"linkedin_url":null,"owner_type":"SupplierCompany","category":{"id":2,"key":"importer","name":"Importer"},"public_url":"https://buyer.sevenfifty.com/sc/europeancellars","location":"Charlotte, NC, USA","location_url":"https://maps.google.com/?q=Charlotte,+NC,+USA\u0026ftid=0x88541fc4fc381a81:0x884650e6bf43d164"}],"default_images":null,"products":null},{"id":4905,"name":"Brand profiles","header":null,"type":"brand_profiles","components":[{"brand_profiles":[{"name":"1006 Vins","description":"The Loire runs 1006 kilometers from its source in the Massif Central to the Atlantic Ocean, making it the longest river in France. From grape to glass, Pauline Lair makes minimalist wines in her urban winery in Angers, a project fittingly named 1006 Vins de Loire. Through personal and lasting partnerships throughout the Loire Valley, Pauline makes wines that honestly reflect their terroirs. By selecting growers with respect for their land and who follow the principles of organic farming, Pauline carefully monitors each plot throughout the year to ensure only the best quality fruit is designated for her wines. Realizing the quality potential of the vineyard work, fermentations are spontaneous, and elevage is gentle and respectful of terroir.\r\nLabeled by variety rather than the appellation, the range from 1006 Vins de Loire are far from being divorced from their place of origin. Rather, Pauline’s wines are equally satisfying for enthusiasts familiar with every nook and cranny of the Loire’s terroirs and those just learning about this region’s diverse wealth of varieties and regional expression.\r\n\r\n“In love with the Loire, what animates me is to craft sincere wines reflecting their terroir of origin. I vinify the grapes of my partners in a natural way. That means thanks to indigenous yeasts, with little or no intervention, without dogma, in order to make it good and alive! Cheers!” –Pauline Lair","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/5353/1006_Logo.png?1681236370","profile_url":"/b/1006vins"},{"name":"Aalto","description":"After 30 years as technical director and world–renown winemaker for Vega Sicilia, Mariano Garcia Fernández founded Aalto Bodegas y Viñedos in 1999. From the beginning he has been guided by three principals: old-vine, massale selection Tinto Fino, a wide range of terroirs spread over nine villages in Ribera del Duero, and his decades of experience in viticulture and winemaking in the region. Today, Aalto controls and farms 130 hectares of vines scattered among more than 200 separate plots all situated in the provinces of Valladolid and Burgos. Twenty hectares are young vines propagated from a massale selection of their best old-vine material while the remaining 110 hectares range from 40 to 100 years old. The soils where Aalto’s vineyards are situated include: pale clay limestone, ferrous clay, sand, sandstone, rocky glacial, loam and alluvial. This diversity of terruño provides complexity married to power, and structure blended with a purity of fruit – the exact characteristics which have earned Aalto Bodegas y Viñedos praise from around the world as the leading proponent of the modern style of Ribera del Duero.  \r\n\r\nVineyard work at Aalto is entirely manual with the primary goal of maintaining low yields. With many of the vines being old, yields are kept low naturally but Mariano will also green harvest to ensure that the fruit at harvest is concentrated and evenly ripe. Harvesting is manual as well and the grapes are transported to the cellar in small crates where they are sorted, chilled, destemming and sorted again before crushing. Fermentations are conducted, by parcel, in stainless steel, cement or oak vats designed specifically by Mariano. Maceration is gentle with regular pump overs ensuring a good extraction of fruit without harsh or bitter tannins. Once the fermentation is complete the wines are racked, by gravity, into French and American oak barrels located in a cool, subterranean cellar. In recent vintages Mariano has reduced the amount of new oak he uses in the aging of his wines as well as the time they spend in barrel – small, incremental steps to add more freshness and purity in his wines.\r\n\r\nFinal blends are decided by how each plot performs in each vintage rather than a barrel selection. The primary cuvée, simply known as Aalto, sees about 30-70% new oak with the remainder in second and third fill barrels. In each vintage, a small selection of fruit from the best performing sites is bottled separately as Aalto PS – Pagos Selectionados. This wine is aged entirely in new French oak and sees a slightly longer elevage.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/1490/AALTO__Logo_%28tif%29.png?1573163471","profile_url":"/b/aalto"},{"name":"Abanico","description":"Hazaña is a recently introduced custom cuvée made in partnership between Eric Solomon and Rafael de Haan. British-born and educated, Rafael joined the UK wine trade in 2000 and realized that he would rather have a career closer to the vine. In 2001 he moved to Barcelona, brokered some wine, and opened a tapas bar before setting up his first property, Bodegas Abanico, in Rioja with his partner Nuria Altes.\r\n\r\nAfter years of searching for a value-priced Rioja that threaded the needle between a modern fruit expression of Rioja but complimented with the flavors and textures of the traditional style of wines in the region, we were excited to find that Rafael and Nuria Altes had already discovered just such a project in Logroño – Viñicola Real. Together we created a blend of Tempranillo and Graciano from vines between 50-70 years old.\r\n\r\nNamed for the ancient, poetic tales of heroism, Hazaña is made at Viñicola Real in the classical style of Rioja. The fruit comes from the vicinity of Logroño at 500 meters above sea level and on red clay and chalky limestone soils. A blend of Tempranillo with up to 15% Graciano, it is aged in French and American oak before release.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3519/Hazana_Logo.png?1655321091","profile_url":"/b/bodegas-abanico-hazana"},{"name":"Alvar de Dios","description":"Toro is like the 1980s – big shoulder pads, teased hair and a gaudy energy that seems to be chemically enhanced. It’s a DO that in most regards is caught in a time warp, much like that mauve and teal bathroom you’ve been meaning to remodel. Having built its reputation on a style of wine that is now decidedly out of fashion, Toro is long overdue for a breath of fresh air – or in the case of Alvar de Dios, fresh wine.\r\n\r\nAlvar was born and raised in the village of El Pego near the southern boundary of DO Toro. His family had tended vineyards in the village for generations but Alvar didn’t stay in Toro to learn his trade, rather he fell in with a pair of vinous rebels working in the Sierra de Gredos – Fernando Garcia and Dani Landi. While working as the cellar master for Fernando at Bodega Marañones, he began acquiring vineyards of his own in and around his native DO, splitting his time between the Gredos and Toro.\r\n\r\nHis first vineyard was inherited from his family in the village of El Pego in 2008. This site, called Aciano in honor of his grandfather, totals 3 ha of mainly Tempranillo at an elevation of 710m and planted on a unique terroir for the DO – sand. This sandy soil is resistant to phylloxera which is why these ungrafted vines, planted in 1919, have survived to this day. Since taking over this site, Alvar has farmed it organically, waiting until 2011 to make his first vintage.\r\n\r\nIn 2009 Alvar purchased Vagüera, a tiny half hectare plot of abandoned vines at an elevation of 950m just south of the legal border of Toro near the village of El Maderal. This is a fascinating terroir – a shallow rocky red clay soil over limestone, north facing, and sheltered by a cork oak forest. Untended since 2006 this site is a bewildering mix of white varieties. Alvar so far has identified Doña Blanca, Albillo Rojo, Albillo Real, Albillo Negro, Albillo Castellano, Moscatel de Grano Menudo, Muscat de Alexandria, Moscatel Rojo, Godello, Verdejo, Palomino Fino, and Malvasia. There are at least another 5 varieties that Alvar is yet to identify. Records indicate that this vineyard was planted in 1921. \r\n\r\nHaving left his native DO with the purchase of Vagüera, Alvar became interested in the nearby and newly created DO of Arribes and the surrounding area. Officially recognized in 2007, Arribes is where the Duero becomes the Douro as it carves a steep valley out of the granitic mountains forming the border between Spain and Portugal. Here he found not only soils reminiscent of the Gredos – granitic sand with a lot of mica – but a range of indigenous varieties capable of expressing elegance and freshness. Near the town of Fermoselle, Alvar located a vineyard, Camino de los Arrieros, of 40-60 year old vines of Juan Garcia, Rufete Trincadeira Preta, Bastardo as well as some other unidentified varieties. Just outside the boundaries of Arribes Alvaro has identified two additional, tiny, enclosed vineyards – Las Vidres planted with Doña Blanca and Yavallo planted with Bastardo, Rufete, Tincadeira Preta, Mencia and Doña Blanca.\r\n\r\nIn addition to his single vineyard wines, Alvar makes a wine from three plots of vines located in the northwestern part of Toro. Ranging in age from 25–40 years old, these Tempranillo vines are grown on a variety of soils. Named Tio Uco, this wine like those from his single vineyards, is made from organically farmed grapes, fermented whole cluster with indigenous yeasts, sees only a gentle maceration by foot and is aged primarily in neutral French oak barrels ranging in size from 300-1000L.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/1491/Alvar-de-Dios_Logo.png?1594740762","profile_url":"/b/alvar-de-dios"},{"name":"Bættig","description":"Francisco Baettig will be familiar to followers and fans of South American wines. After graduation from the University of Bordeaux in 2002, Francisco began working at Viña Errázuriz, where he instituted various changes in the vineyards and cellar to make it one of the premier estates in Chile. The range from this estate is remarkably diverse, and many of the projects he created there and at Viñedos Chadwick were groundbreaking for their time, most notably the Las Pizzaras Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. No summary of the best South American wine or most talented winemakers is published that doesn’t include Francisco.\r\n\r\nIf the name Baettig doesn’t sound typically Spanish, then you would be correct, as Francisco’s ancestors were Swiss. In the late 19th century, the Baettigs settled in Malleco, a province in Chile 600 km south of Santiago. While Francisco has spent much of his career further north, his pursuit of balance, freshness, and elegance with his Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs made him wonder if his birthplace might be better suited for these varieties. So, he returned home rather than simply moving close to the ocean, as many others have done. In 2013, along with the assistance of his friend Carlos de Carlos, Francisco Baettig began planting Viñedo Los Suizos, and Vinos Baettig was born.\r\n\r\nAs with much of Chile, the geology of Malleco is strongly influenced by plate tectonics and Andean volcanoes. As a result, much of the bedrock and gravels are volcanic in origin, and the red clay and loamy topsoils were laid down by eons of the region’s rich biodiversity. Located far to the south in Chile, Malleco also benefits from lower UV radiation and cooler temperatures. It is the ideal location for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with unrivaled purity and freshness.\r\n\r\nToday, 9 hectares of Pinot Noir and 6.4 hectares of Chardonnay are planted in Francisco’s home vineyard, Viñedo Los Suizos. Farming is manual without chemical inputs, and the harvest is conducted by hand. Despite the size, production remains limited as Francisco sells a portion of his fruit to some of the top names in Chile. Fermentations are all indigenous, and the wines are aged entirely in French oak barrels.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/5436/Baettig_Logo.png?1706730345","profile_url":"/b/baettig"},{"name":"Bodega Marañones","description":"While not an official DO, the Sierra de Gredos is home to a group of young, passionate, and innovative winemakers who are pushing the boundaries of viniculture in a region that has long been seen as a place for bulk wine to slake the thirst of nearby Madrid. Even in a country of mountains and high plateaux, and despite its proximity to the sun-baked capital, the Sierra de Gredos seems more alpine, more remote, and more rugged than one would imagine this far south. It is the unique combination of high altitudes and low latitudes that defines the potential of Gredos, and when you throw in weathered slate, granite, and schist soils and add some varieties that are pushed to their limits in such an extreme environment, is it any surprise that the wines made here are so captivating, pure and expressive?\r\n\r\nBodega Marañones is located in the DO of Viños de Madrid in the sub-zone of San Martín de Valdeiglesias, where the Sierra de Gredos meets the Sierra de Guadarrama. Their vineyards stretch from the steep hillsides at the base of the mountains down to gentler slopes near the valley floor – providing them with various terroirs that capture a more Mediterranean expression of the Gredos. Helmed by Fernando Garcia, who, together with Dani Landi, are the creative minds behind Comando G, Bodega Marañones is farmed organically and manually. The work in the vineyards focuses on prolonging the vegetative cycle to balance ripeness with acidity and tannin. The yields are low from 20-30 hl/ha for the Garnacha and 10-20 hl/ha for the Albillo. Due to the dry climate, there are seldom any problems with pests or disease. Fernando’s largest hurdle is ironically what makes the property so unique – the elevation and the proximity to the mountains, making these sites vulnerable to late spring frosts. This is most apparent with Albillo, which is an early budding variety, but it can impact Garnacha as well. Some single vineyard wines are sacrificed in some vintages to preserve the quality of their two village wines: 30,000 Maravedíes and Picarana.\r\n\r\nFernando tends four different terroirs: Marañones, Andrinoso, Peña Cruzada, and Dehesa. Marañones, adjacent to the cellars, is a north-facing slope of sandy granite soils with patches of gneiss and schist. Here they source the Garnacha for Peña Caballera and a portion of the Albillo that goes into Picarana. Andrinoso is their highest elevation site, a high plateau of granitic sand at 850 meters above sea level where they grow some of the Garnacha that goes into 30,000 Maravedíes. Peña Cruzada is a small hilltop site of stony and weathered pink granite at an elevation of 750 meters above sea level. This is the source for the single-vineyard Albillo, Piesdescalzos. Their final site, Dehesa, is an alluvial terroir at the bottom of the valley, where the soils are deep and sandy. Most of the fruit from Dehesa is used in 30,000 Maravedies and Picarana, but a small rocky portion of the site is the source for Labros.\r\n\r\nThe care taken with farming Bodega Marañones is echoed in the cellar. To make elegant and expressive wines, each site is harvested by hand separately, and all fermentations are with indigenous yeasts. The whites are macerated for 12-24 hours before pressing, and after settling for 24 hours, they are racked off their gross lees to ferment in foudres and 500–700L French oak barrels. The reds are fermented mostly whole-cluster in oak vats of 30-45HL with pigeage by foot rather than a machine. When the cap sinks, the wine is racked into foudres or 500–700L French oak barrels.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3324/Maranones_logo.png?1611157674","profile_url":"/b/bodega-maranones"},{"name":"Bodegas Castaño","description":"The Castaño family are the original pioneers of the DO Yecla. Starting in the 1950s, Ramón Cantaño Santa, with an extensive family history of viticulture, built the region's first modern winery. Over the successive decades, he added to his family’s holdings so now the estate encompasses 450 hectares of primarily old bush vine Monastrell. Starting in the 1980s, the family began bottling wines under their own name, continuing to innovate in the vineyard and cellar to improve the reputation of Monastrell. Before this time, most of the wine made in the region was sold off in bulk, so much of the best, old-vine material was blended away before anyone could take note of its quality.\r\n\r\nThe vineyards are grouped into four estates: Las Gruesas, El Espinal, Pozuelo, and Arabí. Soils range from rocky limestone to fine clay. The primary grape is Monastrell, followed in importance by Garnacha Tintorera and Cabernet Sauvignon. There are also smaller plantings of Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Garnacha, Macabeo, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc.\r\n\r\nWith such extensive holdings, it's remarkable that harvest is still done entirely by hand, with the grapes being transported quickly to the winery for fermentation. A diversity of terroirs and a large, state-of-the-art winery building on the outskirts of Yecla allows for both large-scale and more experimental practices. The large stainless steel tanks are ideal for semi-carbonic macerations, while smaller tanks can easily be adapted for more traditional, whole-cluster fermentations. Most fermentations are now by indigenous yeasts, as Castaño has been moving towards certifying more and more of their vineyards each year. This change to viticulture has resulted in healthier grapes and easier natural fermentations.  This dynamic and eclectic approach to winemaking has been a boon for quality and uniquely expressive wines. For well over twenty years, Eric Solomon has selected his favorite components at this property to make our own custom cuvées for the US market. \r\n\r\nThe wines selected by European Cellars are primarily sourced from the northern part of the DO, where the soils are poorer rockier, and the elevation is higher. These vines range in age from 20 to close to a century-old, with some of the oldest vines of Monastrell being ungrafted. In addition to Monastrell, their vineyards in this part of Yecla are planted with Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha Tintorera, Macabeo Chardonnay.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3325/Castano_AoM_Logo.png?1611158757","profile_url":"/b/bodegas-castano"},{"name":"Bodegas Mas Alta","description":"In the Priorat, you can find local families who have tended their vines for generations and newcomers drawn to the possibilities of this terroir – even the founding members of the modern Priorat include representatives of both camps. The creators of Mas Alta, Michel, and Christine Vanhoutte, originally from Belgium, became enamored with the early wines they tasted from the Priorat and decided to relocate to the small village of La Vilella Alta to establish an estate of their own. In the process, they enlisted Michel Tardieu and Philippe Cambie's help to start up their Bodega.\r\n\r\nMas Alta is currently 35 ha in size with additional acreage contracted from local growers. As with most properties in the Priorat, at the core of the estate are old-vine Garnacha and Carinyena that are up to 100 years old in age. They have also planted some new vineyards of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnatxa Negra, and Carinyena and an increasing amount of indigenous white varieties, Garnatxa Blanca, Pedro Ximénez, and Macabeu. Over the last decade, there has been a transition to organic farming and the introduction of many biodynamic practices. As they have adapted to the region's terroir, they have also begun to implement some changes to their cellar practices. Since its inception, Mas Alta has championed a lavish and expressive style of wine, but there has been a slow evolution in the cellar. More whole clusters are used in the fermentations, indigenous yeasts are employed, and a preference for aging in concrete, foudre, and well-seasoned, and larger barrels is prized over new wood and small barriques. ","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3327/logo-bodega-mas-alta.png?1611250313","profile_url":"/b/bodegas-mas-alta"},{"name":"Bodegas Vetus","description":"Toro, the red-headed bastard stepchild of DOs, a bastion of Tempranillo in its guise as the local Tinta de Toro, has always stood in the shadow of Ribera del Duero and Rioja. Being remotely located near the border with Portugal kept this region mired in the past, and when modernization did come in the 1990s, the fad was for big, oaky, powerful, and obvious wines. Sadly this style did not do justice to the terroir – exchanging rusticity for the dried out tannins of too much time in too much new oak. The situation is beginning to change, and a few insightful estates are just starting to explore a more elegant style of winemaking. While in its infancy, this movement has the potential to finally establish Toro as a region to watch.\r\n\r\nBodegas Vetus was created in 2003 with the purchase of a 20-hectare property by the Anton family, proprietors of Finca Villacreces in Ribera del Duero and Izadi in Rioja Alavesa. The vineyard is planted with 100% Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo) in poor soils, producing low yields of concentrated grapes. Toro's hot and dry climate produces unmistakably big wines that many producers try to tame with plenty of new oak. The harder path and the one Vetus has taken is to restrain the terroir's natural rusticity and promote balance and elegance in the finished wines. To achieve this, they are careful to harvest grapes that are not overripe, prevent excessive extraction during winemaking, and employing a greater proportion of second and third fill barrels for the aging of their wines.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3329/logovetus.png?1611331905","profile_url":"/b/bodegas-vetus"},{"name":"Burgáns","description":"Somehow, cooperatives developed a bad reputation. While it is undoubtedly true that cooperatives can make mediocre wine, it is also true that proper Domaines can be guilty of the same offense. It's not the nature of the operation that determines quality but what happens in the vineyard and cellar. Burgans is a custom cuvée made for European Cellars by Martin Codax, the largest cooperative in Rías-Baixas. Founded in 1986 by about 50 families with small plots of Albariño around the village of Cambados under the guidance of Luciano Amoedo, it has grown over the last three decades to include almost 600 families and well over 3000 small parcels of Albariño.\r\n\r\nBy volume, the vast majority of grapes grown in Rias-Baixas are made into wine at any one of several cooperatives for the simple reason that much of the land in Rias Baixas is broken up into tens of thousands of small holdings. Almost everyone you meet has a family home in the semi-suburban countryside where they grow various crops. Large contiguous estates are relatively rare by comparison, so by necessity, most growers are members of a local cooperative, or they sell their fruit to the few \"larger\" estates in the area. As a result, most of the Albariño consumed in the world comes from a handful of cooperatives rather than a multitude of smaller estates.\r\n\r\nLuciano Amoedo was a ninth-generation grape grower in Rias Baixas and an early proponent of the Albariño variety when he assembled a group of neighbors in the Val do Salnes to form their own cooperative. Long before Albariño was synonymous with Rias-Baixas, Luciano dedicated himself to promoting and developing both. Now an official in the local DO, the cooperative's day-to-day responsibilities are in Katia Alvarez's hands. She is assisted on the technical side by Aránzazu Álvarez Zulueta, who oversees the wide range of wines and styles made at the cooperative. Aránzazu has also expanded the scope of the R\u0026D-focused experimental winery by identifying unique sites within Salnés – these efforts led the the addition of Val de Burgans to our portfolio.\r\n\r\nWith such a vast array of tiny parcels, Martin Codax has invested in a team of viticulturists who regularly visit member's vineyards in addition to managing their own experimental vineyards where massale selections of Albariño are studied alongside other indigenous varieties. They are engaged in education on proper farming techniques and sustainable practices. Martin Codax also hosts regular educational sessions to encourage best practices, and they pay their members based on the quality of their fruit, not the quantity. In the cellar, the wines are fermented and aged in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks to preserve the freshness and bracing acidity typical of Albariño grown in the Val do Salnes. In addition, several experimental fermentations are conducted each vintage to understand the minor site variations, the role of natural yeasts, the length of elevage, skin contact, variations in site and village expression, and the qualities of various aging vessels. All these experiments are used to improve the quality of Burgans with the occasional new discovery of a wine such as Val de Burgans.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/36/Burgans-Logo.png?1712266487","profile_url":"/b/burgans"},{"name":"Casa Castillo","description":"Well-trodden paths like Highway 29 in Napa, RN74 in Burgundy, or the Mosel River in Germany are obvious vinous routes that have been signposted and gentrified over decades but not Jumilla. Parched, bleak, and seemingly barren under the heat of midsummer, there are only the faintest hints of civilization, usually in the form of an isolated sign, a decaying old farmhouse, or the random fellow traveler rushing to get out of the sun. Jumilla is about roughing it, about getting to know farmers and their families and, if you’re lucky, being invited into their homes to share a meal. It’s a place worth getting lost in. If you’ve played your cards right, the person inviting you to Jumilla is José Maria Vicente. José Maria is a third-generation owner and operator of Casa Castillo, a farm that began as a rosemary plantation but one that has evolved into the preeminent estate in the DO of Jumilla. While the smell of rosemary still lingers in the air, the pale, rocky soils surrounding his house and cellar are now planted with vines and almond orchards. When José Maria’s grandfather purchased Casa Castillo in 1941, there was already a winery, cellar, and some scattered vineyards on the property dating to the 1870s, established by French refugees fleeing the plight of phylloxera in their native land. In 1985 José and his father began to replant the vineyards and expand them with the goal of making wine on the property. In 1991 they bottled their first commercial vintage.\r\n\r\nIn selecting the grapes to grow on their land, they chose the indigenous Monastrell to be the primary variety. Native to the region, it was perfectly adapted to the hot, dry climate. Originally Cabernet Sauvignon and Garnacha were selected for the more gravelly soils, while Syrah is grown on more sheltered sites rich in chalk. The largest vineyard, Valle, is a hot, rocky terroir planted exclusively with head-pruned Monastrell. Val Tosca is a sloped vineyard, its white chalky soils gleaming in the sun and planted with ungrafted Syrah that José received from Jean-Louis Chave. On the slope facing Val Tosca is Las Gravas, named for its deep, gravelly soils. Soil is loosely applied here since it resembles nothing more than a pile of rocks. Las Gravas is planted with Monastrell and Garnacha – as José Maria has grafted his Cabernet over to Garnacha, preferring the native variety over the foreign interloper. Finally, there is La Solana, an ungrafted Monastrell vineyard on sandy decomposed limestone that was planted in 1942. La Solana is the source of the scarce Pie Franco, which dwindles in quantity each year because while the soil is resistant to phylloxera, it is not immune. Due to the climate, José Maria can farm his vineyards without needing chemical treatments.\r\n\r\nEverything is harvested by hand and brought promptly to the cellar for sorting and fermentation. Fermentations are in stainless steel tanks, concrete vats, or stone lagars. Pigeage is done by foot, and whole clusters are increasingly used – up to 50% in the Pie Franco. Aging follows in concrete, foudre, and 500L French oak demi-muids.\r\n\r\nImported by European Cellars. To learn more please visit www.europeancellars.com/producer/casa-castillo","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3331/Casa_Casstillo_Logo.png?1611333234","profile_url":"/b/casa-castillo"},{"name":"Celler Cal Pla","description":"The village of Porrera is located in the southwestern corner of the Priorat and is the largest of the zone's 12 villages. Written records of a town (Valporrieram) in this location date to the beginning of the 12th century, and the succeeding years encompass a long tradition of anti-clerical and anti-authoritarian local spirit – so much so that the town has been destroyed three times by invading forces. Despite these setbacks, Porrera continued to thrive, especially with the Priorat's rebirth as a major wine-producing area. Despite being on the DOQ’s southern border, Porrera is considered a more temperate area due to its location in the valley formed by the river Cortiella which forms a break in the surrounding mountains and the preponderance of north-facing vineyards sites.\r\n\r\nJoan Sangenís is descended from eight generations of unruly locals who farmed various crops in Porrera. His family first started making wine in 1814, and until 1996, they sold their wines in bulk to the village residents and the local cooperative. Joan’s parents Jaume and Mercé, who both still tend to the family’s vines, purchased Mas d’En Compte in 1988, greatly expanding their vineyard land. Along with this purchase came an ancient, ruined house in the village they renovated, intending to bottle their own wines. With much of their newly purchased vines being poorly maintained, they began to resuscitate them, replanting and awaiting the return of their son, Joan, who was finishing his studies in enology. Upon his return to Porrera in 1996, Celler Cal Pla was born.\r\n\r\nThe Sangenís family farms 20 hectares of vines located around Porrera. Their oldest vines of Garnatxa Negra and Carinyena are located in the famed Mas d’En Caçador vineyard, arguably the village's Grand Cru. The remaining vines vary in age from 15 to 80 years old. Farming is done organically, which may sound easy in such a warm and dry climate until you see the steepness of some of their sites – here, any kind of farming is arduous. In addition to Garnatxa Negra and Carinyena, the estate grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnatxa Blanca, Xarel.lo, Picapoll Blanca, Macabeu, and Moscatel.\r\n\r\nAfter harvesting the grapes by hand into small crates, they are brought to the cellar, where they are sorted. The white wines see a short pre-fermentation maceration on the skins before pressing and fermentation in stainless steel tanks, followed by aging in new French oak barrels. The red wines, also fermented in tank, see a long maceration lasting over 30 days. Once the primary fermentation is complete, the wines are aged in concrete or French and Hungarian oak barrels and foudres. Their untidy cellar looks like a museum to winemaking of the past and reflects the authenticity and charm of the Sangenís family and their wines. ","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3332/logo_calpla.png?1611334694","profile_url":"/b/celler-cal-pla"},{"name":"Celler Cecilio","description":"Few regions in Spain have captured the curious blend of modernity and tradition better than the Priorat, a mountainous region located southwest of Barcelona. Historically, geographically and culturally, it was an ideal spot for a revolution when Rene Barbier, Alvaro Palacios, Daphne Glorian, José Luis Perez, and Carles Pastrana set about making their first wine in the small village of Gratallops in 1989. From this modest start, the great clos of the Priorat were born: Clos Mogador, Clos Dolfi, Clos Erasmus, Clos Martinet, and Clos de l’Obac. While it is easy to point to these pioneers as the founders of the modern Priorat, in reality, the roots of this epic change were planted in the stony llicorella soil generations before. One such example existed in the very village that the modern Priorat calls home.\r\n\r\nCeller Cecilio is also located in Gratallops, in the heart of Priorat, and was the first winery registered in the D.O.Ca. It is a family estate dedicated to making and bottling wine since 1942, established and founded by Cecilio Vicent, father of the current owner and winemaker, August. When Cecilio, a native of Valencia, settled in the Priorat, he met and married into a family with many hectares of vineyards. At this time, these vineyards had been neglected, so Cecilio set about restoring them ­- first selling his grapes to the local cooperative while studying winemaking. Finally, in 1942, he began bottling his own wines in a small stable that he renovated into a cellar and is still in operation today under his son August Vicent's stewardship.\r\n\r\nVicent farms four vineyard sites in Gratallops and one in El Lloar – 9 hectares in total. The oldest vines are located in Els Espills, where the Garnatxa and Carinyena are 80 years old. His remaining plots, El Plana, Mas d’en Corral, La Sort, and L’Aubada, were replanted starting in the 1980s and finishing with L’Aubada, converted from an olive grove to a vineyard in 2004. These newer sites are planted with Garnatxa Negra, Garnatxa Blanca, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.\r\n\r\nVisiting Celler Cecilio's cellars is like going back into time, and August still tends an ancient solera of rancio – once a very popular style of wine in the region. August ferments his wines in tank with indigenous yeasts, and the wines are macerated for 20–25 days before aging in tank or neutral, large French oak barrels. Luckily for us, he is a neighbor of Eric and Daphne, and when the opportunity arose to make a Black Slate bottling from this estate, we couldn’t pass up the chance. The Black Slate Gratallops comes from a blend of older and younger vine fruit originating from August’s vineyards near the village. It showcases both the power typical of Gratallops, as well as the charmingly elegant and rustic touch of Vicent’s winemaking.\r\n\r\nRecently Luis Gutirrez, writing for the Wine Advocate, singled out August for his rancio, saying, “If you go to the village of Gratallops, you can visit Celler Cecilio, opposite the church, and he will sell you a couple of liters of his rancio (and some vermouth if you want), and if you have time to chat to the owner, Augusto, he might give you a drop or two to taste from his older barrels. He does not bottle any of these rancios, but they are sold in bulk.”\r\n\r\nStill, we keep asking…","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3334/Celler_Cecilio-Logo.png?1611350536","profile_url":"/b/celler-cecilio"},{"name":"Celler Del Roure","description":"Everything old is new again. If you had visited Celler del Roure ten years ago, you would have been treated to a modern, minimalist, and spotless cellar with assorted stainless steel tanks and new French oak barrels. After touring the current technology in viticulture, you would be taken on a tour of the ancient property, including an old olive oil press, various outbuildings, and a subterranean cellar dug into the bedrock below the estate. This cellar afforded a glimpse of the winemaking practices from centuries ago. The cellar's winding halls are lined by dozens of amphorae embedded into the earth, each with individual stone lids. Many are joined by stone channels carved into the rock, serving as the most rudimentary form of gravity flow. Some amphorae had cracked over the years, but a surprising number remained in perfect condition.\r\n\r\nSuch a complete and well-preserved artifact of viniculture would have remained an intellectual curiosity for most people, but Pablo saw it as an opportunity to explore how wines were made centuries ago and how they would have tasted. Such an endeavor makes complete sense once you meet Pablo and understand his connection with the history of the area around the village of Moixent. As a proponent of the indigenous varieties of the area such as Mando and Verdil, how could he not also champion indigenous viniculture? While there are still “modern” wines made at Roure, including 16 Gallets, Les Alcusses, and Maduresa, we are quite taken with the new cuvées aged in amphorae in the ancient cellar: Cullerot, Vermell, Safrà, and Parotet.\r\n\r\nThe amphorae wines from Celler del Roure are blends of indigenous varieties, many of which are unknown outside of Valencia. For Cullerot, Pablo continues to seek out old vineyards of white varieties such as Tortosina, Malvasía, Verdil, Merseguera, and Pedro Ximénez. For Vermell, it is Monastrell, Garnacha Tintorera, and Mandó. Safra leaves out the Monastrell for Mandó with a touch of Garnacha Tintorera, while Parotet is Mandó and Monastrell.\r\n\r\nPablo’s vineyards are farmed manually and organically, and harvests are by hand in small crates. Vine age ranges from 15 to 70 years old, and the soils are various clays – ranging from fine alluvial and loamy soils to rockier limestone terroirs. Increasingly, he uses more and more whole clusters in the fermentation, finding the finished wines are more refined and savory - elements that are emphasized by the aging in amphorae.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3335/les-alcusses-vins-fins.png?1611342461","profile_url":"/b/celler-del-roure"},{"name":"Celler Joan D'Anguera","description":"The story is so familiar it really could write itself. A bucolic setting, a familial cast of characters, decades of struggle, and innovation that looks as much forward as it does backward. In Spain, this is the story of many properties now under the leadership of a younger generation, youthful wine growers who have returned to their roots after taking inspiration from further afield. Ask Josep and Joan d'Anguera who they see as benchmark estates, and they are as likely to site Roagna or Gramenon as any compatriot.  Turning this insight inward, they've asked themselves not, how can we copy these wines? But instead, how can I make my land and my vines speak as expressly?\r\n\r\nThe first step towards the reinvention of Celler Joan d'Anguera was the transition to biodynamic farming with certification by Demeter in 2008. Returning to the land in such an intimate manner taught them to appreciate their oldest vines - their indigenous inheritance. As each site responded to the practices of biodynamics, they discovered that what was once thought of as rustic was merely abused, misunderstood, or disregarded. Having reduced yields by close to 50%, they began to discover that each site had its own character - something that is now captured in each cuvée that they make.\r\n\r\nHaving sorted their vineyards, Josep and Joan turned to their cellar practices. With healthier fruit, lower yields, and better balance in ripening, they could transition to whole cluster fermentation by indigenous yeasts. Concrete is now the preferred fermentation vessel, and the fruit is crushed by foot. Macerations are long but very gentle, intending to coax out the character of each parcel rather than extract it forcefully. Aging is now done in neutral, well-seasoned French oak barrels, demi-muids, and foudres to not impart any wood flavor in their wines.\r\n\r\nLocated between the coastal range and the Ebro valley, Celler Joan d'Anguera represents a more Mediterranean expression of the D.O. of Montsant. Still, within that context, these are remarkable elegant expressions of Garnatxa and Carinyena. Their production of Syrah has decreased, and they've retained the best vines that their father planted in cooler, north-facing sites. Much of their remaining Syrah goes into their entry-level cuvée, and they've reduced the percentage in the Planella to 15%, choosing to make Carinyena the core of this cuvée. Garntaxa is now the focus of two cuvées - their \"village\" wine Altaroses and the single-vineyard L'Argatà. At the top of their range are an old-vine Carinyena, L'Hostal and a new old-vine Garntaxa cuvée, Viña de la Gloria.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/4023/logo_y_letras3_Linea-1.png?1622813106","profile_url":"/b/joandanguera"},{"name":"Château du Mourre du Tendre","description":"Leaving Courthézon, driving north on the Route de la Plaine, you will find yourself climbing a gradual incline. An ivy-covered brick wall on one side and a hedge on the other will make it feel like traveling through a tunnel. However, once you reach the top of the hill, you will be surrounded by a sea of vines, and if the day is clear, the Dentelles and Mont Ventoux will dominate the eastern horizon. This hill is locally known as Mourre du Tendre, or the hill of love, and situated on this hill's crest, not surprisingly, is Le Château du Mourre du Tendre.\r\n\r\nFor several generations, the Paumel family has farmed grapes in the Rhône Valley. The current patriarch, Jacques Paumel, took over from his father in 1962, and in 1988 he and his wife Josephine decided to bottle their wines using the name of the hill on which their ancient farmhouse and many of their vines are situated. Technically semi-retired, Jacques and Josephine have turned over the running of the estate to their daughter Florence and her son Paul Verité. Perhaps retired is not the proper term, as you will still find the pair arguing about how much wine they have available to sell with two sets of books: one written down on note cards that Jacques keeps in his vest pocket while Josephine seems to have the numbers memorized. Amusingly these numbers never seem to be quite the same. While they work this out, you will be treated to a wide array of local delicacies with which to occupy yourself and having tasted their wines – a Côtes-du-Rhône, a Côtes-du-Rhône Villages, a Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu, and a Châteauneuf-du-Pape – you will eagerly await their final judgment and buy everything that they are willing to spare. The wines are that remarkable.\r\n\r\nThe estate is 25 hectares in size with 3 ha in Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the lieu-dits of Le Crau, La Guigasse and Saintes Vierges. All are sandy terroirs. The Grenache found in these sites was planted in 1929 or 1942, while the Mourvèdre is a relatively recent addition, having been planted by Jacques in 1967. They have a 1.5-hectare plot of Grenache and Mourvèdre, planted on a clay-limestone soil and located just outside the appellation of Châteauneuf du Pape in the lieu-dit of Clos de Grenadiers. The Grenache dates to 1925, and they are the oldest vines that the family owns. In 1969 Jacques planted Mourvèdre and Grenache to supplement these old vines, now totaling 7 hectares. From this site, the family makes their Côtes-du-Rhône Villages. In Plan de Dieu, they have a newly acquired plot of 70-90-year-old Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, and Syrah grown on gravelly red clay soils. Finally, there are 10 hectares of Grenache, Cinsault, and Carignan, also on clay-limestone soils and quite near the cellars of Mourre du Tendre. These vines are the source of their  Côtes-du-Rhône.\r\n\r\nFarming at Mourre du Tendre is minimalist and traditional. Everything is done by hand, and the family has never used pesticides in their vineyards. The harvest is conducted in several passes, and the grapes are carefully sorted when they reach the cellar. The Paumel family makes powerful and traditional wines. The fruit is not destemmed, fermentations occur spontaneously after a short semi-carbonic maceration, and the elevage is quite long – averaging about three years in a combination of concrete tanks and foudre. The resulting wines are charming, bold, and structured, with much more in common with Barolo and Barbaresco than most anything else you will find in the region. They age beautifully and gracefully, even the Côtes-du-Rhône. Sadly we only receive tiny quantities. If only we knew whether Jacques or Josephine had the more generous ledger.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/4608/Mourre_du_Tendre_Logo.png?1635862007","profile_url":"/b/mourre_du_tendre"},{"name":"Château Pesquié","description":"The Chaudière family has been part of the European Cellars portfolio since our founding in 1990 when the Rhône Valley wasn’t really on anyone’s radar, let alone the then backwaters of the region such as Ventoux, how things have changed! Paul and Edith have turned things over to their sons Alex and Fred, and the Ventoux is no longer viewed as an insignificant satellite of the Rhône Valley but an important appellation in its own right. It should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the geography of the southern Rhône that the soils in the shadow of Mt Ventoux are rich in limestone, or that these vineyards are located at a higher elevation than in the neighboring Rhône Valley, or that older vines produce more concentrated and complex fruit. At Château Pesquié, all of these conditions combine to create wines that are rich in fruit with remarkable balance and purity.\r\n\r\nThe Chaudière and Bastide families have now farmed this land for 3 generations. Odette and René purchased the Château in the early 1970s. While the building itself dates to the 1750s, the lands around it have been cultivated since the Roman era. Recent archaeological discoveries have proven that wine was made in this region as early as the 1st century BCE, and the name of the property derives from the Latin name for fish ponds, pescarium – no doubt due to the springs that occur naturally near the Château.\r\n\r\nBy the mid-1980’s Odette and René’s daughter Edith and her husband Paul Chaudière had taken over the running of the estate. Both left careers in the medical field to return to the family estate and soon found themselves back in school, this time learning how to make wine. In 1989 Chateau Pesquié, the wine was born.\r\n\r\nNow in the capable hands of Fred and Alex Chaudière, Edith and Paul's sons, Château Pesquié comprises 100 hectares of vines. Only organic treatments and composts are used in the vineyard. Weed control is done by turning over the soil, and harvesting is done by hand. There are three main terroirs on the property: rocky limestone clay, red clay, and loamy gray clay. They grow Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault, Mourvedre, Roussanne, Clairette, Viognier, Chardonnay, and Muscat. Their most common and diverse plantings are Syrah and Grenache, each chosen specifically for their soils and exposure. Fortunately, the Ventoux has a cooler micro-climate than the vineyards near the Rhône, so Fred and Alex can be guaranteed a longer and slower ripening of their fruit – especially important for these two varieties. The age of the vines ranges from 20 to well over 80 years old.\r\n\r\nAll of these elements: good terroir, older vines, organic farming, and hand harvesting ensure that only the best grapes reach the cellar.  Once there, Alexander oversees the winemaking utilizing stainless steel tanks for fermentation. Aging takes place in tank, concrete, or barrel depending on variety, and the final blends are carefully made to capture the essence of each cuvée: Terrasses is forward and engaging, Quintessence is concentrated and age-worthy while Artemia is only made in top vintages and represents the best the estate can offer.\r\n\r\nImported by European Cellars. To learn more please visit www.europeancellars.com/producer/chateau-pesquie","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3336/Pesquie_Logo.png?1611342893","profile_url":"/b/chateau-pesquie"},{"name":"Claudy Clavien - La Cave des Champs","description":"You’d be hard-pressed to find a more dramatic place to grow vines than in the Valais. Situated in the broad Alpine valley carved by the Rhône river, many of the most productive vineyards are situated on the deep alluvial clays on the valley floor, but the best sites can be found on slopes climbing into the mountains which benefit from the poorer soils, southern exposure and the cooling influence from the surrounding peaks. The Valais is the largest wine-producing region in Switzerland, providing a third of the wine made in this small country. Protected on three sides by the Alps, this is also the driest and sunniest part of Switzerland in the summer, as well as a skiing destination in the winter - add some fantastic wine, and it is no wonder anyone who visits falls for the charms of this remarkable place.\r\n\r\nClaudy Clavien was born in the Valais to a family that owned two hectares of vines above the village of Miège. Miège marks the far eastern edge of Francophone Valais, and as you travel further, French gives way to German. After studying enology at Changins, Claudy returned to Miège and founded La Cave des Champs in 1986. Starting with his parents' 2 hectares of vines, he has expanded his vineyard holdings to 6 hectares. Despite the short history of La Cave des Champs, winemaking near Miège predates the Romans, with evidence of Celtic viticulture found at several nearby archeological sites. It is only fitting then that Claudy has emerged as a proponent of the Valais' indigenous grape varieties - Petite Arvine, Païen (Savagnin Blanc), Fendant (Chasselas), Humagne Rouge, and Cornalin. In addition to these ancient varieties, he also grows Chardonnay, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Sylvaner, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Diolinoir, and Carminoir. From his six hectares and 15 varieties, Claudy makes between 22-24 cuvées each vintage, so his modest cellar is run with a precision that borders on cliché. With a small production of just under 3,500 cases per year and the great demand for his wines in Switzerland, we are thrilled to offer two of his iconic cuvées - Païen, Larmes du Terroir, and Petite Arvine, Perles du Soleil.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3337/Clavien_Logo.png?1611343324","profile_url":"/b/claudy-clavien-la-cave-des-champs"},{"name":"Clos Erasmus","description":"Folly takes many forms. Driven by whim, restlessness, or passion, it typically marks a pivot in one’s life which only the benefit of hindsight can judge. In 1988 Daphne Glorian spent her entire life’s savings on 17 terraces of vines situated in a wooded hollow just outside the village of Gratallops. Her accomplices in this folly? – René Barbier, Álvaro Palacios, Carles Pastrana, and Josep Lluís Pérez. Together they pooled their resources and newly acquired vineyards and settled in a region rich in history but without much of a reputation.\r\n\r\nIn 1989 the modern Priorat was born: one wine but five different labels, each of which would become known worldwide: Clos Mogador, Clos Dofi, Clos Martinet, Clos de l’Obac, and Clos Erasmus. Clos Erasmus is fittingly named after the famed humanist and Renaissance author Desiderius Erasmus, a favorite writer of Daphne and her humanist father, and in whose timeless work – In Praise of Folly – can Daphne’s hard work in the Priorat be fully understood.\r\n\r\nBorn in Paris but of Swiss-German ancestry, Daphne Glorian spent her early years shuttling between Switzerland and France before settling in Gratallops. \"I like to make lists of what needs to be done each day, and in Spain, I’m happy if I manage a quarter of it,\" is how Daphne explains her life now in Spain.\r\n\r\nWhile studying law in Paris in her 20s, Daphne first discovered fine wine while working as the office manager for Kit Stevens MW. What was simply a job to make ends meet would soon become her advocation. Shortly after taking the job with Kit, she was introduced to René Barbier and Álvaro Palacios, who were so impassioned about a place called the Priorat that she decided she needed to visit and see it for herself...\r\n\r\nThe early years of making wine in the Priorat were not easy. The rugged landscape and poor soils yielded only small quantities of wine, and the region was unknown outside of Catalunya. From its start, Clos Erasmus has been a wine made from younger vines blessed with being planted in the right spot. Farming has always been sustainable, and with the addition of Ester Nin as Daphne’s viticulturist in 2004, Clos i Terrasses has been converted to biodynamic farming.\r\n\r\nIn her early vintages, Daphne relied on her friends René Barbier and Álvaro Palacios for advice, but guided by her instincts and her training in Burgundy, where she first discovered wine, her wines have evolved to become some of the most sought-after references for the Priorat – and along the way, some of the most desired wines in the world. Despite having received multiple 100 point scores from top critics, Daphne has kept Clos i Terrasses modest in size and has not dramatically increased her production of Clos Erasmus, preferring to create a second, equally expressive wine, Laurel.\r\n\r\nToday Daphne’s property goes by the name Clos i Terrasses in recognition of the Clos upon which her fame was established and the terraces that she currently farms. The original folly, Escales is a 1.7-hectare parcel planted originally on seventeen terraces carved out of a steep slope and surrounded by woods. North-facing, its seemingly inauspicious aspect creates the perfect conditions for the slow ripening of Garnatxa. The top-most seven terraces of Escales were regraded to costers in 2019 as the Syrah originally planted here began to die due to the heat. This new portion of Escales was subsequently replanted with Garnatxa making this site now 100% Garnatxa.\r\n\r\nIn the early 1990s, Daphne added Aubagues and Socarrats to her holdings. Aubagues was once partially terraced, but this section was regraded to costers and replanted with Garnatxa in 2013. Now totaling 2.5 hectares, Aubagues has a diverse range of exposures that span two ridge tops with Garnatxa (56%) planted in the exposed, warmer parts of the vineyard and Syrah (44%) on the relatively more sheltered north-facing slopes.\r\n\r\nSocarrats is 3.12 hectares and planted with Garnatxa (62%), her few remaining vines of Cabernet Sauvignon (28%), and Syrah (10%). This site runs up and over a hillside from southeast to northwest. Les Vaques is a north-facing part of Socarrats purchased in 1998 and where Daphne has an additional 1.4 hectares of Garnatxa planted in 2018 \u0026 2019.\r\n\r\nGuinarderes, acquired in 1998, is 2.9 hectares in size. Facing south and southeast, this is her warmest site and the first to be harvested. It is planted with Garnatxa (60%) and Syrah (40%).\r\n\r\nPurchased in 2011, Solanes is a steep 11-hectare plot situated at the foot of a dramatic sandstone butte in the village of El Lloar. In 2020 Daphne planted 1.72 hectares of Garnatxa on the south-facing portion, while the corresponding northeast-facing slope would be ideal for Syrah in the future. Despite its size, 2 hectares are already planted with olive trees – the source for her olive oil – leaving only about 4.3 hectares suitable for future planting.\r\n\r\nTogether these vineyards form Clos i Terrasses. A modest-sized estate by the standards of the modern Priorat, Daphne strives to preserve the ideals that led her to her original folly – the unique and distinct character of Clos Erasmus made possible through a strict selection of sites, fruit, and the barrels in which this nascent wine is aged – as well as the creation of a separate cuvée, Laurel which has its own unique personality and terroir expression.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/4343/Erasmus_Bust.png?1628698046","profile_url":"/b/clositerrasses"},{"name":"Clos i Terrasses","description":"Folly takes many forms. Driven by whim, restlessness, or passion, it typically marks a pivot in one’s life which only the benefit of hindsight can judge. In 1988 Daphne Glorian spent her entire life’s savings on 17 terraces of vines situated in a wooded hollow just outside the village of Gratallops. Her accomplices in this folly? – René Barbier, Álvaro Palacios, Carles Pastrana, and Josep Lluís Pérez. Together they pooled their resources and newly acquired vineyards and settled in a region rich in history but without much of a reputation. \r\n\r\nIn 1989 the modern Priorat was born: one wine but five different labels, each of which would become known worldwide: Clos Mogador, Clos Dofi, Clos Martinet, Clos de l’Obac, and Clos Erasmus. Clos Erasmus is fittingly named after the famed humanist and Renaissance author Desiderius Erasmus, a favorite writer of Daphne and her humanist father, and in whose timeless work – In Praise of Folly – can Daphne’s hard work in the Priorat be fully understood. \r\n\r\nBorn in Paris but of Swiss-German ancestry, Daphne Glorian spent her early years shuttling between Switzerland and France before settling in Gratallops. \"I like to make lists of what needs to be done each day, and in Spain, I’m happy if I manage a quarter of it,\" is how Daphne explains her life now in Spain.\r\n\r\nWhile studying law in Paris in her 20s, Daphne first discovered fine wine while working as the office manager for Kit Stevens MW. What was simply a job to make ends meet would soon become her advocation. Shortly after taking the job with Kit, she was introduced to René Barbier and Álvaro Palacios, who were so impassioned about a place called the Priorat that she decided she needed to visit and see it for herself...\r\n\r\nThe early years of making wine in the Priorat were not easy. The rugged landscape and poor soils yielded only small quantities of wine, and the region was unknown outside of Catalunya. From its start, Clos Erasmus has been a wine made from younger vines blessed with being planted in the right spot. Farming has always been sustainable, and with the addition of Ester Nin as Daphne’s viticulturist in 2004, Clos i Terrasses has been converted to biodynamic farming. \r\n\r\nIn her early vintages, Daphne relied on her friends René Barbier and Álvaro Palacios for advice, but guided by her instincts and her training in Burgundy, where she first discovered wine, her wines have evolved to become some of the most sought-after references for the Priorat – and along the way, some of the most desired wines in the world. Despite having received multiple 100 point scores from top critics, Daphne has kept Clos i Terrasses modest in size and has not dramatically increased her production of Clos Erasmus, preferring to create a second, equally expressive wine, Laurel.\r\n\r\nToday Daphne’s property goes by the name Clos i Terrasses in recognition of the Clos upon which her fame was established and the terraces that she currently farms. The original folly, Escales is a 1.7-hectare parcel planted originally on seventeen terraces carved out of a steep slope and surrounded by woods. North-facing, its seemingly inauspicious aspect creates the perfect conditions for the slow ripening of Garnatxa. The top-most seven terraces of Escales were regraded to costers in 2019 as the Syrah originally planted here began to die due to the heat. This new portion of Escales was subsequently replanted with Garnatxa making this site now 100% Garnatxa.\r\n\r\nIn the early 1990s, Daphne added Aubagues and Socarrats to her holdings. Aubagues was once partially terraced, but this section was regraded to costers and replanted with Garnatxa in 2013.  Now totaling 2.5 hectares, Aubagues has a diverse range of exposures that span two ridge tops with Garnatxa (56%) planted in the exposed, warmer parts of the vineyard and Syrah (44%) on the relatively more sheltered north-facing slopes. \r\n\r\nSocarrats is 3.12 hectares and planted with Garnatxa (62%), her few remaining vines of Cabernet Sauvignon (28%), and Syrah (10%). This site runs up and over a hillside from southeast to northwest. Les Vaques is a north-facing part of Socarrats purchased in 1998 and where Daphne has an additional 1.4 hectares of Garnatxa planted in 2018 \u0026 2019. \r\n\r\nGuinarderes, acquired in 1998, is 2.9 hectares in size. Facing south and southeast, this is her warmest site and the first to be harvested. It is planted with Garnatxa (60%) and Syrah (40%).\r\n\r\nPurchased in 2011, Solanes is a steep 11-hectare plot situated at the foot of a dramatic sandstone butte in the village of El Lloar. In 2020 Daphne planted 1.72 hectares of Garnatxa on the south-facing portion, while the corresponding northeast-facing slope would be ideal for Syrah in the future. Despite its size, 2 hectares are already planted with olive trees – the source for her olive oil – leaving only about 4.3 hectares suitable for future planting. \r\n\r\nTogether these vineyards form Clos i Terrasses. A modest-sized estate by the standards of the modern Priorat, Daphne strives to preserve the ideals that led her to her original folly – the unique and distinct character of Clos Erasmus made possible through a strict selection of sites, fruit, and the barrels in which this nascent wine is aged – as well as the creation of a separate cuvée, Laurel which has its own unique personality and terroir expression.\r\n","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3340/Erasmus_Bust.png?1611591832","profile_url":"/b/clos-i-terrasses"},{"name":"Clos Saint Jean","description":"Clos Saint-Jean is a 41-hectare estate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape run by brothers Vincent and Pascal Maurel. Considered by many critics and wine-writers as the preeminent estate espousing the modern style of winemaking in Châteauneuf, this cellar is one of the oldest in the region, having been founded in 1900 by the great-great-grandfather of Vincent and Pascal, Edmund Tacussel. A short time after its founding and well before the AOP of Chateauneuf-du-Pape was created in 1923, Edmund began bottling estate wines in 1910.\r\n\r\nThe various vineyards of Clos Saint-Jean are located primarily in the region of Le Crau. This plateau is perhaps the most iconic of the many terroirs of Châteauneuf-duPape – iron-rich red clays topped with galets. While about 60% of their vineyards are located here, specifically in the lieu-dits of Côteau de Saint-Jean and Cabane de Saint-Jean, another 40% are located in alluvial clay and sandy soils adjacent to the plateau. They also own a small parcel of Mourvedre in the lieu-dit of Bois-Dauphin near Château Rayas planted on sandy, limestone-rich soils.\r\n\r\nThe farming at Clos Saint-Jean is fully sustainable due to the warm and dry climate, which obviates the need for chemical inputs. Vincent and Pascal employ organic methods for pest control, mainly pheromones, to prevent pests from taking up residence in their vines, a process called amusingly enough in French, confusion sexuelle. The vines are also worked manually, and harvest is conducted in several passes entirely by hand.\r\n\r\nOnce harvested, the grapes are transported to the cellar in small bins. The white varieties are pressed directly with Grenache Blanc and Clairette being fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks, while the Roussanne is fermented and aged in barrel. The reds are almost entirely destemmed, with about 10% whole clusters retained. Fermentation follows in concrete vats. Macerations are long, averaging 35 days on the skins. The Grenache sees a gentle maceration with delestage, while the Syrah and Mouvrèdre receive pigeage. All of the Grenache is aged in concrete except Sanctus Sanctorum, a single plot of old-vine Grenache, that in exceptional vintages, is aged in demi-muid and bottled only in magnum. Syrah and Mourvedre are aged in barriques and demi-muids. Aging for all the reds is about 12 months. The Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes is bottled especially for European Cellars and is selected by the brothers with input from Philippe Cambie and Eric Solomon. In addition to the Sanctus Sanctorum, two additional small cuvées are made: La Combe des Fous and Deus ex Machina – each sourced primarily from Le Crau, the power, and finesse of which is apparent in both wines. The Deus ex Machina is deepened with the inclusion of the old vine Mourvedre that the Maurels farm on the sandy soils of Bois–Dauphin.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3353/CSJ_Logo.png?1611607123","profile_url":"/b/clos-saint-jean"},{"name":"Clos St. Antonin","description":"Clos Saint Antonin is a 15-hectare estate located outside the town of Jonquières within the Côtes-du-Rhône Village of Plan de Dieu. A short drive away from Courthézon, where Domaine de la Janasse is situated, Clos Saint Antonin was purchased by the Sabon family in 2014. Small, compact, and contiguous estates rarely come on the market in the Rhône, let alone ones planted on the classic red clays, galets, and sand typical of Plan de Dieu. While it is quite common to see the famed estates of Châteauneuf-du-Pape looking over the Rhône river towards Lirac to expand their holdings, more and more are looking north to Plan de Dieu since this terroir is quite similar to what they find in their backyard. While the whole family is involved with its farming and winemaking, Isabelle Sabon is heading up this new project - one supplemented by some of her family’s vineyards in Le Crau for the Clos Saint Antonin Châteauneuf-du-Pape.\r\n\r\nDespite being a recognized Côtes-du-Rhône Villages, Plan de Dieu has long been in the shadow of the more famous Cairanne and Rasteau to its immediate north. If you would compare this terroir to its neighbors, it could best be summarized as having the potential richness of Rasteau, married to the lift and precision of Cairanne. There is a diversity of soils in this appellation made clear by walking the vineyards in winter, where the heavier clays on the gentle, lower slopes give way to gravel and galets on the crest of this hill. And if you're standing in these vineyards as the mistral begins to blow, you'll realize just how exposed these vineyards to the winds that buffet this open plain year-round. Corresponding to the changes in terroir, the whites are planted on the heavier clay soils; the Côtes-du-Rhône is made from younger vines and those on the mid-slope where clay mixes with fine gravel, while the Plan de Dieu comes entirely from the older vines on the galets-rich soils at the top of the hill where the old, derelict Mas of St-Antonin is gently crumbling back into the landscape.  \r\n\r\nIsabelle makes four wines at her estate: a IGP Principauté d'Orange from Clairette, Chardonnay \u0026 Bourboulenc, a Côtes-du-Rhône from younger vines of Grenache, Syrah \u0026 Mourvèdre, a Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu from older vines of Grenache, Mourvèdre \u0026 Syrah, and a Châteauneuf-du-Pape from old vines of Grenache located in La Fond du Loup and Le Crau. The grapes for these cuvées are farmed organically and harvested by hand then partially destemmed and fermented by nautral yeasts at Domaine de la Janasse. Aging is in concrete tanks, foudres and neutral French oak demi-muids.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3352/Clos_Saint_Antonin_Logo.png?1611606724","profile_url":"/b/clos-saint-antonin"},{"name":"Comando G","description":"A short distance away from Madrid, the rugged, weathered peaks of the Sierra de Gredos serve as a refreshingly cool retreat from the heat and bustle of the capital. Ancient hilltop towns and cottages dot the tortured landscape of alpine meadows, tumbled boulders, and thick scrub brush. Clustered around this rugged range are several DOs, most notably Mentrida and Viños de Madrid, which are best known for producing reliably inexpensive and simple country wines to slake the capital's thirst. But viticulture in Spain is ancient and tenacious, so the adventurous can also find scattered vineyards situated in the most inaccessible places, including rockfalls and natural amphitheaters high up in the most remote parts of the backcountry.\r\n\r\nDaniel Landi and Fernando Garcia, friends since college, found themselves working in the area centered around the Sierra de Gredos: Daniel at his family’s estate, Bodegas Jimenez-Landi, and Fernando at Bodega Marañones. Drawn to the mountains and rumors of small, nearly inaccessible vineyard plots located high in the Sierra de Gredos, over time, they began purchasing and leasing the best sites they could find, creating their own project, Comando G in 2008. Along with the pioneers of the Priorat, Daniel and Fernando are redefining what was previously viewed as a workhorse variety, Garnacha, into something that can rival the elegance and finesse of Pinot in Burgundy or Syrah in the northern Rhône.\r\n\r\nThe vineyards that Daniel and Fernando have assembled are all farmed biodynamically. These vines all range from 50 to 80 years old and are planted on sandy soils weathered from granite, slate, and quartz.  A combination of high altitude, freely draining soils, and a mild and fairly humid micro-climate – for central Spain – guarantees a long growing season and a modest alcohol level in the finished wines. The resultant wines are startlingly pale, extraordinarily aromatic, and intensely flavorful. Each site is harvested by hand, usually in October, fermented by indigenous yeasts in open-top French oak casks, then aged in a combination of 500-700L French oak barrels, foudre, and clay amphorae.\r\n\r\nEach vineyard site, labeled as Vino de Parcela, is expressive of place. Tumba del Rey Moro, one of the newest sites, answers the question, what if Marcel Lapierre made Rayas? While Rumbo al Norte shows a more generous profile where the minerality is hidden by juicier fruit and greater tannin. Finally, Las Umbrias shows incredible poise and balance, weaving together florality, pure mineral, delicate fruit, and mouth-tingling tannin. Together these wines could aptly be called Grand Cru Garnacha.\r\n\r\nThe same care that goes into producing the single parcel wines goes into the crafting La Bruja de Rozas – all pretty Garnacha red-fruit and incense. Lest you think that it’s all Garnacha Negre all the time, there is a white wine made by Comando G, El Tamboril, a blend of Garnacha Blanca and Gris when tasted blind is more evocative of Chassagne than the Mediterranean.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3354/Comando_G_Informal_Logo.png?1611607451","profile_url":"/b/comando-g"},{"name":"Cooperativa De Cadalso","description":"Just down the street from Comando G is the Bodega Cooperativa Cristo del Humilladero. Founded in 1956 by over 400 local families with vineyards in the hills surrounding Cadalso de los Vidrios, it once received over 6 million kilos of grapes from close to 1000 hectares of vineyards. Since its founding, however, and as Madrid's population grew, it became more profitable to uproot old vines of Garnacha and Albillo in favor of new suburban houses and country retreats in the mountains of the Sierra de Gredos. Over 80% of the original vineyards near Cadalso have been lost, and more are threatened with continual development.\r\n\r\nFaced with the loss of additional vineyards and desiring to reverse this trend, the president of the Cooperativa, Ricardo Moreno, approached his neighbors, Dani Landi and Fernando Garcia. Equally concerned with the loss of their region's viticultural heritage, Dani and Fer devised a plan to improve the farming and winemaking at the cooperative so that members could make a living from their vineyards rather than selling their land to real estate developers.\r\n\r\nLike kids unleashed in a candy store, Dani and Fer had access to a wide range of sites at elevations between 500-1000 meters in elevation and vines from 20-70 years old. Their previous experience in farming small, isolated vineyards with differing expressions and spread throughout the Gredos gave them the confidence and experience to select complementary sites that, when blending together, could represent a true village wine from the sandy granitic soils surrounding Cadalso de los Vidrios. \r\n\r\nThe Cooperativa itself has only been slightly modernized to allow for temperature control, but the original tulip-shaped concrete tanks remain in situ. This is the perfect set up to make transparent wines unmarked by any oak and offered at a reasonable price while supporting local growers and preserving the village's vineyards. \r\n\r\n2015 was the inaugural vintage of this new partnership between the Cooperativa and Comando G, and as soon as Eric Solomon tasted it, we partnered with the Cooperativa, Dani, and Fernando to create Granito del Cadalso. It is made from Garnacha sourced from the granitic and sandy soils of the village. The vines range in age from 20 to well over 70 years old. Harvested by hand, Granito del Cadalso is fermented and aged in concrete with a 15-20 day maceration with regular rémontage.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3362/Cadalso_Logo.png?1611785655","profile_url":"/b/cooperativa-de-cadalso"},{"name":"Coster Dels Olivers","description":"The rugged slopes of the Priorat alternate between forest and wild herbs, then groves of olive trees and vineyards. But the careful eye can detect that even the densest of forests in the Priorat bear traces of generations of farmers who have attempted to tame this wild landscape. Crumbling terraces overgrown with brush, tiny broken-down shelters from which one could escape the blisteringly hot mid-day sun, and the occasional twisted metal of an abandoned farming implement, the use of which has long since been forgotten.\r\n\r\nThe region would have remained raw and undiscovered had it not been for the pioneering four founders of the modern Priorat: Daphne Glorian, Alvaro Palacios, Josep Luis Perez, and Rene Barbier. With their efforts, the Priorat was reborn, and it has seen tremendous growth in the last thirty years.  \r\n\r\nWhile the Priorat is known for its rich and opulent wines, the region can also make fresher, more engaging wine styles. Wines that capture the more untrammeled side of Priorat and hearken back to the type common here before the region’s modern rebirth. Some of the most prestigious names and some of the most expensive bottlings in the Priorat now embrace this new, more elegant style. While we encourage you to try some of them, might we persuade you to start with Coster dels Olivers?","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/4270/Coster_dels_Olivers.png?1626375637","profile_url":"/b/costerdelsolivers"},{"name":"Creta","description":"Sotillo de la Ribera is a small village of 600 inhabitants on the northern edge of the DO of Ribera del Duero. Dating back to the middle ages, many of the buildings in Sotillo date to the 18th century when grape growing and winemaking brought prosperity to the village – a tradition that continues today. After many years of experience making a custom cuvée in the DO, Eric Solomon has recently partnered with Rafael de Haan to make Creta from 30-50-year-old vines of Tempranillo grown in clay loam and chalky soils surrounding Sotillo.\r\n\r\nBritish-born and educated, Rafael joined the UK wine trade in 2000 but soon realized that he rather have a career closer to the vine. So in 2001, he moved to Barcelona, began brokering a selection of estates, and opened a tapas bar before establishing his first property, Bodegas Abanico in Rioja with his partner Nuria Altes. In addition to Creta, Rafael de Haan and Nuria Altes run Herencia-Altes in Terra Alta (Nuria’s place of origin), and partner with Eric Solomon to make Hazaña Viñas Viejas in Rioja.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/5354/Creta_logo_ish.png?1681303985","profile_url":"/b/creta"},{"name":"Cuevas De Arom","description":"Fernando Mora wasn’t born into a winemaking family, but at young age, he started making wines in an apartment in Zaragoza. A native of Aragon, Fernando realized that the native variety of his place of birth, Garnacha, could be far more than the custom labels and bulk wines upon which the region based its early success. So, first, at Bodegas Frontonio, then launching Cuevas de Arom in Campo de Borja before moving it to Calatayud and partnering with Bodegas San Alejandro, Fernando Mora sought out the most expressive, uniquely situated, high-elevation, and oldest vines of Garnacha to show that the Garnacha from Aragon could be as winsome, complex, and ethereal as any Garnacha made in the rest of Spain if not the world.\r\n\r\nFernando isn’t solely a proponent of Garnacha in Aragon, but he is a Master of Wine who proposed in his thesis a pricing hierarchy for vineyards in Campo de Borja based on the quality of grapes that specific vineyards and villages were capable of producing. This strategy would provide a living wage for growers and combat the race-to-the-bottom mentality that this DO seemed to be embracing. Without change, this commercial approach to winemaking would result in uninteresting bulk wine and threaten the best vineyards – those most challenging and expensive to work. The add-on effects would be the loss of these dry-farmed vineyards to more profitable crops, erosion, and a higher demand for irrigation in an already dry area.\r\n\r\nFernando Mora launched Cuevas de Arom in Campo de Borja but due to challenges with the DO, moved his project to Calatayud where Yolanda Diaz, the technical director for Bodegas San Alejandro, saw the potential for a partnership with Fernando Mora’s drive and enthusiasm combined with her access to the best vineyards among the many members of the cooperative. From this partnership Fernando has created a regional wine in Altas Parcelas, a village wine with As Ladieras and two single vineyard offerings: Os Cantals from sandy red-clay soils, and Tuca Negra from a sandy slate and quartzite terruño.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/5437/Cuevas_de_Arom_Logo.png?1706731081","profile_url":"/b/cuevasdearom"},{"name":"Daniel Landi","description":"Dani Landi was born and raised in Méntrida. His family had been grape growers for generations, and almost everyone sold their grapes to the local cooperative. At an early age, Dani knew he wanted to make wine, but what he didn’t know was that he would be part of a group of young winemakers that would discover a unique expression of Garnacha and reveal it to the world. It is a familiar story and one that seems to repeat itself. It starts with returning to the vineyard, responsible farming, the nurturing of indigenous varieties, and old vines in unique sites. The work is not easy, but the results are remarkable. In a country where Garnacha is viewed as a workhorse variety and a commodity, the Sierra de Gredos proves that there is another side to this variety and one that can rival Pinot Noir grown in Burgundy or Syrah in the northern Rhône.\r\n\r\nDani Landi got his start as the winemaker at Bodegas Jimenez-Landi, a company he formed with his cousin, but he left in 2012 to create his own eponymous label. In doing so, he kept part of his family’s inheritance and a few sites that he had purchased or leased himself. Dani Landi farms vineyards both in Méntrida, located south of the Sierra de Gredos, and vineyards in the province of Ávila to the north. In Méntrida, in the village of El Real de San Vicente, Dani farms scattered plots of Albillo and Garnacha destined for his village wines – Las Uvas de la Ira Albillo and Las Uvas de la Ira Garnacha. In this same village, he also farms a sparsely planted vineyard of 60+-year-old vines of Garnacha that he inherited from his family, which is the source for Cantos del Diablo. In Ávila, Dani farms two sites: Las Iruelas in the village of El Tiemblo and El Reventón in Cebreros. Las Iruelas is a muscular Garnacha from a plot of 60+-year-old vines planted on a complex and patchy terroir of mixed clay and sandy granite, schist, and quartz. El Reventón’s schist soils are unique for a region where sandy granite soils predominate. Located in the village of Cebreros, this vineyard of Garnacha is well over 70 years of age and offers a darker and starkly wild aromatic take on Garnacha de Gredos.\r\n\r\nAll of Dani’s sites combine high altitudes, freely draining soils, and a mild and fairly humid micro-climate (ask us about shivering in the vineyards in July!) – factors that guarantee a long growing season and modest alcohol levels. The resulting wines are startlingly pale, extraordinarily aromatic, and intensely flavorful. Each site is harvested by hand, usually, in October, fermented whole cluster by indigenous yeasts in open-top French oak casks then aged in a combination of foudre, 300–700 liter French oak barrels, and clay amphorae. When not making remarkably distinct and captivating wines under his own label, he shares the duties and responsibilities of Comando G, also in the Sierra de Gredos, with Fernando Garcia.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3363/Dani_Landi_Logo.png?1611786182","profile_url":"/b/daniel-landi"},{"name":"Domaine d'Andezon","description":"Les Vignerons d’Estezargues is a cooperative in the small town of Estezargues, located southwest of Avignon. The co-op is a truly unique [concept] in the wine world, and all over the country they play a very important role in the production and sale of wine. They receive and blend together grapes from a variety of vineyards, and are known for placing a heavier focus on the quantity of wine produced rather than the quality. Les Vignerons d’Estezargues, founded in 1965, however, takes a fundamentally different approach than the standard cooperativen. Starting in 1995, the ten different growers within this co-op began to vinify their wine separately and make single cuvees from their best plots. On the heels of the single cuvee project, Les Vignerons d’Estezargues began to practice natural winemaking, and they might possibly be one of the only co-ops in the world to do so. They don’t use any cultured yeasts, filtering, fining or enzymes during the vinification or aging processes, and only add a small amount of SO2 during the bottling stage.\r\n\r\nIn 1994 Eric Solomon visited the Vignerons d’Estézargues and met a young, passionate director/winemaker named Jean-François Nicq. By the end of the day, he \u0026 Jean-François had decided on a custom bottling of old vine syrah from one of their best parcels, Andezon. This opaque-black, blockbuster Syrah could have been a top Northern Rhone wine, á la Cornas. What a find! Previously sold in bulk (vinous suicide) to a very famous producer in the Rhone Valley, Eric jumped at the opportunity and over a decade later it remains one of the core items in the Eric Solomon portfolio. Some years later, a spectacular parcel of old vine Grenache was found in the Côtes du Rhône Villages Appellation Signargues which would be developed in to ‘La Granacha.” Signargues is the furthest south of the Côtes du Rhône Villages Appellation and it spreads out over 4 different communities : Domazan, Estézargues, Rochefort du Gard and Saze. The terroir of Signargues is well known to historians going from the occupation of the area by the Romans to the battles of Charles Martel, from the Popes in Avignon to the cult of Bacchus. Vestiges still exist, such as the double faced statue of Bacchus and Ariane which can be seen in the Louvre Museum, found by an archaeologist on the land.\r\n\r\nImported by European Cellars. To learn more please visit www.europeancellars.com/producer/les-vignerons-destezargues","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/5198/D'Andezon_logo.png?1655391423","profile_url":"/b/vignerons-estezargus"},{"name":"Domaine de Courbissac","description":"Despite the periodic declarations that the Languedoc is on the cusp of becoming the “next big thing,” it has remained largely an afterthought in the minds of retailers and restaurateurs and fairly unknown by consumers. Over the last 25 years, European Cellars has represented a fair number of growers from the various appellations that stretch from the very edge of the Rhône Valley to the mountains that separate French-speaking France from their Catalan cousins – notice that we resolutely refuse to call it Languedoc-Roussillon. You might as well say Burgundy-Beaujolais or Rioja-Navarra. What keeps bringing us back to the Languedoc is quite simple – terroir. While the region's tendency over the last few decades has been to over-emphasize grape variety or fixate on the latest in modern winemaking, there are a few estates dedicated to a more nuanced approach where soil and site are respected and nurtured. One such estate is Domaine de Courbissac.\r\n\r\nReinhard Brundig, a successful film producer from Germany, founded Domaine de Courbissac in 2002. What drew him to this property located in the La Livinière sub-zone of Minervois was three-fold: established and well-tended vines, the complexity of the soils, and the proximity to La Montagne Noire. At the heart of Domaine de Courbissac are 90-year-old Grenache, 70-year-old Carignan, and 70-year-old Cinsault, as well as some solidly middle-aged Syrah and Mourvedre around 40 years old. Farmed biodynamically since 2002, Reinhard has expanded the size of the vineyards, now totaling 30 hectares, by planting some additional Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre. At the end of 2013, Reinhard partnered with the talented Brunnhilde Claux, a young vigneronne with an impressive resumé. Brunnhilde started at Domaine Gauby, where she learned how to handle the natural exuberance of grapes grown in the generous Mediterranean climate. From there, she moved on to Terroir al Limit in the Priorat, where she worked with Dominik Huber for three vintages before Reinhard tapped her to lead Domaine de Courbissac.\r\n\r\nWith vineyards ranging from 250 to 450 meters above sea level, Domaine de Courbissac benefits from its location near La Montagne Noire, the southern edge of the Massif Central, and the terminus of the Cévennes. At the far western border of the Languedoc, Minervois has a semi-Mediterranean climate, especially as you approach the appellation's northern boundary. While the growing season is warm and dry – as the wide, rocky, and parched local river beds can attest – winters typically bring plenty of precipitation to recharge the soils and sustain the vines throughout the growing season. Daytime temperatures in summer are moderated by the mountains' influence, allowing the grapes to reach ripeness in sync with their physiological maturity. This allows for not only freshness and balance but makes whole cluster fermentations possible. The primary soil of the region is clay-limestone, which was laid down millions of years ago. This terroir is fractured with gravel and sandstone bands – glacial debris and outwash from the mountains to the north. The heavier clay soils benefit Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Carignan, while the rockier, lighter sandstone soils are perfect for producing high-toned and vibrant Syrah.\r\n\r\nWith her training and experience making wines at Domaine Gauby and Terroir al Limit, Brunnhilde takes a decidedly hands-off approach at Domaine de Courbissac. She has continued the biodynamic farming practices instituted in 2002, and she harvests each plot and variety separately and manually. The grapes are transported in small bins where they are sorted at the winery. The younger vine fruit is usually destemmed, while the older vine fruit is left mostly intact. Fermentations are in concrete vats and well-seasoned, open-top wooden fermenters. If Brunnhilde is fermenting with whole clusters, she will gently layer the fruit in the vat and, by foot, press out any air between the bunches. This process releases a small amount of juice, and once the vat is full, she covers it and leaves it to ferment with the natural yeasts present on the grape skins. After 9-12 days of maceration, she presses the wine. Fermentation finishes in the respective aging vessels– mainly 40hl foudres. Unless necessary, SO2 is not used until right before bottling.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3364/Courbissac_Logo.png?1611787125","profile_url":"/b/domaine-de-courbissac"},{"name":"Domaine de la Janasse","description":"Over the last quarter century, Domaine de la Janasse has become one of the most highly-regarded estates in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Led by siblings Christophe and Isabelle Sabon, the estate combines the best of both traditional and modern techniques to craft a collection of truly riveting wines from “simple” value-priced VDP’s to their benchmark Châteauneufs.\r\n\r\nThe estate was founded in 1976 by Aimé Sabon, the father of Christophe and Isabelle, who still oversees the vineyards. The property consists of 40 hectares, spread over as many as 70 different parcels throughout the appellation. The terroirs range from sandy soils, as can be found in their well-known plots in the North of the appellation – Chapouin and La Janasse– to lightly-colored clay-limestone soils and gravelly red clay and galets, most notable in their plots in Le Crau in the South. While Aimé works the vineyards organically, his children, Christophe and Isabelle, are in charge of wine production. Christophe is a self-proclaimed “great defender of Grenache,” which still represents 75% of their vines. With assistance from Aimé’s farming and Isabelle's efforts in the cellar, he harnesses the typical exuberance of Grenache-based wines through careful vinifications that respect both terroir and vintage. The results are a wide range of rich and flavorful Châteauneuf-du-Papes, Côtes-du-Rhônes and Vins de Pays that are complex and balanced – often in contradiction to a region better known for sheer size and power.\r\n\r\nIn attempting to describe the wines at Janasse, one is confronted with the inadequacies in using “style” to express their qualities. While there is a modern facet to the fruit's richness, it is beautifully paired with a pronounced sense of place and complexity. The reds are not entirely destemmed and see long and gentle macerations lasting up to a month, which may account for some of the wines' earthiness and finesse. Aging takes place in various vessels, from large concrete tanks to foudres and demi-muids. The barrels are mostly neutral and darkened with age and repeated use. The Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blancs here are frequently overlooked and are some of the best examples in the appellation. From sandier soils, only the Roussanne sees time in barrel while the Grenache and Clairette are age entirely in tank. Minuscule quantities of a reserve Blanc, the Prestige, is aged entirely in demi-muid from 1-3 years old.\r\n\r\nThe reds from Janasse are frequently considered to be among the best in the region whether it is their pleasingly complex Côtes-du-Rhone and Côtes-du-Rhône Villages or their three bottlings of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Not surprisingly, the aptly named Tradition is the most reserved of their Châteauneufs while Chaupin and Vieilles Vignes are studies in contrast, between the purity of Grenache from sandy soil clearly evident in the former, to the intensity and power of the later – an indication of the age of the vines, the range of soils from which they are sourced and the density afforded by the addition of old-vine Syrah and Mourvedre to their centenary Grenache.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3372/Janasse_Logo.png?1611846915","profile_url":"/b/domaine-de-la-janasse"},{"name":"Domaine de la Rochette","description":"Situated between the Alps and the Jura Mountains, Neuchâtel is underpinned by the same band of Jurassic limestone present in Burgundy and the Jura. Compressed and folded by the geologic process that built the surrounding mountains, then ground smooth by the glaciers that also carved out the region’s three lakes - Neuchâtel, Biel, and Murten - Neuchâtel lacks the dramatic vistas of the Valais or the grandeur of Lavaux. The drama of Neuchâtel is subterranean. The region's vineyards are located on the southeastern-facing slopes above the three lakes, where the topsoils are thinner and where the limestone is closer to the surface. These are the precise ingredients for making incredibly detailed, precise, and age-worthy Pinot Noir.\r\n\r\nOutside of Switzerland, few are aware of this hidden terroir, and if Jacques Tatasciore has his way, this will remain so. After leaving the world of business, he settled in Cressier and assembled a selection of top sites in Neuchâtel. There is no tasting room, no sign, and visitors are discouraged. Jacques is frequently awarded top honors in Switzerland for his wines, but he never attends the ceremonies - all his energy goes into his wines. Production is tiny, selection is painfully strict, allocations are jealously guarded, and details are scarce. The wines speak for themselves. ","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3385/Rochette.png?1611935608","profile_url":"/b/domaine-de-la-rochette"},{"name":"Domaine de Marcoux","description":"At almost any visit to a cellar, in rather serious tones, it is announced that the wine is made in the vineyard. True enough, grapes are a product of the land from which they come, but the very act of viticulture, let alone turning grapes into wines,  a uniquely a human pursuit. Birds and wild boars also love grapes, but you do not see them terracing vineyards or tending vines. An understanding of terroir cannot be complete without including the people who uncover it and nurture it. As important as the various soils of Chateauneuf are to the wines it produces, so are the people who make the wines and farm the vineyards. Perhaps no better representatives of this fact are the Armenier sisters, Catherine and Sophie.\r\n\r\nUpon meeting Sophie and Catherine, one cannot help but notice their ease and quiet confidence in a setting that is neither modern nor traditional. Their tasting room is simple and modest, much like their cellar, so that the overall impression you get is one of timelessness. Being located in a rural part of an already remarkably pastoral appellation only reinforces the impression that they operate in an oasis of calm, balance, and poise. So it only makes sense that their wines also share these qualities. While their family’s roots in the region can be traced back to the 13th century, the Domaine is surprisingly new, founded in 1989 but from vineyards that have been in the family for generations.\r\n\r\nDomaine de Marcoux was a pioneer in organic and biodynamic farming long before it was fashionable, which is now overseen by Catherine with assistance from Sophie’s son Vincent. They farm about 18 ha in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 8 ha in Lirac, and a little over 2 ha just north of Châteauneuf, where they make a lovely and nuanced Côtes-du-Rhône. There is a wide range of soil types from sandy soils in Charbonnières, to red clay and galets in L’Arnesque and Les Bouquets, to limestone and marl in Les Esquirons and Beaurenard, to red clay and gravel in Gallimardes, Les Serres, La Crau, and Les Plagnes. They grow Grenache primarily, with an average vine age of 50 years old, with smaller amounts of Mourvedre, Syrah, Cinsault, Roussanne, Bourboulenc, Clairette, and Grenache Blanc.\r\n\r\nTheir aforementioned modest cellar, the domain of Sophie, is equipped with stainless steel tanks for fermentation and concrete vats for the aging of most of their wines. Some of the Roussanne and a portion of their other cuvées are aged in 350L French oak barrels, the percentage depending on the vintage's characteristics. In years where the Grenache is both abundant and suitably complex, they make a release their Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes from their oldest parcels in Charbonnières (on the border with La Crau) and Les Esquirons, in addition to their regular Côtes-du-Rhône, Lirac and Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc and Rouge. Each cuvée begins with hand-harvested grapes that are destemmed and crushed upon reaching the cellar. They are allowed a short pre-fermentation maceration of a few days. Fermentation and maceration last between 2-3 weeks with daily délestage for a gentler extraction. After pressing, the wines are aged primarily in concrete, with a portion of each cuvée aged in 350L barrels and Stockinger foudres. These are wonderfully elegant and balanced wines that showcase the potential for Grenache to be viewed as the Pinot Noir of the Mediterranean.\r\n\r\n","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3453/domaine-marcoux-chateauneuf-du-pape-logo.png?1613507572","profile_url":"/b/domaine-de-marcoux"},{"name":"Domaine des Bosquets","description":"Much like many of the appellations of the southern Rhône, the wines of Gigondas are based on the Grenache grape. It tends to rusticity if yields are not checked or if it is vinified carelessly. It is supported by Syrah and Mourvèdre with smaller amounts of various other varieties. There are two types of wine made in Gigondas, red and rosé, but the production of rosé is so small it's mainly an academic point. Gigondas is red wine country. While you can find some white varieties in the vineyards, they are either bottled as Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc or co-fermented with the red grapes to make Gigondas red and rosé wines.\r\n\r\nDomaine des Bosquets has deep historical roots in Gigondas. It was first mentioned as a vineyard site in 1376. Bosquets means \"a wooded grove,\" which is an apt name for many of the vineyards one finds high up in the Dentelles - isolated and surrounded by forest and scrub. The oldest surviving buildings on the property, constructed in 1644  under Jean de Rivière Seigneur de Laval's direction, are comprised of a defensive tower, protective walls, and a solidly built provençal farmhouse. All have thick walls testifying to the need for protection against the cold winds of winter, the heat of summer, and the risks of living in such a remote corner of France. In 1674 the estate was inherited by the Chauvet family, who ran the property for many generations. In the 19th century, the estate passed through Eugène Raspail's hands, who reorganized many of the vineyard plots and terraced portions of them. In 1961 Gabriel Meffre discovered that Domaine des Bosquets was for sale. Motivated by the potential and history of the estate and his love of his wife Juliette, a descendant of the Chauvet family, he purchased Domaine des Bosquets to bring it back into the family.\r\n\r\nThe property Gabriel and Juliette had purchased was in some state of disrepair. The earlier work of Eugène Raspail was unfinished but following in his footsteps, they completed the reorganization of the vineyards, most notably finishing the terraces that separated two vineyards sites that would become La Colline and Le Plateau. Many of the vines that exist today at Domaine des Bosquets were planted by Gabriel and Juliette, relying on their friendship with the Reynaud of Château Rayas for budwood to replant much of the Grenache and Syrah and expanding the plantings to the estate's current size of 26 hectares. When Gabriel died in 1987, Domaine des Bosquets passed to his daughter Sylvette and Sylvette's son Laurent Brechet. In 1995 Laurent built a fermentation room and cellar at Domaine des Bosquets - before that time the grapes were sent to Gabriel Meffre's négoce operation in Gigondas and later they were fermented and aged at Château de Vaudieu in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.\r\n\r\nThe most recent chapter of Domaine des Bosquets' history began in 2010 when Julien Brechet, Laurent's younger brother, took charge of the property. With little in the way of technical training, Laurent sent him to Château de Pibarnon in Bandol to begin his training before finishing his informal studies at Château de Vaudieu. Julien considers 2015 to be his first independent vintage. While Philippe and Laurent were available to answer questions, he was left largely on his own. With each successive vintage that we taste, we are astounded that wines that were so remarkable when we first added them to our portfolio just keep getting better.\r\n\r\nUnder Julien's leadership and assisted with a small staff of six employees, Julien has begun to map out his terroirs through careful studies and micro-vinifications. Rather than rob his Village Gigondas of their best parts, these parcel wines are made in limited quantities and serve to make his regular Gigondas better. There are seven sites that Julien farms: Jasio, La Colline, Le Plateau, Les Bosquets, Roche, Les Routes, and Les Blânches. His 26 hectares are primarily located in Gigondas, with a few hectares in neighboring Beaumes-de-Venise and Sablet. The principal grape variety is Grenache (70%), with 20% Syrah, 8% Mourvèdre, and 2% Cinsault. There are tiny percentages of other varieties, both red and white as well. Since 2015 he's begun to convert the property to certified organic farming with the goal to have the estate farmed biodynamically as well. Cover crops are encouraged and are plowed under to ensure the roots penetrate deep into the subsoil. Care is taken to preserve the biodiversity surrounding his parcels to promote natural pest control. The average age of the vines is 50 years old, and the soils range (Julien has mapped 14 different terroirs) from sand to various gravels and types of clay - some of which are quite chalky. Average yields are 23 hl/ha for vines destined for the village Gigondas, while it drops down to as low as 15 hl/ha for some of the parcel wines. Harvests are manual to ensure a strict selection of fruit, and fermentations are now entirely with indigenous yeasts. With these farming changes, Julien has noticed better stem maturation at harvest and uses up to 30% whole clusters. His Gigondas wines are aged for two winters in French oak barrels ranging in size from 228L to 23HL. He prefers seasoned barrels to new and ages his parcel wines entirely in neutral French oak.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3522/Bosquets_Logo.png?1614270785","profile_url":"/b/domaine-des-bosquets"},{"name":"Domaine Giraud","description":"Domaine Giraud is a fairly young estated founded in 1974 by Pierre and Mireille. Pierre comes from a long line of vignerons and is a sixth-generation winegrower in the village. His mother was a member of the Armenier family,  making Pierre a descendant of one of the oldest families in the village and a cousin to Sophie and Catherine at Domaine Marcoux. Mireille was born into the Buou family, which ran the local distillery in Châteauneuf-du-Pape – a vital part of the social and economic fabric of the community for over a century. Sadly, the distillery closed several decades ago, but the old building still survives on the outskirts of the village, re-purposed in 1981 to house Domaine Giraud's cellars.\r\n\r\nBeginning with only 4 hectares of leased vineyards, the estate has slowly grown to encompass 30 hectares, mostly in Châteauneuf-du-Pape with a small plot of 60-year-old Grenache and some leased vines of Mourvèdre \u0026 Syrah in Lirac. They farm several terroirs, most notably the red clay and gravelly soils of Les Galimardes and Le Crau, but they also have vines in Les Terres Blanches (pale limestone) and Pignan (sand). There is a high proportion of old vine Grenache throughout their holdings.\r\n\r\nFrançois Giraud farms the vineyards at Domaine Giraud organically, with the property receiving certification (ECOCERT) in 2011. Vineyard work is done meticulously and manually, including the harvest, which is conducted in two passes, ensuring that only the best fruit reaches the chai. Most of the vineyards are quite close to the cellar, so the grapes arrive fresh, where the whites are sorted and whole-cluster pressed while the reds are sorted and destemmed. Fermentation for the wines takes place in stainless steel tanks and concrete vats of various sizes. Les Galimardes Blanc is an exception with the Roussanne portion of this cuvée fermented and aged in demi-muid. Apart from the Syrah, which is aged in demi-muid, all the reds at Domaine Giraud are aged in concrete tanks. The two entry-level Châteauneufs, Prémices and Tradition, are blends from several terroirs while Les Gallimardes and Grenaches de Pierre come from old-vines on singular terroirs – red clay and galets for the former and sand for the later. In difficult vintages, it is not uncommon for the family to skip one or both of these cuvées to bolster the quality of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Tradition.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3524/Domaine_Giraud_Logo.png?1614271522","profile_url":"/b/domaine-giraud"},{"name":"Domaine Gourt de Mautens","description":"When Jérôme Bressy created Domaine Gourt de Mautens in 1996, Rasteau was a fairly obscure Côtes-du-Rhône Villages but with his family's old vines and their naturally low yields he burst on the scene garnering attention (along with Andre Roméro at Domaine la Soumade) for the potential of the terroirs of Rasteau. These were excitingly complex and novel wines coming from a place once only regarded for the production of vin doux naturel. Barely 23 years old with the release of his first vintage, Jérôme had benefitted from a decision that his father, Yves Bressy, had made in 1989 – the conversion of the family's vineyards to organic farming. This allowed Jérôme to start Gourt de Mautens with healthy vines and living soils. In 2008 Jérôme took the additional step of completing the conversion to biodynamics and earning certification from DEMETER.\r\n\r\nGourt de Mautens takes its name from the local dialect. Gourt is \"a place where the water flows,\" and Mautens is the word for a \"storm or bad weather.\" Together it is the place where the water flows when it storms. This unique part of the landscape ensures that even in the driest of years, the vines on the property have plenty of moisture in the clay subsoils deep underground. The topsoil is chalky and rocky clays and marls. Poor in nutrients, these soils result in meager yields averaging 10-15 hl/ha.  Favoring an integrated approach to cultivation and one that honors the traditions of his ancestors, Jérôme's vineyards are surrounded by olive and fruit trees. Most of his vines are head-pruned and are between 30 and 100 years old. There is a complex tableau of aspects and orientations matched to a wide selection of varieties including Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Counoise, Cinsault, Vaccarèse, Terret Noir, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picardan, Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, Picpoul Blanc, Picpoul Gris. If a vine should die, it is uprooted and replaced with a massale selection suited to the site, thereby preserving the vineyard's genetic diversity. So when the appellation decided to severely limit which varieties were permitted in AOC Rasteau, Jérôme decided to leave rather than change his wines' makeup.\r\n\r\nHis dedication to preserving the genetic diversity in his vineyards isn't the only thing that sets Jérôme apart from his neighbors in Rasteau. Once a bastion of modern, dense, and rich wines, Jérôme has evolved in his approach to winemaking, taking as cues and inspiration the wines of Château Rayas, the late Henri Bonneau, and Lalou Bize-Leroy. With his heritage vines, he seeks purity and complexity but always underpinned with a distinctive sense of place - all things which AOC authorities seem eager to punish these days. Are these wines \"typical\" Rasteau? Hardly, but that says more about Rasteau than Jérôme Bressy.\r\n\r\nThere are three wines produced at Domaine Gourt de Mautens, a white, a rosé, and a red wine. Everything is harvest by hand into small bins, with the first sorting made in the vineyard. When the bins arrive at the end of the row and before they are loaded onto a truck for transport to the cellar, the head of the harvesting team sorts the grapes a second time. A third sorting happens at the cellar door, ensuring that only the best grapes make it into the fermentation tanks and vats. The white and rosé are pressed, allowed to settle, and then are moved to tanks for a spontaneous fermentation. The reds are crushed and fermented in tronconic oak vats, where fermentation beings with indigenous yeast. Depending on the variety, the wines are aged in tank, concrete vats, foudres, or demi-muids. After aging, the final blends are made, and the wines are bottled, unfined and unfiltered.\r\n\r\n","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3525/Gourt_de_Mautens_Logo.png?1614272056","profile_url":"/b/domaine-gourt-de-mautens"},{"name":"Domaine Jérémy Bricka","description":"Squeezed between the Savoie and the Rhône valley is Isère, a dramatic landscape of steep, narrow river valleys and forested slopes. Grape growing in Isère dates back to Roman times, and 33,000 hectares of vines were recorded as planted here in the 19th century. But that was before phylloxera struck. Since many of the best vineyard sites in Isère were remote and difficult to farm due to the cool climate, steep slopes, and poor, rocky soils, they were largely abandoned, and many of Isère’s indigenous varieties nearly went extinct. However, over the last ten years, there has been a revitalization of Isère’s viticultural heritage, and one of its leading voices is Jérémy Bricka.\r\n\r\nAfter studying enology, Jérémy Bricka worked at Guigal for eight years, managing their St. Joseph and Hermitage vineyards. With a lifelong passion for the mountains and looking for a change of scene, Jérémy moved to Trieves in the Rhône-Alpes in 2011 and co-founded the first French whisky distillery, Des Hautes Glaces. Jérémy fell in love with the region, but his success with whisky was mixed, so he decided to return to his original passion: vines and wine. He purchased five hectares in Isère in 2015, an IGP on the eastern border of France above the Rhône river and below Savoie. He chose this site due to its steep slopes of black shale soils. Here he sensed the potential for the region’s indigenous varieties, so he planted Verdesse, Mondeuse Blanche and Noir, Altesse, Persan, Etraire de l’Aduï, and Douce Noire. At an elevation of 500-700 meters above sea level, this site is quite cool, which keeps disease risk low, and his farming is certified organic. In the cellar, Jérémy favors a gentle approach, using neutral vessels and minimal sulfur to ensure the vibrancy of the variety and terroir translate into the glass.\r\n\r\nImported by European Cellars. To learn more please visit www.europeancellars.com/producer/domaine-jeremy-bricka","logo_url":"/assets/logos/medium/missing.jpg","profile_url":"/b/jeremy-bricka"},{"name":"Domaine Lafage","description":"For twenty years, we have worked with Jean-Marc Lafage at his estate in the Roussillon and across the border in Spain, where he consults on several projects. As good as his wines were when we first met him, they only get better with each vintage. When we first made his acquaintance in Calatayud, he suggested we visit his estate in the Roussillon, and the rest, as they say, is history.\r\n\r\nJean-Marc's start in the wine business was not an overnight success. While his family has been growing grapes and making wine in the Roussillon since 1791, it was Jean-Marc's early insight into the potential for the Roussillon to make a wide range of dry wines at very affordable prices that established his \"new\" estate. For most of the 20th century, the region was famous for its fortified dessert wines – Rivesaltes, Banyuls \u0026 Maury. Most of these wines were made at large facilities that purchased grapes from local growers, including Jean-Marc's ancestors. While his grandfather and father made wine for the family, Jean-Marc was the first to break away from the cooperative model to make his own wine commercially. Over the generations, his family had amassed scattered vineyards throughout the region, which now totals over 160 hectares of vines, most of them in excess of 50 years in age.\r\n\r\nAnother factor in Jean-Marc's success is the diversity of the terroirs in the Roussillon. Squeezed between the far southern edge of the limestone Corbières Massif to the north and the granitic Pyrenees mountains in the south, the Roussillon is an undulating terrain of complex soil types, orientations, and exposures. Three river valleys, the Agly, Têt, and Tech, drain the region generally flowing west to east, where they meet the Mediterranean.\r\n\r\nWithin its borders of the Roussillon, Jean-Marc has identified six principal sub-zones in the appellation: the Crest, the Upper Agly Valley, the Uplands of Fenouillet, Les Asprès, the Mediterranean Plain, the Rocky Coast. Both the upper Agly Valley and the Crest are situated at the Roussillon's northern edge with similarly mixed clay-limestone and black schist soils. While both are equally warm during the day, the Upper Agly Valley is much more exposed to winds that are funneled from the interior, which moderates the heat near the village of Maury, while the Crest, being closer to the Mediterranean, remains more evenly warm. The uplands of Fenouillet are located on the hills between the Agly and Têt rivers and near the western edge of the appellation. Here the soils are based on gneiss and granite, which retains water poorly. With a wide variation in orientations and located closer to the cooler continental influences from the interior, these sites favor late-ripening varieties and are generally harvest last at the domain. Moving south and east from Fenouillet is Les Asprès, a region at the foot of the Pyrenees where the soils are brown and red schist mixed with quartz. Fruit from Les Aspès is ripe and rich but with a distinctive minerality from the schist soils. Between the Agly and the Tech rivers and along the coast is the Mediterranean Plain, where the soils are gravelly and alluvial. With vines situated a few kilometers from the sea, these sites benefit from thermal breezes that temper the region's warmth, making for refreshing white and rosé wines. The Rocky Coast, where France meets Spain and where the Pyrenees Mountains descend into the sea, is a singular place in the Roussillon. Here steep vineyard sites overlap with the official boundaries of AOP Collioure and AOP Banyuls. Exceedingly steep and crisscrossed with stone-built drainage channels and horizontal terraces, this is an unmistakable terroir with a distinctive human element. The soils here are composed of schist and granite making for wines that are age-worthy, intensely flavored, and with remarkable poise from a combination of low pH and high minerality.\r\n\r\nThis range of sites allows Jean-Marc Lafage to make both refreshing whites and rosés and concentrated reds and, this being the Roussillon, some fortified wines as well. Benefiting from a warm, dry climate, the estate is farmed organically. They grow Grenache (Blanc, Gris \u0026 Noir), Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan, Marsanne, Roussanne, and Chardonnay primarily, with a significant proportion of the vines well over 50 years old. Harvesting is manual and lasts over several months due to the variations in conditions in each sub-zone they farm. The winemaking is surprisingly uncomplicated with stainless steel for the fresher whites but mostly concrete tanks for the rest with a small number of French oak demi-muids.\r\n\r\nImported by European Cellars. To learn more please visit www.europeancellars.com/producer/domaine-lafage","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/2710/Domaine_Lafage_Logo-01.png?1655388229","profile_url":"/b/domaine-lafage"},{"name":"Domaine La Garrigue","description":"Domaine la Garrigue was founded in 1850 by the same family that runs the property today, Famille Bernard. Brothers Maxime and Pierre Bernard, of the 5th generation, are at the helm of the estate, with Maxime acting as general manager while Pierre focuses on the family’s restaurant nestled in the hills below the Dentelles, Les Florets. Their wives, children, nieces, and nephews all have roles at the Domaine, and there is plenty of work for all, as this is the largest Domaine in the appellation, covering 83 hectares. They farm vines of Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Syrah, Grenache Blanc and Clairette on the three primary terroirs of Vacqueyras. Their vines' average age is about 50 years old, with some vines well over a century. The reticent but very talented Virginie Combe, a member of the 6th generation, is in charge of the winemaking with Philippe Cambie's guidance.\r\n\r\nThe traditional structure of the family business carries through to the wines as well. Farming is sustainable – as much for its inherent benefits as a seeming distrust of modernity. In fact, a visit to the cellars is like stepping back in time. There’s nary a barrel in sight, and the walls are lined with concrete tanks and stainless steel fermenters. Fermentations are conducted on the stems, and macerations are long and gentle, followed by reductive aging in concrete. As a result, the natural ferocity of the terroirs of Vacqueyras is captured and preserved in each bottle. These are not shy or polished Rhônes but engaging and forceful examples hearkening to the past. Tasting through a series of tank samples of mono-varietal wines, you can notice subtle differences in each, but the overall impression is a common sense of place and the epitome of Vacqueyras.\r\n\r\nEuropean Cellars has worked with Domaine la Garrigue for several decades, and we’ve witnessed a gradual evolution of the wines. They have become purer without losing their original charm or by drastically changing their style. These wines are the very essence of Vacqueyras. The appellation itself is rather firmly in the shadow of Gigondas to the north and Châteauneuf to the west. Raised to cru status in 1990, it's just old enough to have fairly decent name recognition but not quite young enough for hipster street cred.  There are three terroirs in Vacqueyras: the red-clay under galets plateau of la Garrigue (incidentally where Domaine la Garrigue is located), the sand soils around the village of Vacqueyras and the rocky limestone slopes at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail. Each terroir contributes to the final blends at la Garrigue: power from the plateau, finesse from the sand, and structure from the limestone slopes. Each terroir also benefits the varieties planted at the Domaine with Grenache and Mourvedre favoring the hot and rocky plateau, Grenache Blanc, and Clairette favoring the sandy soils (along with some additional Syrah, Grenache, and Cinsault), while the limestone slopes are ideal for Syrah.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3527/Domaine_La_Garrigue_Logo.png?1614272517","profile_url":"/b/domaine-la-garrigue"},{"name":"Dominio Del Aguila","description":"As a young student of enology, Jorge Monzón traveled to Burgundy. Despite not speaking a word of French or having any recommendations, let alone experience, he convinced Domaine La Romanée-Conti to take him on as an intern. His eagerness and desire to learn led him to shadow maître de chai, Bernard Noblet, observing all the steps he took to create the famed wines of this historic Domaine.\r\n\r\nReturning to Ribera del Duero and his hometown of La Aguilera, Jorge worked a couple of years at Vega Sicilia, attempting to create a white wine to rival the estate's reds before becoming the technical director at Arzuaga-Navarro. While working for others, Jorge began purchasing old vineyards around La Aguilera - parcels in danger of being ripped up and replaced with more productive clones of Tempranillo as well as \"fashionable\" Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec.  These undesirable vineyards were ancient, unproductive massale selections of Tempranillo mixed with a diverse range of other varieties, including a high proportion of white grapes - all \"useless\" in a region that prized extraction, production, and the \"ameliorating\" contribution made by international varieties. Maybe it was all those years in France that made him crazy?\r\n\r\nHis years at DRC did not addle Jorge's brain however, it only convinced him that terroir and tradition matter. His vineyards, some planted before phylloxera, or right after it struck the vines around his home village, were planted exactly as they had been for centuries - predominantly Tempranillo with a wide genetic diversity alongside Albillo, Tempranillo Gris, Cariñena, Garnacha, Bobal, Bruñal and other varieties so obscure that they haven't been identified yet. Ranging in age from 60-150+ years old, it is surprising that these vines survived at all considering the recent trend in Ribera del Duero for everything new, shiny, and perfectly predictable.\r\n\r\nTogether with his wife, Isabel Rodero, Jorge founded Dominio del Águila in 2010, and they have expanded their vineyards to 66 hectares. Farming is certified organic and Isabel, an architect, supervised the renovation of three ancient cellars dating to the 15th century dug deep into the bedrock under the village. Natural yeast, whole cluster co-fermentations are the first step in the process with pigeage done by foot. After primary fermentation, the wines are placed in oak barrels for malo and aging. Their cold, subterranean cellars ensure that their wines' evolution proceeds slowly, allowing for the development of greater complexity and nuance.\r\n\r\nDominio del Águila's vineyards are all situated around the village of La Aguilera - so in that sense, they are all village wines. They do not vinify every bunch of grapes that they grow and still sell much of their fruit. Pícaro Clarete and Tinto are field blends, strictly selected from parcels chosen for their quality and response to vintage conditions. In warmer years, cooler sites are favored, and in cooler vintages, warmer sites are utilized. The soils for these two wines are heavier in clay, which in a dry climate like Ribera del Duero, prevents vine stress and promotes an even and simultaneous ripening of both fruit and stems - vitally important for whole cluster, natural fermentations. \r\n\r\nTheir Reserva comes from a group of parcels with common characteristics: vines planted before 1930, on predominantly north-facing sites with sandy clay-limestone soils, and utilizing all the varieties present in the vineyard to add complexity to the Tempranillo. This cuvée represents the character and terruño of the old vines of La Aguilera.\r\n\r\nPena Aladas is a zone within the village of La Aguilera where Jorge and Isabel own a cluster of vineyards. The soils here are thin, sandy clay over hard limestone bedrock. The structure of the fruit grown in Pena Aladas requires a long period in oak to soften, evolve, and open up. The goal at Dominio del Águila was not to make a Gran Reserva because it was expected, but because the terroir demanded it. \r\n\r\nCanta la Perdiz is a single vineyard wine made from vines between 100 and 150 years, with the oldest vines being ungrafted. South-facing but at high elevation, the soils here are shallow, gravelly clay over a friable and horizontally fractured limestone bedrock. With a softer structure than Pena Aladas, it requires less time in barrel and shows a wildly aromatic and floral aspect that sets it apart from the other sites that Jorge and Isabel farm.\r\n\r\nVarious versions of Albillo are planted in the vineyards of Dominio del Águila and Jorge, and Isabel even owns two rare, small parcels that are planted entirely with Albillo. Although the D.O. didn't recognize white wines until 2019, Jorge felt that his best vines of Albillo - small clusters of deeply golden berries - demanded to be segregated and made into a tiny production white wine first commercially produced in 2010. It is a D.O.-defining wine and one unlikely to be emulated.\r\n\r\n","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3531/Dominio_del_Aguila_Logo.png?1614273688","profile_url":"/b/dominio-del-aguila"},{"name":"Espelt","description":"Warm, sunny places where mountains meet the sea are always popular holiday destinations for the sun-starved, northern tourists who flock to the beaches of the Costa Brava for their yearly dose of vitamin-D and fresh seafood. The local DO supplies many of them with plenty of lubrication in the form of abundant, inexpensive and simple wine of a pinkish hue that matches their sun-burned skin. Like many destination DOs, the quality of the wine is in inverse proportion to the number of hotel bookings so there are few truly remarkable estates. Those farming steep hillsides in the back-country and focusing on indigenous varieties are usually the best bet.\r\n\r\nOne such property is owned by the Espelt family, who for centuries have grown grapes in Empordà. In the early 2000s they built a cellar and began bottling wines under their name. Headed Anna Espelt, the inheritor of generations of grape growers in Empordà, the farming is certified organic, not only because it makes better wines, but because the vineyards are located on a mix of sandy granite, limestone and slate in and around several nature preserves in the area. Indigenous varieties and styles are promoted at Espelt from their fresh, crisp whites to their mineral and spicy reds before finishing on a pair of delectable fortified wines.\r\n\r\nThe vineyards at Espelt are planted in four uniquely different sites from the foothills of the Pyrenees to near the coast of the Mediterranean. At the highest elevation is Rabós, nestled in the mountains northwest of the winery. Here, on slate soils, Anna farms mainly old-vine Carinyena with a small amount of Lledonner which producer dense and powerful wines. Near the cellar are two sites called the Mountain and the Plain, or Pla. The Mountain is a young vineyard planted by Anna between 1998 and 2002 as part of her master’s thesis in viticulture. Long abandoned this granitic site in the hills behind the cellar was re-terraced and reclaimed by Anna who planted Syrah, Garnatxa, Mourvedre and Carinyena there. A short distance away is Pla which surrounds the cellar. This was the original vineyard on which Espelt was founded, and where they grow Garnatxa Blanca, Garnatxa and Macabeu. Finally there is Mas Marés, which as the name would suggest, is located close to the coast of the Mediterranean. Encircled by the Cap de Creus National Park, Mas Marés was where Anna first experimented with organic farming practices and where the combination of farming, granitic soils and thermal breezes from the Mediterranean make for fresh, lively and elegant wines.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/5349/Espelt_Logo.png?1681159100","profile_url":"/b/espelt"},{"name":"Evodia","description":"Scientific studies into the origin of Garnacha indicate that it most likely originated in Aragon, the ancient Spanish kingdom situated between Catalunya to the east and Castilla to the west. From there it spread throughout the rest of Spain and up along the Mediterranean coast. Heat loving and drought tolerant it is perfectly adapted to generous climate of the Mediterranean only giving way to the even more heat-loving Monastrell as you move south into Valencia and Murcia. It can make for gregarious or serious drinking depending on where it is grown, the age of the vines and when it is picked. It is capable of making pale, vibrant and thrilling wines like those from the Sierra de Gredos, dense wines with rich flavors like in the Priorat and everyday pleasurable wines such as those that come from its place of birth – Calatayud, Carineña and Campo de Borja.\r\n\r\nCalatayud is a fairly innocuous and rural region of Spain. As far as the eye can see the hills and plains are blanketed by a patchwork of head-pruned Garnacha vineyards, olive and cherry orchards and fields of grain.  Just to the north of Calatayud is Campo de Borja, Navarra and Rioja Baja, so this sea of Garnacha is a small part of a wider ocean. Much of the inexpensive and pleasurable Garnacha sold in the US comes from these regions in Spain and Eric Solomon was an early pioneer and proponent.\r\n\r\nYears ago while working on a project in Calatayud, Eric Solomon met Jean-Marc Lafage and Yolanda Diaz. Yolanda is a native of the region and knows the terruño of Calatayud better than anyone. Jean-Marc is the very talented Catalan winemaker and consultant from the Roussillon in France. Together they “discovered” a unique place within Calatayud, a high and arid plateau between the villages of Acered and Atea and bordering the Sierra de Santa Cruz. At 1000 meters above sea level this is the highest part of the DO of Calatayud. Even more interesting is that the soil here is pure schist, the same soil one can find in the Priorat and in Maury where Jean-Marc was born and where he runs a small estate, Château Saint-Roch. This unique terroir and the old vines of Garnacha rooted in it, are the origins of Evodia.\r\n\r\nImported by European Cellars. To learn more please visit /www.europeancellars.com/producer/evodia","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/37/EVODIA_Wordmark.png?1611350027","profile_url":"/b/evodia"},{"name":"Família Nin-Ortiz","description":"After obtaining a degree in Biology at the University of Barcelona, then a subsequent degree in Enology – with an emphasis on biodynamic and organic viticulture – at the Public University of Tarragona, Ester Nin took a position at Mas Martinet in the village of Porrera in 2001. Raised in the Alt Penedès, she felt right at home in the Priorat, eventually became the viticulturist for Daphne Glorian at Clos i Terrasses, where she supervised the transition of the vineyards to biodynamic farming.\r\n\r\nFalling in love with the rugged slopes, rocky soils, and ancient vines of the region, in 2004, Ester bought a 1.5ha parcel of old vine Garnatxa Negre, Peluda, and Carinyena in Mas d’En Caçador– the famed vineyard on the border between Porrera and Gratallops. At 650 meters above sea level, this site is one of the highest in the Priorat, and its north-facing slopes are buttressed by ancient stone terraces providing a footing for the vines on this rocky, treacherous, pure schist soil.\r\n\r\nA few years earlier, Carles Ortiz, a native of Barcelona and a trained Enologist in his own right, had purchased nearly 5 hectares of vineyard land outside Porrera called Finca Les Planetes. Here he resurrected many of the old vines but replanted much of the site with a massale selection of Garnatxa and Carinyena. Both Carles and Ester were early proponents of biodynamics in the Priorat, both lived in Porrera, and both were young and available, so as these things are wont to happen... Familia Nin-Ortiz was born.\r\n\r\nWith two viticulturists devoted to biodynamics principles, the farming at Familia Nin-Ortiz employs only organic materials, including mineral sulfur in the vineyard, sprayed biodynamic infusions, and applications of their own compost. They are members of Nicolas Joly's organization, \"La Renaissance des Appellations,\" and share their knowledge with neighbors interested in pursuing the transition to biodynamic farming. Weeding is done by hand, and the soils are plowed by mules to revitalize their soils. Harvesting, always by hand, commences early when pH levels are balanced by ripe fruit. When the fruit arrives at their cellar, newly completed in 2012, it is carefully sorted to remove any overripe fruit and partially destemmed, then chilled for 24-48 hours to prevent oxidation at the beginning of the winemaking process. Fermentations occur spontaneously and take place in foudre, demi-muids, or amphorae. Familia Nin-Ortiz's goal is to produce elegant wines, so extraction is also natural, occurring without aggressive manipulation of the cap. Aging takes place primarily in neutral vessels so the purity of the site can be preserved.\r\n\r\nWhen they first launched Familia Nin-Ortiz, there were just two wines – Nit de Nin from Mas d’En Caçador and Planetes from Finca Les Planetes. The range of wines has gradually expanded to include Planetes de Nin Blanc, a Carinyena Blanca from Finca Les Planetes, Selma, a white wine from Ester's hometown of El Pla de Manlleu in the Alt-Penedès, a small-production Parellada Montonegra from a tiny vineyard also in the Penedès, an amphora-aged Garnatxa from Finca Les Planetes, and Nit de Nin Coma d’en Romeu from a newly purchased, south-facing site in Porrera with 70-year-old vines of Garnatxa planted on costers instead of terraces.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3607/Nin_Ortiz_Logo.png?1615227468","profile_url":"/b/familia-nin-ortiz"},{"name":"Fedellos do Couto","description":"Dominated by a network of canyons carved by the Miño and Sil, Ribeira Sacra is a rugged and beautiful place to make wine. Fortunately, these tortuously steep hillsides had already been largely terraced by the engineering-mad Romans. It may have been hard work to farm these slopes – in fact, it still is – but agriculture and, more importantly, viticulture thrives in this area. As a boundary between the cool, rainy Atlantic coast and the hot, dry interior of Spain, Ribeira Sacra is temperate with a fairly long growing season. The main threat to viticulture here is the storms that blow in from the Atlantic, bringing plenty of rain and wind. A transitory zone as well, Ribeira Sacra is a mix of both warmer- and cooler-climate varieties: Mencia, Caiño, Merenzao (a.k.a Bastardo or Trousseau), Mouratón (aka Garnacha Tintorera), Godello, Albariño, Doña Blanca ...\r\n\r\nBut the terroir of Ribeira Sacra is not as ancient as you might think. What little flat land that may have once existed here was submerged with the damming of the Sil and Miño well over 40 years ago. During that time, Spain was also witnessing a mass migration from rural areas into the cities. In places like Ribeira Sacra, only the warmest and driest vineyards remained cultivated – those with southern and western exposures. As the valleys were transformed into lakes, however, the microclimate here gradually changed.  Morning fogs became more common, nighttime temperatures increased, and the amount of light reflecting off the water made the formerly “best” spots just a little too warm for the region's indigenous varietals. Recently several young growers started looking to those long abandoned, unheralded, and under-appreciated sites: north- or east-facing, randomly planted, difficult to farm, and difficult to reach.\r\n\r\nFedellos do Couto is such a project. For generations, the Taboada family has owned the Pazo do Couto, an ancient manor dating to the 12th century that over the centuries has produced a wide array of agricultural products on the decomposed granite and schist soils at the southern and eastern end of the Ribeira Sacra in the sub-zones of Ribeiras do Sil and Quiroga-Bibei.\r\n\r\nLuis Taboada, recognizing the value of his ancient, north- and east-facing vineyards, teamed up with viticulturalist Pablo Soldavini, a proponent of organic farming and winemakers Curro Bareño and Jesús Olivares to found Fedellos do Couto in 2011. Bareño and Olivares were the talented team behind Ronsel do Sil, one of the most heralded estates in Ribeira Sacra, but both began their career in the Sierra de Gredos, where they were close friends and colleagues of Dani Landi, Fernando Garcia, and Marc Isart. This association is obvious in their wines: elegant and nuanced but persistent and powerful.\r\n\r\nThe winemaking at Fedellos is minimalist: native co-fermentations, long, gentle macerations in concrete, neutral French oak barrels, or small fermentation bins with aging in concrete and/or various neutral French oak barrels and foudres, but mainly 500L demi-muids. Four wines are currently produced: Bastarda, Cortezada, and Lomba dos Ares and a field blend of white varieties, Conasbrancas.\r\n\r\nThe Bastarda, locally Merenzao, a.k.a. Trousseau, is sourced from several plots on the granite soils of the Bibei valley quite close to the vineyards of Rafael Palacios in neighboring Valdeorras. How Trousseau got to this part of the Iberian peninsula remains somewhat of a mystery. Still, its prevalence here and across the border in Portugal dates back at least a couple of centuries. These vines are primarily 20 years old, with a small portion of fruit from 50-70-year-old vines.\r\n\r\nCortezada is the “home” vineyard near the Pazo de Couto in the Ribeira do Sil. This vineyard is north- and east-facing terraces carved from out of the sandy schist soil at 350-500 meters above sea level. The predominant variety is Mencia – a graceful and perfumed version of it.\r\n\r\nLomba dos Ares, the hilltop of Ares, are a group of steep vineyard in the Bibei valley with granite soils higher up that transitions to sandy schist at the bottom. They range from 700-750 meters above sea level and are some of the highest elevation vineyards on the property. Here you can find Mencia, Merenzao, Caiño, and Mouratón, with no single variety dominating the blend. This is as profound and indigenous as you can find in Ribeira Sacra.\r\n\r\nConasbrancas is a blend of Godello and Doña Blanca from scattered vines in their vineyards in the Val do Bibei. While these two varieties dominate the blend, all the other white varieties they grow are also included: Albariño, Treixadura, Lado, \u0026 Torrontes. About 70% of the blend sees a 40-day fermentation and maceration on the skins, while the remainder (almost entirely Godello) is directly pressed and fermented in neutral French oak.\r\n\r\nAfter years of difficulty getting their wines approved by the DO, Curro and Jesus have decided to withdraw their project from the zone. This will allow them to continue to fine-tune their winemaking without fear of the forces of homogenization that characterize many regions in Spain. Within the Val do Bibei, they are identifying additional sites that warrant single-vineyard designation and have launched a new project further upstream and closer to the headwaters of the Bibei - Peixes. Regardless of what is on the outside of the bottles, their dedication to site-specific expression and minimalist winemaking guarantees that what is on the inside are some of the most revealing and exciting wines in our portfolio.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3608/Fedellos_Logo.png?1615228508","profile_url":"/b/fedellos-do-couto"},{"name":"Finca Sandoval","description":"Finca Sandoval was founded in 1998 by Víctor de la Serna – writer, critic and editor of El Mundo – and winemaker Rafael Orozco. They saw the potential of the high altitude, limestone-rich soils around Cuenca in Manchuela. The project has been on our radar for some time, but our interest was piqued again when Javi Revert – who makes vibrant, terroir-transparent wines in his native Valencia – came on board as winemaker. There is a rich farming tradition in this biodiverse landscape, which rises from 750 to 1000 meters above sea level on the Meseta (central plateau) of Spain. You can still find 80-year-old vineyards planted with traditional local varieties, interspersed with olive trees and cereal crops. Víctor and Rafael planted Syrah and Touriga Nacional – all certified organic – as well as leasing old vine plots of Bobal, Monastrell, Garnacha Tinta, Garnacha Tintorera and Moravia Agria across the region. In their small, functional winery, they work in a modern way, learning from the past to make modern wines with a traditional soul. We’re excited to see how this project develops with Javi at the helm.\r\n\r\nVictor de la Serna, also known by his pseudonym Fernando Point, is a journalist and wine writer published in widely-read newspapers such as El Mundo, and one of the most highly regarded and influential wine critics in Spain. Finca Sandoval is his personal project. Started up in 1998, it took off with the barely ten hectares of Syrah they had in the heart of Manchuela, in the province of Cuenca. They were planted as a result of plans that had formed over a period of 30 years spent getting to know the terroir. The winery has the capacity to produce 70,000 litres, with 200 oak barrels and an air-conditioning system for the cellar and the bottle store-room. Harvesting is carried out by hand with the grapes placed in small crates holding 12 to 15 kilos. The four parcels, recognized as having four different types of terroir, are vinified separately. Fermenting occurs in small open 5,000-litre tanks and the cap is sunk very frequently. After previously undergoing lengthy cold macerations, the whole malolactic fermentation process takes place in the barrel. The wines are not filtered or clarified before bottling.\r\n\r\nImported by European Cellars. To learn more please visit www.europeancellars.com/producer/finca-sandoval","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/5196/Finca_Sandoval_Logo.png?1655390077","profile_url":"/b/finca-sandoval"},{"name":"Finca Villacreces","description":"One of the most highly-regarded pieces of land in Ribera del Duero, the estate of Villacreces sits adjacent to Vega Sicilia along the Duero and at the center of the golden mile – a cluster of vineyards and estates considered by many critics to be the best in Valladolid if not the entire DO. There is written evidence that the first vines were planted on this estate in the 13th Century. During the 14th Century, it was run by Saint Pedro de Villacreces. Later on, with its perfect conditions for prayer and retreat, it became a monastery for Franciscan Friars to see contemplative solitude. In the 20th Century, the property belonged to a wealthy aristocratic family from Valladolid, who spent their holidays and weekends here. In the early 1970s, 40 hectares of vines were planted, which has now been increased to 60. Including a 200-year-old forest, the estate comprises a total of 115 hectares.\r\n\r\nWe have worked with Finca Villacreces since the early 1990s and when we had to be selective of what we chose to import. The estate was a diamond in the rough with untidy vineyards and inconsistent cellar practices. Despite these drawbacks, we were not alone in finding something special in this terruño within a bend of the Duero, and some of the most promising parcels had already been leased to more famous neighbors. So when word got out that the estate had been sold, we were nervous that the new owners would incautiously modernize the property and strip it of its unique charms.\r\n\r\nLuckily for everyone, it was the Antón family – owners of Izadi in Rioja – who purchased the estate and invested in revitalizing the property and cellars. Most of the vines were not well-tended, so while yields were low, the quality was uneven. The first step in rescuing the vineyards was to switch to sustainable and organic practices, which culminated with organic certification in 2017. Next was utilizing the access rights to the Duero, dating back to the time when the property was a monastic retreat to nurse the vines to their full potential gradually, all while working the soils to force the roots deeper. The final step was to counter the vegetative vigor of drip irrigation by carefully managing the canopy. The results are healthy vines that are less dependent on irrigation, revitalized soils, deeper root systems, and more self-regulating plants than before.\r\n\r\nIn the cellar, the Antón family removed the old wooden fermentation vats replacing them with stainless steel and new French oak vats. The barrel stocks were completely replaced with new French and American oak barrels. Over time the percentage of new barrels has decreased, and more of the wine is being aged in foudres and well-seasoned oak. There are three cuvées made at Finca Villacreces, each vintage. Pruno is sourced from the sandier soils of the estate vineyard, those parcels closest to the Duero river, and older and younger vine fruit from the estate vineyards situated above the river on a thin layer of clay over sand and gravel soils. The estate Ribera del Duero comes from the oldest estate vines planted on clay over sand and gravel. Nebro is made from a single 1.2-hectare parcel of pre-phylloxera vines in the neighboring subzone of Burgos.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3532/Villacreces_V_Logo.png?1614283032","profile_url":"/b/finca-villacreces"},{"name":"Galia","description":"Jerome Bougnaud is in the fourth generation of a family of winegrowers from the Cognac region in France. Despite his roots and formal training in France, he has made a name for himself in Spain where he’s worked closely with Peter Sisseck at Quinta Sardonia and Pingus as well as El Regajal in the D.O. of Vinos de Madrid. A true vigneron at heart, he is equally comfortable in the vineyards as well as the cellar. His years of experience in the Duero led to the creation of Galia in 2009 – a personal project he formed with the technical director of El Regajal, Daniel Garcia Pita.\r\n\r\nThe foundation of Galia is a collection of vineyards along the Duero in the provinces of Soria, Burgos, and Valladolid. These are old vineyards ranging in elevation from 795 to close to 1000 meters above sea level. Because these scattered plots were chosen for their potential, rather than their geographic proximity, Galia is bottled as a Vino de Mesa. In fact, because many of these sites were located outside the borders of established D.O.s, they might have been lost to future generations had Jerome not decided to utilize them for his project.\r\n\r\nIn Piquera de San Esteban in Soria Jerome has 9 plots totaling 2.5 hectares of vines. They are located just outside the border of Ribera del Duero at an average elevation of 975 meters above sea level. These are head-pruned, pre-phylloxera vines of Tempranillo with a small amount of Albillo planted on sandy and gravelly soils over limestone bedrock.\r\n\r\nIn Fuentelcesped, in the province of Burgos, Jerome farms a 0.81 hectare plot of Tempranillo that was planted in 1960. This site is located on a terrace of gravelly sand and limestone at an elevation of 852 meters above sea level. Also in the province of Burgos but in the village of Hontangas, Jerome has two plots of Garnacha planted on sandy gravel at an elevation of 911 meters. These vines were planted in 1920. Nearby is a steep, north-facing, 0.37 hectare plot of Tempranillo planted in calcareous clay soils and dating to 1930.\r\n\r\nIn Segovia, near Cuevas de Provanco, Jerome has 9 plots altogether totaling 1 hectare. These are all head-pruned Tempranillo vines planted around 1920. These are all steep, north-facing sites on calcareous clays soils at an average elevation of 920 meters.\r\n\r\nIn the province of Valladolid, Jerome has three plots of vines on gravelly, calcareous clay in two villages – a 0.80 hectare, north-facing vineyard of Tempranillo and Garnacha at an elevation of 850 meters and planted in 1920 near Quintanilla de Onesimo, and 1.75 hectares of Tempranillo divided between two plots planted in 1930 near Trigueros del Valle.\r\n\r\nGalia is always a Tempranillo-based wine with about 7% Garnacha and a tiny amount of Albillo. Each site is harvested by hand and fermented by indigenous yeasts at the small winery located in Villanueva de Duero. The Garnacha is fermented whole cluster while the Tempranillo ferments with about 30% whole clusters. After primary fermentation, the wine is transferred to 600L French oak barrels (15% new) where it ages for 19 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.","logo_url":"/assets/logos/medium/missing.jpg","profile_url":"/marketing_hubs/7828"},{"name":"Gramona","description":"The Gramona family traces their history as grape growers and winemakers back to 1850 when Josep Batlle managed the vineyard of La Plana for a local family. His son Pau, who was active in the wine cork trade was uniquely positioned to begin selling the wines made from La Plana to sparkling wine producers in France who were at the time suffering from the ravages of phylloxera. By 1881 Pau was in the position to purchase the vineyard of La Plana and to establish Celler Batlle. It was at this time that Pau realized that Xarel.lo, the indigenous grape to this part of Catalunya, was instrumental in his success selling wines to France due to its ability to make well-aged sparkling wines. Pau’s daughter Pilar married Bartolomé Gramona and together they continued to expand their vineyards and sparkling wine business and in 1921 “Gramona Cava Champagne” first began to appear on their bottles of sparkling wine. By 1945, Pilar and Bartolomé’s sons, Bartomeu \u0026 Josep Lluis took over the management of Gramona and began to elaborate the cuvées that the estate is known for today. III Lustros was first conceived in 1951 but wouldn’t be released until 1961 after nearly ten years of aging sur latte. The early belief of Pau Batlle, that Xarel.lo was on par with the great grapes of Champagne in their capacity to age gracefully sur latte, was proven by his grandsons.\r\n\r\nToday the sons of Bartomeu \u0026 Josep Lluis, Xavier \u0026 Jaume Gramona manage the operations at Gramona. Each generation has brought something new to the estate with Xavier expanding the scientific understanding of lees aging and the inherent properties of Xarel.lo while Jaume has pursued the conversion of all their vineyards – owned and leased – to organic farming as well as converting the family’s vineyards to biodynamic farming as well.\r\n\r\nThe wines made at Gramona are sourced from up to 303 hectares of vineyards that are farmed at least organically as well as the family’s 72 hectares of vines that are farmed biodynamically. The soils in the Alt Penedès, where Gramona is situated, are primarily clay limestone. Close to the Anoia river they become more alluvial and near the looming Montserrat mountain there are areas of slate. Their top sites: La Plana, Font Jui, Mas Escorpí, and La Solana, are all located close to Celler Batlle where the wines are made and aged. These sites are also distinguished by calcite formations known as têtes de poupées which slowly breakdown in the soils releasing minerals. Whether it is these unique soils, their location and a gentle rise between the Anoia to the north and several natural springs to the south, or the diversity of the massale selections of Xarel.lo and Macabeu found in these sites that makes Gramona’s best sparkling wines so unique could be debated. Combined with the generations of labor and talent the Gramona family has devoted to these vineyards is the bedrock on which their reputation has been established.\r\n\r\nAt Gramona time is never an issue. The wines receive perhaps the longest average aging than any other sparkling wines in Spain and are never released until they are perfectly mature. Eighty-six percent of the sparkling wines produced in Spain are released after only 9 months while at Gramona theirs are aged a minimum of 30 months, and in the case of Enoteca, for 15-17 years! At the top of their range, III Lustros, Celler Batlle and Enoteca are all aged under cork and are riddled and disgorged by hand. III Lustros and Enoteca Brut Nature are finished without a dosage while Celler Batlle receives a modest dosage of 7g/L from a sweet wine solera dating back over 100 years. This solera is also the source for the dosage of La Cuvee and Imperial.\r\n\r\nLong considered a pioneer for their work in the cellar and releasing sparkling wines only after extended aging, Gramona now farms their estate organically and biodynamically with certifications from the Consell Català de la Producció Agraria y Ecològica and DEMETER. They are also taking steps to promote sustainability in their production by reducing their carbon footprint – using geothermic energy and recycling all the water used at the estate. With the grapes they source from neighbors, they have formed Alianzas por la Terra, an organization that is actively promoting a change to certified organic viticulture combined with biodynamic principals to bring life back to the soils in the region and encourage biodiversity in the zone.\r\n\r\nIn 2017 Gramona received Paraje status for their vineyards clustered around Font de Jui, a spring located in the heart of their Domaine. After years of frustration and struggle to improve the reputation of Cava, they withdrew from the DO in 2019 becoming founding members of Corpinnat.\r\n\r\nIn addition to their range of sparkling wines, Gramona also makes still wines within D.O. Penedès including the ever-popular Gessamí – a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat, and Gewzürztraminer – as well as several bottlings from Xarel.lo, most notably a mineral and winsome rosé, Mart, made entirely from the rare Xarel.lo Vermell – a pink berried mutation of the variety.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/2566/alta-gramona-logotipo-negro.png?1595272253","profile_url":"/b/gramona"},{"name":"Hacienda Monasterio","description":"Hacienda Monasterio is set in an estate of 160 hectares, of which 78 are planted with vineyards. It is located between Pesquera and Valbuena de Duero, two Duero valley towns famous for the quality of their wines.\r\n\r\nAt the end of the XIX century, the estate was owned by the Lecanda family who pioneered a new form of wine production in this area.\r\n\r\nThe current wine cellar was built betwen 1991 and 1992 and as designed by the french architect Philippe Maziéres, who had previously worked for prestigious wine cellars such as Château Margaux, Château d'Yquem Prieure-Léchiné.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/5348/Logo.png?1681158956","profile_url":"/marketing_hubs/7816"},{"name":"Herència Altés","description":"Nuria Altés, like many young vintners in Spain, comes from a family who has grown grapes for generations. Tucked away in a remote corner of Catalunya, Nuria’s new project, Herència Altés, is situated outside the village of Batea, in the DO of Terra Alta. Remarkably Terra Alta is one of the largest wine-growing regions in Cataluyna and one of which few are aware – something Nuria has set about changing. Growing up among the vines that her grandfather tended, Nuria has known these vineyards since her childhood and decided in 2010 to start purchasing grapes from her father to make her own personal wines. In this project, she is assisted by her partner Rafael de Haan, and together, they inaugurated a new cellar for the 2016 vintage located in her hometown of Batea.\r\n\r\nSince 2010, Rafa and Nuria have slowly grown their property from 14 to 60 hectares. They purchased their first vineyard, La Serra, in 2013, followed by Lo Grau and Xalamera in 2014 and 2015. Near the Garnacha's birthplace in the neighboring province of Aragon, these sites are predominantly Garnatxa Blanca, Negra and Gris, planted primarily between 1900 and 1960. Old vine Carinyena, locally called Samsó, is also present in their vineyards and small amounts of Syrah.\r\n\r\nThe soils around the village of Batea are referred to as Panal – chalky and sandy topsoil over deep, clay-limestone, all underpinned by limestone bedrock. Panal is naturally low in nutrients with a tremendous capacity to store water, which is important for the wines as the summers are warm and dry and almost always windy, alternating between the continental Cirç and the easterly Garbi bringing in humidity from the Mediterranean. This part of Terra Alta is so prone to these two winds that the area is famous for windmills that generate much of the region's electricity in addition to growing grapes. At elevations ranging between 390 and 480 meters above sea level, the vineyards of Herència-Altés benefit from a higher elevation the most of the rest of the DO. This allows for full maturation of the grapes at lower finished alcohol and higher acidity.\r\n\r\nHarvest at Herència Altés is carried out by hand, starting with Garnatxa Blanca, and the Garnatxa Negra intended for the Rosat, followed by the older vine Garnatxa Negra and Peluda, Syrah and finally the Carinyena or Samsó. Each variety is brought to the cellar in small crates and chilled for 24 hours to prevent oxidation during fermentation. The whites see a short maceration before pressing while the reds are destemmed, crushed, and fermented with regular punch-downs to keep the cap submerged. Multiple vinifications are made based on vineyard site, variety, and vine age and are done in stainless steel tanks, concrete, or oak vessels of varying sizes. Following fermentation, the wines are aged in tank, cement, foudre, or 300L French oak barrels with plans to introduce larger 500–600L demi-muids in the future, especially for the single-vineyard cuvées.\r\n\r\nImported by European Cellars. To learn more please visit www.europeancellars.com/producer/herencia-altes","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3533/HA_Logo.png?1614283544","profile_url":"/b/herencia-altes"},{"name":"Izadi","description":"Located in Rioja Alavesa, Izadi aims to produce wines that express the character of the varieties indigenous to Rioja: Viura, Malvasía, Garnacha Blanco \u0026 Tinto, Tempranillo Blanco \u0026 Tinto, Graciano, and Mazuelo. They own 72 hectares and have access to another 108 hectares through long term contracts. All are located within a triangle formed by Villabuena, Samaniego, and Ábalos – hence the triangle on their labels. Farming is sustainable, with many organic practices to eventually convert their vines to certified organic. The average age of their vineyards is greater than fifty years old. The soils are a mix of sandy clays and clay-limestone typical of vineyards situated at the foot of the Sierra de Cantabria.\r\n\r\nStylistically, they adhere to a middle ground between tradition and modernism, valuing the former's elegance to the latter's fruit-forward qualities. The Anton Family founded Izadi in 1987 after years of managing vineyards in Villabuena de Alaba and restaurants in Vitoria. Most notably, the Antons own and run the one-star Michelin Restaurant Zaldiaran in Vitoria. The transition from a purely culinary family to one that also embraced winemaking began in 1997 when Don Gonzalo Anton hired Mariano Garcia (the former technical director of Vega Sicilia and the current director of Aalto in Ribera del Duero) to assess their vineyards, complement them with setting up contracts with their neighbors and constructing a cellar to make their own wines. Together with Ruth Rodriguez, the current winemaker for Izadi, the Antons, and Mariano Garcia created what we now recognize as the Izadi style: robust yet refined, modern, and elegant.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3326/Izadi_Logo.png?1611249808","profile_url":"/b/bodegas-izadi"},{"name":"Javier Revert","description":"We’ve known Javier Revert for many years as the young, enthusiastic, traditionalist winemaker at Celler del Roure. Many of the technical issues surrounding the evolution of the wines here were worked out by Javi, whose vision for what D.O. Valencia can become closely matches Pablo Calatayud’s. Indigenous varieties and yeasts, whole clusters, stone lagars, and aging in amphorae were made easy because all these things were present at this traditional estate. Javi was the ideal person to make the changes at Celler del Roure, as he is descended from generations of farmer-winemakers from the village of Font de la Figuera located on the far southwestern edge of the DO.\r\n\r\nWhile visiting his family in 2014, he mentioned his work in recovering old vines of indigenous varieties for Celler del Roure. His grandfather mentioned that just such a vineyard existed near the village – one that Javi’s great-grandfather had planted. Named Pla del Micalet, this terraced site is surrounded by forest and scrubland at an elevation of 710-730m with poor and chalky soils, resembling the famed albariza of Jerez. Established long before the craze for foreign varieties or productive clones destroyed much of the viticultural heritage of the DO, this site was planted higgly-piggly with white varieties best suited to the warm, dry Mediterranean climate – Tortosí, Trepadell, Malvasía, Merseguera, and Verdil. Its rediscovery was the inspiration for the creation of Javi’s personal project, his own estate focused solely on vineyards around his hometown, featuring heritage varieties and wines made with minimal intervention. Apparently, sometimes you can come home.\r\n\r\nNow totaling about 6 hectares, Javi has assembled a group of primarily north-facing sites on sandy, chalky soils. He has also acquired some sites where he can plant additional vines but only uses selection massale for these new plantings. In addition to the white varieties present in Pla de Micalet, Javi farms Bonicaire (Trepat), Monastrell, and Arcos – all with an average age of 50 years old. Farming is organic but not currently certified, and vineyard work is manual, including harvest. Fermentations are with indigenous yeasts and entirely in neutral vessels – seasoned French oak, tank, demi-john, or amphora. The reds have varying amounts of whole clusters depending on the vintage and variety.\r\n\r\nWhile he has plans to grow the estate modestly, he intends to retain a sense of place in each of his wines. Micalet and Simeta are single-vineyard wines, while Sensal represents his village wine. He continues to search for new sites of indigenous varieties around his village. He makes experimental cuvées to better understand all the facets of each variety and parcel, and he has been replanting Garnacha in several sites he owns. This restlessness to discover the potential of a long-neglected corner of Spain is why we are excited and proud to represent Javier Revert. It cannot be put more succinctly than Luis Gutiérrez, Javi is, “definitely a new name to follow.”","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/4028/Javi_Revert_Viticultor.png?1622822606","profile_url":"/b/javierrevert"},{"name":"Jean-Paul \u0026 Benoit Droin","description":"Many viticultural regions in France serve as benchmarks for the rest of the world, and Chablis is numbered among them. The landscape surrounding this idyllic Burgundian village has been planted with vines for centuries. At some point in the distant past, the local residents and farmers discovered the wonderful symbiosis between Chardonnay and the Kimmeridgian limestone soils of this rolling, bucolic land. So distinct are the Chardonnays from these hills that they have come to represent a style of Chardonnay from innumerable places outside of Chablis itself. Many will say that their wines are chablisienne or inspired by the wines of Chablis. Imitation is, after all, the sincerest form of flattery.\r\n\r\nThe millions of years of geological history that built the soils of Chablis combined with its northerly latitude makes for wines of upright clarity, piercing minerality, tremendous focus, and remarkable longevity. Of the two main soil types in Chablis, Kimmeridgian and Portlandian limestone, the former reigns supreme, but the ever-growing demand for this authentically bracing style of Chardonnay mean that there is a growing temptation to expand the borders of the appellation continually, and prices have been steadily increasing as vineyards become harder to acquire. There are fewer and fewer bargains in Chablis these days as more and more growers turn to industrial styles of farming and winemaking. Yet, despite market pressures, there remain a handful of faithful producers and families in Chablis. The Droin family is one of these.\r\n\r\nFather Jean-Paul and son Benoît Droin can trace their family roots as vineyard owners back to the early 17th century. Through succeeding generations, they have acquired a little over 26 hectares of vineyards with extensive holdings in Premier and Grand Cru sites. Their best sites and oldest wines are still harvested by hand, while many of their neighbors have replaced their old vines so they could machine harvest. In 1999 Benoît began plowing his vineyard to help revitalize the microbial life in the soils and began to prune his vines differently to decrease yields and reduce the disease pressures in this famously inclement appellation. Harvest is conducted early – just as the grapes reach ripeness to preserve the final wines' natural acidity. The new cellar, built on the edge of the sleepy village of Chablis in 1999, sees a mix of modern and traditional winemaking techniques where both stainless steel tanks and French oak barrels are used to make the wines. Fermentations are conducted, after a gentle pneumatic pressing, in stainless steel tanks by natural yeasts. Most of the barrels are used with only small percentages of new barrels introduced each year, primarily for the Grand Cru wines.\r\n\r\n","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3534/Droin_Logo.png?1614284331","profile_url":"/b/jean-paul-benoit-droin"},{"name":"La Conreria D'Scala Dei","description":"It’s uncontroversial to say that monks and wine go together like peas and pods, so when the Carthusian order arrived in the Priorat in the late 12th century, one of the first things that they did was plant vines. Their priory, the Cartoixa d’Scala Dei, literally the steps to god, might have referred to the rugged landscape or the terraces required to farm this remote land. These priors would lend their name to this entire region, the Priorat, and were instrumental in creating many of the now-famous villages in the DOQ – the oldest of which, Escaladei, bears the original name of the medieval priory. While now in ruins, any visit to the Priorat inevitably includes a stop at the Cartoixa d'Scala Dei, picturesquely situated at the foot of the Montsant.\r\n\r\nAdjacent to the derelict priory sits Conreria d'Scala Dei, with the very talented Jordi Vidal at the helm. The estate was founded in 1997 by Jordi and two friends. Their top site, Les Brugueres, and its centenary vines of Garnatxa Blanca produces one of the most delicious, single-varietal white wines in the DOQ. Jordi also makes an elegant version of Black Slate from vines in Escaladei and our only Black Slate white from vines he tends in the village of La Morera.\r\n\r\nJordi organically farms several sites that vary in location, elevation, and soil. While most are located near the winery, there are a few vineyards in La Vilella Alta, Poboleda, and La Morera. Some sites are planted on steep slopes and terraces, while the remainder are on lower-elevation alluvial soils. The vine age at Concreria d'Scala Dei ranges from 10 to well over 100 years old. While most of the vines are rooted in llicorella soils, higher percentages of clay and limestone are mixed with schist closer to the Montsant range. The estate controls 26.5 hectares planted with Garnatxa Negra, Carinyena, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Garnatxa Blanca, and Pedro Ximénez.\r\n\r\nWith nearly a dozen sites and such an array of varieties, harvest at Conreria d'Scala Dei is quite hectic. Each site and variety is harvested by hand and brought to the cellar to be fermented separately. The whites are crushed and see a short maceration before pressing, followed by fermentation and aging in tank. The reds see short macerations of less than 20 days, followed by aging in neutral French and American oak barrels.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3355/LogoConreria.png?1611607779","profile_url":"/b/conreria-d-scala-dei"},{"name":"Le Paradou","description":"Le Paradou is a project created by Alexandre and Frédéric Chaudière whose family produce some of the most respected wines in the Ventoux at Château Pesquié. It is reasonable to think “Paradou” means “Paradise” in the old language of the langue d’Oc, as it is magical to live in the south of France. Yet, “Paradou” actually refers to the old watermills that once dotted the landscape. In homage to these majestic giants, once commonplace throughout Provence and the Southern Rhône, the Chaudière brothers have created these fresh and pleasing wines made to capture the essence of their birthplace. They source their grapes for these cuvées from some of their younger vines in the Ventoux and through a small network of growers off the beaten track in the rugged regions to the east and west of the Rhône Valley. The vines, ranging in age from 10 to 60 years old, and are cultivated following the laws of Terra Vitis, an organization that ensures that properties respect the environment by stressing the benefits of integrated farming. In 2022 they will have secured enough long-term contracts to ensure all the Paradou wines are made from grapes where they control the farming so that by 2025 Le Paradou will be certified organic.\r\n\r\nThe Paradou vineyards are at higher elevations and planted on poor clay-limestone or sandy soils. This guarantees the freshest and most drinkable wines possible. The varietal range is comprised of a Rolle, a Viognier, two Cinsaults (Rosé \u0026 Rouge), and Grenache Noir. They feel that these are the signature varieties that best showcase the rugged region between the Rhône Valley and the Côte d’Azur. They prefer sites that are sheltered and avoid vineyards that face fully south. Winemaking is simple, uncomplicated, and conducted in stainless steel tanks or concrete vats to preserve these wines’ aromatic charms and crunchy fruit flavors. If you’ve ever had the pleasure to travel to Provence in summer, sit outside at a patio restaurant and enjoy the local food and wine, then you know exactly what Fred and Alex aim to achieve with Le Paradou.\r\n\r\nImported by European Cellars. To learn more please visit www.europeancellars.com/producer/le-paradou","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/5199/Paradou_Branding.png?1655392386","profile_url":"/b/paradou"},{"name":"Les Vignerons D'Estézargues","description":"Les Vignerons D’ Estézargues is a co-operative cellar in the small town of Estézargues which is located near Avignon. Les Vignerons D’Estézargues is truly unique in the wine world. All over France the co-op still plays a very important role in the production and sale of wine. Co-ops receive grapes from members and then make wine from them, this wine is made in large batches and grapes from many different vineyards are vinified together; the focus is on producing wine in quantity. Les Vignerons D’ Estézargues takes a fundamentally different approach; starting in 1995 the ten different growers in this co-op began to vinify their wine separately and make single cuvées from their best plots. On the heels of the single cuvée evolution Les Vignerons D’ Estézargues began to practice natural winemaking. Possibly one of the only co-ops in the world to do so, Les Vignerons D’ Estézargues uses no external yeasts, no filtering, no fining and no enzymes are employed on the grapes during the winemaking process. Michael Trebillon is one of the men behind Les Vignerons D’ Estézargues, he grows the fruit for Domaine les Genestas and Denis Deschamps makes the wine and their efforts have been hailed by wine lovers and critics around the world.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/4342/LOGO_ESTEZARGUES.png?1628697716","profile_url":"/b/lvde"},{"name":"Litwan","description":"Situated in Northern Switzerland, the Aargau is a land of rolling farmland with hills topped with forests. It is a quietly bustling canton of small towns and villages and an ideally bucolic place for commuters working in the surrounding cities of Basel, Zürich, and Luzern. To the North and over the Rhine is the German province of Baden, and within a short distance is the South of Alsace, French Jura, and the Swiss Alps. With only 380 hectares of vines, it might seem that the Aargau only plays a minor role in Swiss wine production, yet in the 19th century, more vines were planted here than in the Valais. Phylloxera may have devasted the breadth of viticulture in the Aargau, but it also ensured that only the most exceptional and prized parcels were replanted.\r\n\r\nThe geology of Aargau is a fascinating study of the interaction between rocks being built and weathered. Underneath most of the canton is Jurassic limestone of the same age as found in Baden, Jura, Neuchâtel, and Burgundy. But unlike these other regions, the Aargau has been utterly and profoundly altered by its proximity to the Alps. Plate tectonics not only created the Aargau’s rolling hills, but eons of glacial advance and retreat have laid down a complex mosaic of topsoils ranging from exposed rocky Jurassic clay-limestone to fine silt loams and every variation in between. With its hills topped with trees providing a multitude of microclimates and exposures, is it any wonder that a young winemaker with a passion for unique terroir expression would set up his cellar in the Aargau?\r\n\r\nTom Litwan didn’t start out intending to be the rising star of Pinot Noir in Switzerland, having first worked as a mason after graduating from school. A brief stay in Chablis, where he worked at a guesthouse, resulted in a friendship with Samuel Billaud. Together they spent a fair amount of time exploring Samuel’s family cellar, where Tom was introduced to the greatest bottles of Grand Cru Burgundy. Next, Tom returned to Switzerland to study winemaking at the Center of Viticulture in Wädenswil, focusing on biodynamics since all his favorite growers in Burgundy had already converted to biodynamic farming. He worked with Jean-Daniel Schlaepfer of Domaine des Balisiers in Geneva alongside biodynamic consultant Pierre Masson. His embrace of biodynamics resulted in a transfer to French-speaking Switzerland to complete his studies in a place where biodynamics was not quite as controversial.\r\n\r\nIn 2006 Tom settled in the Aargau and began acquiring small parcels of vines in some of the canton’s most prestigious sites. Despite his extensive background, Tom prefers to see biodynamics as one vital step in growing grapes with vitality and a pure expression of place rather than all the mystical marketing talk that so frequently surrounds this farming practice. His new cellar, located in Oberhof, is ideally situated between his vineyards in the Fricktal: Wittnau Büel, Wittnau Fure, Elfingen Rüget, Oberhof Haghalde, Herznach Allmend, and Schenkenbergertal: Oberflachs Auf der Mauer, Schinznach Rägnisbuehl, Schinznach Wanne, Thalheim Chalofe. Tom grows Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Müller-Thurgau, Zweigelt, and a single row of Petit Meslier. All his parcels are underpinned with Jurassic limestone and range in elevation from 400-500 meters. While this altitude might not seem extreme, the proximity to the Alps and the surrounding forests make these sites some of the last sites to ripen in the Aargau. He prefers heritage clones and massale selection, harvests by hand, and fermentations are spontaneous. His wines age in well-seasoned French oak barrels undisturbed until bottling with only a tiny amount of SO2 for stability.\r\n\r\nWith an enormous following already established in Switzerland, we only receive a tiny allocation of these highly prized and beautifully detailed wines.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/5439/tom-litwan.png?1706732459","profile_url":"/b/litwan"},{"name":"Louis Bovard","description":"When one speaks of the wines of the Rhône Valley, two images spring to mind: the step vertiginous slopes of Cornas and Hermitage or the undulating and sun-baked landscape surrounding Avignon. Few, however, conjure up pictures of towering mountains and alpine meadows. Long before autoroutes were linking foreign capitals, there were rivers, the life’s blood of trade and culture from prehistory to the advent of the locomotive. The Rhône river was one of these ancient highways and one that linked the Mediterranean to the Alps. Depending on your perspective, Rhône wines do not end or begin at Vienne but continue all the way up to the Swiss village of Brig, where you can find some of the highest vineyards in Europe.\r\n\r\nHeading upstream and just past the border between France and Switzerland, the Rhône widens and redirects itself in a great arch forming Lac Léman. Its northerly course veers easterly before turning to flow southeast, making the steep slopes of the north shore of Lac Léman an ideal spot for viticulture. It should come as no surprise that the Cistercian monks, rightly famous for being the first to recognize the potential of the terroir of Burgundy, were also the early pioneers of grape growing in this part of Switzerland known as Lavaux. From the city of Lausanne to the town of Monthey, most of the best villages and sites for Swiss wines are situated: Epesses, Cully, Calamin, Dézaley, St-Saphorin, Vevey, Villeneuve, Yvorne, Aigle, Ollon, and Bex.\r\n\r\nDomaine Louis Bovard is a ten-generation family estate located in the town of Cully on the north bank of Lac Léman. Proponents of the indigenous Chasselas, the Domaine tends a repository (Le Conservatoire Mondial du Chasselas) of the various massale selections of the variety to preserve the biodiversity of the Chasselas grape and better understanding how different selections express themselves in the various terroirs of Switzerland. In addition to Chasselas the estate grows Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah. The steep, terraced vineyards of the Domaine are farmed sustainably with some biodynamic practices. Vineyard work is manual, dictated by the narrowness of the terraces, and harvests are assisted by mechanical lifts that transport small crates of freshly harvested grapes to the top of the slope – much like one can find in parts of the Mosel or Ribeira Sacra.\r\n\r\nOnce the white varieties arrive at the cellar, they are crushed and allowed a short time on their skins before pressing. After the must settles, it is transferred to large wooden foudres or French oak barrels for fermentation and aging on the lees. The Chasselas from Dézaley and Aigle are naturally allowed to go through malo while it is blocked for the Buxus Sauvignon Blanc. Often seen as fairly neutral and preferably consumed in its youth, Chasselas at Domaine Louis Bovard proves that this conventional wisdom is utterly baseless. The dramatic differences between Aigle, Calamin, and Dézaley prove that Chasselas can transmit unique expressions of the sites where it is planted. These are riveting examples of alpine wine that not only capture the floral freshness of their settling but also reward those patient enough to resist their youthful charms.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/4025/Louis_Bovard_Logo.png?1622816924","profile_url":"/b/domainelouisbovard"},{"name":"Macizo Ourensan","description":"There are few viticultural regions of the world as dramatic, wild, and diverse as Ribeira Sacra. Just seeing the steep, nearly vertical slopes and the centuries-old terrace walls rise above you (or dizzyingly below you!), you cannot help but feel that there are great wines in the very DNA of this landscape. Now entering its second generation of talent, Ribeira Sacra is currently one of the most talked-about places in the wine world, not only for its scenery but affordable, refreshing, and complex wines made from indigenous varieties like Mencia (a cooler expression than Bierzo), Mouranton, Garnacha Tintorera (widely planted after phylloxera), Bastardo (a.k.a. Trousseau), Grao Negro, Sousón, Godello, Doña Blanca, Palomino... ok, not household names now, but they should be.\r\n\r\nJesús Olivares \u0026 Curro Bareño both grew up just outside the DO of Ribeira Sacra. After studying enology, they worked in the Sierra de Gredos with Dani Landi and Fernando Garcia. There they learned that if something isn't easy, well-known, or simple, it's probably worth pursuing. Inspired by this sense of rediscovery, they returned to Galicia and founded Fedellos do Couto with Luis Taboada, the owner of Pazo do Couto. But the lure of home is always strong, and having proved their talents and instincts within the DO of Ribeira Sacra, why not push the boundaries and explore even more remote regions just outside the zone?\r\n\r\nTracing their roots back home, south along the Bibei - the river that forms the eastern boundary of Ribeira Sacra and the western limit of Valdeorras, Jesús and Curro began to explore the land of their birth. There they discovered scattered vineyards surviving in places unsuitable for other crops. These vineyards might be seen as a nightmare for many enologists - a diverse array of varieties mixed, side by side, white and red. Conventional thinking would find these sites suitable for making peasant wine but certainly not fine wine. Luckily for us, Jesús and Curro have never done anything easy or expected.\r\n\r\nThus Macizo Ourensan was born. Despite bearing the lowly, generic designation of Vino de España, these wines cannot be viewed as anything other than a minutely rendered snapshots of terruño. They now have access to 6 hectares of vines scattered among the villages that form the watershed of the Bibei - Viana do Bolo,  Fornelos de Filloás, Santa Marina de Froixais, Grixoa, Buxán, and Punxeiro. Their vineyard parcels share several common features - high elevation, indigenous varieties, and sandy granitic soils. All are farmed sustainably, as they have been for generations, and are worked by hand. From these vines, Jesús and Curro currently make three wines - Camandula, a  wine that is an effort to discover the potential of Sousón, Peixe da Estrada which is their village wine made from warmer parcels and Peixes da Rocha which comes from their highest elevation and coolest parcels. Winemaking is minimalist, with whole clusters, indigenous yeasts, and neutral fermentation vessels being the basic elements. Macerations are long and gentle, and aging is done in neutral French oak demi-muids or foudres.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/4027/Peixe.png?1622820971","profile_url":"/b/peixes"},{"name":"Maison Herout","description":"Normandy is par excellence a land of apples and cider. Established since 1946 in Auvers in the Manche department, Maison Hérout is no exception to the rule. For many generations, the transformation of apples into cider and Calvados has been cultural, rooted in the Cotentin region! The Cotentin peninsula, where Maison Hérout is located, produces some of the driest and most complex ciders made anywhere in France. Cotentin dry or extra-dry cider is a natural accompaniment to seafood, which is so abundant here because you are never far from the sea. Here on the Cotentin peninsula you are surrounded by endless bluffs and white sand beaches,  plentiful oyster and mussel farms,  lush apple orchards and the beautiful bocage – a system of hedgerows that defines the inland landscape as far as you can see and discreetly conceals old castles and chateaus from curious passers-by.\r\n\r\nThe Hérout family tree goes back to the Vikings, who settled in this area around the ninth and tenth centuries.  In fact many of the village names in the Cotentin still bear the Norse roots from these original Viking inhabitants, beautiful villages like Briquebec, and Quettetot.\r\n\r\nThe Cotentin was also home to Louis XIV’s summer court, located in the charming town of Valognes.  When Versailles became unbearably hot in the summertime, Louis XIV would move his entire court to beautiful Valognes townhouses to relax in the cooler, more subdued atmosphere of the Cotentin bocages.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/5351/Herout_Logo.png?1681159509","profile_url":"/b/herout"},{"name":"Mourre du Tendre","description":"Leaving Courthézon, driving north on the Route de la Plaine, you will find yourself climbing a gradual incline. An ivy-covered brick wall on one side and a hedge on the other will make it feel like you are traveling through a tunnel, but once you reach the top of the hill, you will be surrounded by a sea of vines, and if the day is clear, the Dentelles and Mont Ventoux will dominate the eastern horizon. This hill is locally known as Mourre du Tendre, or the hill of love, and situated on this hill’s crest, not surprisingly, is Le Château du Mourre du Tendre.\r\n\r\nFor several generations, the Paumel family has farmed grapes in the Rhône Valley. The current patriarch, Jacques Paumel, took control of the estate in 1962 from his father, and in 1988 he and his wife Josephine decided to start estate bottling their own wines using the name of the hill on which their ancient provençale farmhouse and many of their vines are situated. Technically semi-retired, Jacques and Josephine have turned over the running of the estate to their daughter Florence and her son Paul Verité. Perhaps retired is not the right term, as you will still find the pair arguing about how much wine they have available to sell with two sets of books: one written down on note cards that Jacques keeps in his vest pocket while Josephine seems to have the numbers memorized. Amusingly these numbers never seem to be quite the same. While they work this out, you will be treated to a wide array of local delicacies with which to occupy yourself and having recently tasted their wines – a Côtes-du-Rhône, a Côtes-du-Rhône Villages, a Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu, and a Châteauneuf-du-Pape – you will eagerly await their final judgment and buy everything that they are willing to part with. The wines are that remarkable.\r\n\r\nThe estate is 25 hectares in size with 3 ha in Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the lieu-dits of Le Crau, La Guigasse and Saintes Vierges. All are sandy terroirs. The Grenache found in these sites was planted in 1929 or 1942, while the Mourvèdre is a relatively recent addition, having been planted by Jacques in 1967. They have a 1.5-hectare plot of Grenache and Mourvèdre, planted on a clay-limestone soil and located just outside the appellation of Châteauneuf du Pape in the lieu-dit of Clos de Grenadiers. The Grenache dates to 1925, and they are the oldest vines that the family owns. In 1969 Jacques planted Mourvèdre and Grenache to supplement these old vines, now totaling 7 hectares. From this site, the family makes their Côtes-du-Rhône Villages. In Plan de Dieu, they have a newly acquired plot of 70-90-year-old Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, and Syrah grown on gravelly red clay soils. Finally, there are 10 hectares of Grenache, Cinsault, and Carignan, also on clay-limestone soils and quite near the cellars of Mourre du Tendre. These vines are the source of their Côtes-du-Rhône.\r\n\r\nFarming at Mourre du Tendre is minimalist and traditional. Everything is done by hand, and the family has never used pesticides in their vineyards. The harvest is conducted in several passes, and the grapes are carefully sorted when they reach the cellar. The Paumel family makes powerful and traditional wines. The fruit is not destemmed, fermentations occur spontaneously after a short semi-carbonic maceration, and the elevage is quite long – averaging about three years in a combination of concrete tanks and foudre. The resulting wines are charming, bold, and structured, with much more in common with Barolo and Barbaresco than most anything else you will find in the region. Needless to say, they age beautifully and gracefully, even the Côtes-du-Rhône.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/5291/Mourre_du_Tendre_Logo.png?1706734844","profile_url":"/b/mourredutendre"},{"name":"Novellum","description":"Someone once made an unflattering comparison between Chardonnay and a part of one’s anatomy best left unmentioned, saying, “everyone’s got one, no one wants to hear about yours.” Sadly Chardonnay is a victim of its own success and frequently a punch line despite being one of the most highly esteemed wines in its guise of Grand Cru Chablis or Montrachet. We are not claiming that Novellum is like these auspicious wines but we will argue that for its price you can hardly find better. For many years we worked with a cooperative in the Languedoc to make Novellum from a special site that in most years had some botrytis, giving the wine weight without resorting to oak. Since that time we’ve moved the project to the Roussillon where Jean-Marc and Eliane Lafage have some Chardonnay planted near the Mediterranean that makes a remarkably complex and mineral version of the variety. There is no botrytis here so we resort to aging a small percentage in barrel – usually less than 30%. The remainder of the wine is aged in tank on the lees of Viognier. It remains one of the best values in Chardonnay that you can find.\r\n\r\nImported by European Cellars. To learn more please visit www.europeancellars.com/producer/novellum","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/5197/Novellum_Illustration.png?1655390703","profile_url":"/b/novellum"},{"name":"Olivier Rivière","description":"With about 25 hectares of rented and owned vineyards in Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja, Rioja Alavesa, and splitting his time between his own wines and consulting with other producers, it would be an understatement to say that Olivier Rivière is busy. Originally lured to Spain in 2004 by Telmo Rodriguez to convert his vineyards to biodynamics, Olivier came to appreciate the rich history of Rioja and the diversity of its soils and grape varieties. In 2006 he started his own project, and owing to the high cost of land in Rioja, he traded his farming talents for access to grapes from the best sites he could locate.\r\n\r\nOlivier was born and raised south of Bordeaux in Cognac. He later studied enology in Montagne St-Emilion, focusing on biodynamic farming, followed by practical experience there, and later in Burgundy. The list of estates where he has worked is impressive by any standards, from the most dedicated fans of natural wines (Elian da Ros \u0026 Domaine de Chassorney) to ultra-traditionalists (Domaine Leroy.) When his plans to set up a Domaine in Fitou fell through, Olivier decided to spend a few years consulting in Spain, and he’s never left.\r\n\r\nComing from France, Olivier has an innate sense of terroir. Unlike many of his peers in Rioja, he bases his cuvées not on political boundaries or the length of barrel aging but on terroir. He believes in a quality hierarchy inspired by Burgundy with generic Appellation and Village wines at the base and Premier and Grand cru wines at the top. This is how to understand best what Olivier is doing in Rioja, rather than the traditional Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva model or traditionalists versus modernists. Despite a couple of challenging vintages with short crops, rising prices, and the loss of some vineyard leases, Olivier has somehow managed to expand his production of distinct wines while refining their sense of place.\r\n\r\nIn keeping with his education and advocation, nearly all of Olivier’s vineyard sources – whether owned or leased – are farmed organically with biodynamic practices. The fruit is harvested by hand, and each variety is fermented separately. Depending on the source, it may be partially destemmed or fermented whole cluster. Fermentations are with indigenous yeasts. Macerations are gentle and short. Aging takes place in stainless steel or cement tanks, foudre, and barrel with each container chosen to benefit the expression of the terroir. SO2 is kept to a minimum, usually added only before bottling. There really is no precise recipe, only the guiding principles of minimal intervention and taste. These are not your grandparent’s Riojas, nor are they your parent’s. These wines represent a novel approach that relies almost entirely on the specificity of site and the transparency of winemaking necessary to capture it.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/5350/20210920_Olivier_Riviere-Winemaker_Olivier_Riviere_0017.png?1681159307","profile_url":"/b/olivier-riviere"},{"name":"Orben","description":"Orben was founded in the mid-1990s by the Anton family of Artevino fame (Izadi, Vetus, Villacreces) and a group of friends and investors. Located near the village of Laguardia, the estate farms 79 small vineyard plots, all planted between 1945 and 1954. Due to the proximity and relative homogeneity of these sites located at 550–675 meters above sea level and on calcareous clay-limestone soils, the Anton family decided to create a separate estate to promote this individual terroir.\r\n\r\nThe main variety is Tempranillo with a small amount of Graciano. All the vines are head pruned and are farmed sustainably. At harvest, the grapes are picked by hand and transported to the winery in small boxes, where they are destemmed, crushed, and fermented in stainless steel tanks. Aging takes place entirely in French oak barrels for between 12 and 15 months. In addition to the estate wine, which goes by the name Orben and is a blend of Tempranillo with a small amount of Graciano, the estate produces Malpuesto from a single vineyard plot of ancient Tempranillo. This site gets its name from the haphazardly way the vines were planted. Most would replace this inefficient site, but the Anton family, aware of this terroir's quality, have chosen to preserve and promote it.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3520/Orben_Logo.png?1614269857","profile_url":"/b/bodegas-orben"},{"name":"Pazo Señorans","description":"The influence of Marisol Bueno and Javier Mareque on the founding and development of the DO Rías-Baixas and its primary variety Albariño can be traced back to their purchase in 1979 of an ancient 16th-century country estate, its kiwi orchards, and old-vine Albariño vineyards. Located in the town of Meis, within the sub-zone of Val do Salnes, Pazo Señorans lies close to the sea on acidic, sandy soils created by the natural decomposition of the granitic bedrock below. Early on, they recognized the potential of Albariño and were instrumental in the creation of the DO just a decade after they arrived in Meis.\r\n\r\nGalicia, historically, geographically, and culturally is a fascinating part of Spain quite distinct from the rest of the Peninsula. Widely known as Green Spain, the climate is moderate and can be surprisingly cool in the summer due to the region's embrace of the chilly Atlantic Ocean. Located at the famed El Camino's terminus, the area has always been rather cosmopolitan, affluent, and independent. It has never been conquered nor occupied, so neither religious strife nor feudalism gained a foothold here. The majority of the land is owned by the local inhabitants, who have turned the landscape into a network of small farms, cottages, and tiny villages surrounding the coast's bustling port cities.\r\n\r\nPazo de Señorans is somewhat an exception in this history. A complete manor house with a wide array of outbuildings, including a chapel and the largest surviving hórreo (the distinct, elevated barn typical to Galicia) in the DO. A testament to the turbulence of having a noble title in a land of fiercely independent farmers, the estate preserves an ancient \"panic room\" which the family could retreat to during turbulent times. Near the panic room is the original winery on the property consisting of a stone lagar and stone fermentation tank dating to the estate's founding. Surrounding the Pazo are 18.5 hectares of vines, but the estate purchases fruit from their neighbors as well, which is fairly typical in Rias-Baixas with its myriad of minuscule garden-vineyards.\r\n\r\nMostly grown on pergolas, their Albariño is hand-harvested into small crates in September and quickly transported to the winery to be crushed and pressed. Separate vinifications are conducted by plot in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks.  To retain freshness, malolactic fermentation is blocked, and the wine is allowed to age on its lees for at least four months with frequent bâtonnage. Bottled early each year following the harvest, it is an example of the fresh, crisp, and vibrant style that has defined the region. One vineyard site, Los Bancales, planted with some of the oldest vines on the estate, now over 45 years old, is kept in tank on its lees for a full 30 months. Aged in bottle for at least an additional year, it is released under the name Selección de Añada. Originally an experimental cuvée for the family to enjoy and prove the age-worthiness of Albariño, it has become a benchmark wine in the DO.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3603/logo-cabecera.png?1615221385","profile_url":"/b/pazo-senorans"},{"name":"Puro Rofe","description":"Lanzarote is the easternmost of the Canary Islands, situated just 100km from the continent of Africa. The warmest and driest part of the Canaries, it receives a scant 6 inches of rainfall in an average year. Subjected to nearly constant winds blowing off the Sahara desert, known locally as alicios, this would be a challenging place to grow vines even if they were not planted on a vast and volatile volcanic fissure. The lunar landscape of Lanzarote was largely formed by an eruption that lasted from 1730 to 1736, which covered 200 square km of the islands with up to 3 meters of ash and lapilli. Viewed from space, this island's most notable features are a series of calderas pockmarking a black sand and ash desert that dominates the northwestern part of the island - Los Volcanes National Park.\r\n\r\nThe volcanic devastation of the 18th century proved to be a boon for viticulture. Adapted to harsh conditions, varieties like Listán Blanco and Negro, Negramoll, Malvasía, and Diego were replanted on Lanzarote starting shortly after the eruption. To overcome the twin obstacles of the alicios and the meters of dry, free-draining volcanic lapilli, farmers in Lanzarote developed a unique practice of viticulture - the iconic hoyos of Lanzarote. Hoyos are hand-dug depression, sometimes up to two meters deep, with a single vine planted in the bottom. The depth of the hoyos allows the vine to access the moisture present several meters below the surface of the volcanic topsoil while also protecting it from the alicios. The most exposed hoyos are also partially surrounded by walls, abrigos to add an extra layer of protection from the constant winds. Combined, these two features have become the indelible visual image of grape-growing in Lanzarote. No matter what elevation you view Lanzarote, the overwhelming impression is that of a landscape of craters - natural and human-made.\r\n\r\nThe raw materials of Lanzarote - the stark beauty, unique viticulture, indigenous and ancient vines have been on the mind of Rayco Fernandez for many years. A wine exporter based in Gran Canaria, Rayco had waited patiently for over a decade for someone to discover the potential of Lanzarote. Puro Rofe was created from his abiding interest in Lanzarote, impatience, and the friends he made there. While Rayco was the impetus for its creation, Puro Rofe is a collaboration among local, like-minded grape growers Rafael (Chicho) Mota, Ascension Robayna, and Pedro Umpiérrez. They tend vineyards surrounding Los Volcanes in La Geria, Tinajo, Masdache, and Testeyna, and all practice organic farming. Puro Rofe is based in La Geria at Chicho Mota's small, museum-like bodega, which preserves many traditional winemaking tools on Lanzarote - lagars, basket presses, and concrete vats which are now supplemented with clay amphorae as well.\r\n\r\nThe initial release (2017) was a white and a red made from a diversity of vineyards sites and varieties. With 2018 seeing the release of their first parcel wines: Tilama, Masdache, Chibusque \u0026 Chaboco.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/4026/purorofe.png?1622820240","profile_url":"/marketing_hubs/5807"},{"name":"Roger Sabon","description":"The Sabon family is an ancient and well-regarded name in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, first mentioned in documents dating to 1540. Perhaps not as venerable as the Ameniers of Domaine de Marcoux and Domaine Giraud, but still eminently respectable. Seraphin Sabon, a more recent patriarch of the family, first bottled wine in the appellation under the family’s name in 1921. He also fathered three very enterprising sons, all of whom established their own Domaines: Joseph Sabon at Clos du Mont Olivet, Noel Sabon at Chante Cigale, and Roger Sabon. The Sabons are like the Crosby, Stills, Nash \u0026 Young of the village.\r\n\r\nDomaine Roger Sabon was founded in 1952 and is currently run by Roger’s sons Denis and Gilbert. A third son, Jean-Jacques, is deceased, but his son-in-law Didier Negron is the current winemaker. Denis and his son Julien oversee the farming while Gilbert and his niece, Delphine, run the office. It is quite a family affair!\r\n\r\nThe size of the domaine has grown slowly over the years with 18 hectares in Chateauneuf du Pape, 8 hectares in Lirac and 8 hectares in Côtes-du-Rhône. Most of their holdings in Châteauneuf-du-Pape are located in the northeastern part of the appellation, where the soils are sandier with a high concentration of limestone. They also own a  few parcels in Le Crau famous for its red clay under a deep layer of galets deposited from the alps eons ago. These two soil types combine to make wines that are equally rich and nuanced.\r\n\r\nSince 2001 Didier Negron has made the wines at Domaine Roger Sabon, but recently he’s begun to move away from demi-muids and barriques in favor of aging his family’s wines in concrete and large French oak foudres. While the terroir of Roger Sabon, with its high concentration of sand and limestone, has always been inclined to a more ethereal and delicate style of Châteauneuf, Didier’s changes in the cellar have amplified these qualities – the wines have never been more engaging and lovely.\r\n\r\nWhile Grenache is the mainstay at the Domaine, they also grow Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Terret Noire, Counoise, Vaccarèse Muscardin, Roussanne, Clairette, Bourboulenc and Grenache Blanc. They own some fairly old Syrah, about 60 years old, located on limestone soils which is an important component in the Prestige bottling. Their oldest vines, topping 100 years old, are located in two plots near Courthézon and are the Secret des Sabon source. While details are sketchy, and the Sabons are shy about divulging any information about this cuvée, it is safe to assume that these vines are primarily Grenache. There is a single demi-muid in the shadows in the cellar, which is presumably the Secret des Sabon, but once again, polite inquiries are met with a Gallic shrug.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3604/logo_RS.png?1615225858","profile_url":"/b/roger-sabon"},{"name":"Sainte Madeleine","description":"Vézelay, in many ways, is much like hundreds of small rural villages in France. Built on a hill overlooking hedge-lined tidy fields mixed with dense forests, the countryside around Vézelay is timeless, comforting, and quintessentially pastoral. It would be easy to overlook Vézelay if not also home to one of Romanesque architecture’s finest monuments, the Basilica of Sainte Madeleine. The prosperity and preservation of Vézelay owe much to the shrine of Mary Magdalene. That one could assemble several complete skeletons purporting all to be the bones of Mary Magdelene was of no importance to Medieval Christianity, and the Cluniac monks who maintained the shrine for pilgrims also had a reputation for sharp dealing. So established was this shrine that Bernard of Clairvaux, a staunch opponent of the religious practices of Cluny, even preached the second crusade from this Basilica. But you’re not here to learn all about the religious history of Vézelay but of its reemergence as an essential wine growing region.\r\n\r\nThe presence of the Cluniacs in Vézelay dates back to the late 9th century when it was founded on the ruins of a Roman villa named Vercellus. Since wine is an essential part of the daily eucharist, the unbroken history of wine growing in Vézelay can be traced back over a millennium. Unfortunately, unlike other regions linked to Paris either by navigatable rivers and canals or by rail, when phylloxera struck Vézelay in the late 19th century, a vast majority of the vineyards were lost either converted to pastureland or allowed to become overgrown by the surrounding forests. From an estimated 1000 hectares of vines before phylloxera, only 10 hectares were left by the mid-1970s. The renaissance of Vézelay can largely be attributed to chef Marc Meneau who ran a three-star Michelin restaurant in the village of Saint-Père. Together with the local butcher, they began replanting Chardonnay in Vézelay. Soon they were joined by others eager to rediscover the region’s viticultural heritage, and by 1989, a small Cave Cooperative was established. In the beginning, the wines were granted Bourgogne status, becoming Bourgogne Vézelay in 1987 and Vézelay in 2017 – a remarkable ascent in the hierarchy of Burgundy and a recognition of its unique terroir.\r\n\r\nAmong the second generation of winegrowers in Vézelay are Alexandre and Blandine Corguillé. Alexandre is descended from generations of farmers in Seine-et-Marne, but when he worked a harvest in Champagne at the age of 17, he instantly knew he wanted to channel his interest in agronomy into becoming a viticulturalist. While working in Provence and Bandol and raising a young family with Blandine, they decided that they wanted to start their own project and be closer to family. Since Blandine was born and raised in Burgundy, they searched for a suitable place to create their Domaine, and a chance posting about a parcel for sale in Vézelay resulted in the creation of Domaine Sainte Madeleine.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/5352/Logo.png?1681160076","profile_url":"/b/madeleine"},{"name":"Saint Jean Du Barroux","description":"There comes a time in everyone’s life where you learn certain social conventions such as saying “please” and “thank you,” eating with your mouth closed, offering guests a hand, and then offering them a drink. It is also recommended that you never utter the words in polite circles, “I told you so.” Sometimes it is too difficult to resist, however, and in the case of Philippe Gimmel… well, don’t make us say it.\r\n\r\nThe first time we tasted with Philippe, we knew we were tasting some of the most thrilling wines being made in the Ventoux, if not the entire Rhone valley but what is truly remarkable is that over the last decade, they’ve only gotten better. An impressive resume including stints at Chateau Beaucastel, Pierre-Bise, Domaine la Janasse, and Chateau Deves only hinted at Philippe’s energy, drive, and potential, all of which came to fruition when he founded St Jean du Barroux in 2003.\r\n\r\nLocated near the ancient fortified town of Barroux, Philippe started with a few hectares and no cellar. When he saved enough to build a small cellar, it also served as his home – every personal comfort was sacrificed for his vineyards and wines. Philippe’s estate now covers just over sixteen hectares, four of which are scrub forest and orchard. Situated in the valley between the lower slopes of Mont Ventoux and the Dentelles de Montmirail, the vines Philippe farms are grown on three unique terroirs, all eroded from the ancient bedrock of the region. At about 300m, his lowest elevation sites are on a fine sandy clay soil where he grows Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, and Clairette. As you proceed up the slope to around 400m above sea level, the soils become coarser and stonier. Here there is a distinct fault line where the gravels change from various earth tones to black. On the lighter-colored soils, Philippe grows Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, and Cinsault, while on the darker soils, he grows only Syrah and Grenache. Philippe’s yields are meager in part due to the vines’ age, averaging over 40 years old, and due to his strict approach to organic farming. Both L’Argile and La Pierre Noire come from parcels where the yields are about 20hl/ha.\r\n\r\nThe vineyard work at St Jean du Barroux is humbly grounded in the concept that the vigneron is a caretaker of the land and its terroir. The farming is organic, with biodynamic practices, cover crops of natural plants are encouraged, work is done mainly by hand, and the surrounding ecosystem is protected and nurtured. More often than not, the vineyards look more like gardens than a working farm. Harvesting is manual, often conducted in several passes through the vineyards to ensure that only the best grapes reach the recently built but modest cellar. Once there, the fruit is destemmed, fermented by indigenous yeasts, and aged in concrete tank for two years for the L’Argile and three for La Pierre Noire. A portion of the blanc, La Montagne, is aged in neutral French oak barrels.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3606/St_Jean_du_Barroux_Logo.png?1615227112","profile_url":"/b/philippe-gimel-saint-jean-du-barroux"},{"name":"Sal Da Terra","description":"We caught wind of a new project brewing in Rias-Baixas about a year ago from our friend and colleague Ben Henshaw in the UK. Ben is the proprietor of Indigo Wines and has been creating his own line of custom cuvées from growers he represents from all around the world. For his project in Rias-Baixas, he teamed up with Eulogio Pomares, side hustling from his day job at Zárate, Jamie Goode, wine writer, wine scientist, and wine critic, and Daniel Primack, the importer and distributor of Zalto wine glasses in the UK. Quite the dream team of talent! We agreed to buy what we could get even before tasting it. Six months later, over lunch in Madrid with José Maria Vicente, we were astounded at how satisfyingly complex and pleasurable this wine proved to be. We even helped secure José Maria an allocation!\r\n\r\nRather than tell you all about this wine ourselves, we leave it to Jamie Goode to describe the details:\r\n\r\nIn the end, we decided on two vineyard plots for the wine, which we’d decided to call Sal da Terra (‘salt of the earth’).\r\n\r\nThe first is Francón in Castrelo (next to the town of Cambados), which is close to the Ría de Arousa, giving a big influence from the Atlantic. The age of the vines is 35 years, trained in emparrado (the local name for the Pergola system). Soils are granitic but with some red clay, which helps retain water and gives nice even ripening even when it’s hot. This plot was harvested on 15th September 2018.\r\n\r\nThe second vineyard is Carballoso in Xil (Meaño). This is inland, 6 km from the Atlantic, and at an altitude of 250 m. These vines are 30 years old and are all trained in emparrado. Soils are sandy granitic. ‘It is a kind of granite that we call Xabre,’ says Pomares. ‘The rock is disaggregated and is a yellow color because you also find iron in the rock.’ It is a poor soil, giving concentrated grapes with low yields. This was harvested on 18th September 2018.\r\n\r\nThe vines are farmed organically with no herbicides but aren’t certified.\r\n\r\nPomares’ Carrolcoba is fermented in a 1200 liter chestnut barrel. These are interesting because they are big, affordable, and more-or-less neutral when the staves have boiled so they can be bent. [I can’t find any references for this, but Pomares’ wine certainly doesn’t have any noticeable oak character.] So we wanted to do a portion of the wine in this, but also a portion in concrete tanks. Pomares was keen on this because he’d not used concrete for Albariño before.\r\n\r\nSo grapes from Carballoso were fermented and aged in a 1200 liter chestnut barrel, while the Francón (Castrelo) portion was fermented and aged in a 1500 liter concrete tank. Both lots were destemmed (not crushed), press in a pneumatic press. After a light settling, they went to chestnut and concrete for a natural ferment.\r\n\r\nWe met together in London and had a look at the wines in April and did a blending exercise. In the end, we decided on using slightly more of the Chestnut-aged wine than the concrete tank wine, although both were lovely. It reduced the volume slightly, but that was fine. The two wines were blended in April after harvest and bottled in August without fining or filtration. 3360 bottles were made.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/4024/Sal_da_Terra.png?1683125499","profile_url":"/b/saldaterra"},{"name":"Terroir al Limit","description":"In 2000, Eben Sadie and Dominik Huber first met at Mas Martinet. Eben was a promising and highly-regarded young enologist from South Africa. Dominik, a native German, was a wine enthusiast with a business administration background but with interests in the culinary arts. In short order, they became fast friends.\r\n\r\nWith the help of the Pérez family of Mas Martinet, Eben and Dominik purchased some fruit and leased a little corner in the cellar of Cims de Porrera, where they vinified their first vintage of Dits del Terra in 2001. After two years at Cims de Porrera, they moved into a tiny cellar in Torroja del Priorat. The move coincided with the first vintage of Arbossar in 2003. In the following years, they released additional cuvées: Torroja in 2005, Manyes and Tosses in 2006, Pedra de Guix in 2008, and Terra de Cuques in 2011. Since its founding, Terroir al Limit has slowly evolved its understanding of the Priroat as a region as capable as Burgundy in its complexity and potential to make elegant and transparent wines. The Torroja and Terra de Cuques are the village wines, Dits del Terra and Arbossar the Premier Crus, and Manyes and Tosses are the Grand Crus. \r\n\r\nWith the demands arising from increased production and additional farming responsibilities and Eben Sadie spending more time in South Africa with his various projects, Dominik began working full time at Terroir al Limit in 2007. Devoting himself primarily to the cultivation of the growing number of vineyard sites, Dominik could see his vineyard efforts were resulting in healthier fruit. With better fruit coming into the cellar, Eben and Dominik had a profound realization that ripe, concentrated grapes combined with extractive winemaking and aging in barriques didn’t show their vineyards’ authenticity. Consequently, they reevaluated their work in the cellar by phasing out all their 225-liter barrels, then utilizing a more gentle Burgundian approach to vinification, preferring whole clusters and avoiding either pigeage or remontage. The goal at Terroir al Limit is to foster wines of infusion rather than extraction, thereby emphasizing elegance rather than the typical heaviness of the Priorat. Currently, the wines are aged mainly in concrete tanks, with a few upright Stockinger foudres, and 500L neutral French oak demi-muids.\r\n\r\nRealizing that organic or biodynamic farming during an era of global warming is insufficient for a region as hot and dry as the Priorat, Dominik farms rigorously to guarantee the health and vitality of his soils so they can retain as much moisture as possible, reducing the hydric stress on the vines in summer and allowing for an earlier harvest of physiologically ripe fruit. Eben Sadie left Terroir al Limit in 2011 to devout his energies to his extraordinary work in South Africa, but he left it in the capable hands of Dominik Huber. Each successive vintage is a testament to their original vision for Terroir al Limit, as well as Dominik’s continued quest to make the most elegant and expressive wines in the Priorat.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3601/Terroir-al-limit-Logo.png?1615220520","profile_url":"/b/terroir-al-limit"},{"name":"Terroir Históric","description":"While working on establishing Terroir al Limit, Dominik Huber became entranced with the Priorat’s history – its rhythms of life, the simple cuisine, and the honest wines that honored their origins. When walking past the crumbling Sindicat Agricola in Torroja, he could recall those few bottles of Priorat he had tasted from vintages in the 1970s, and he envisioned a future where such wines could again be made.\r\n\r\nThe wines of Terroir Historic are meant to be enjoyed rather than contemplated. Nostalgic and honest in spirit, these wines reflect on the rhythm of life in the Priorat of the past and the style of winemaking that was popular at that time. Rather than focusing on individual parcels, Dominik sources grapes from many different vineyards throughout the region. These complex blends – dazzling mosaics of aroma and flavor – authentically express the Priorat landscape's diversity. \r\n\r\nDominik sources grapes from vineyards in Bellmunt, Gratallops, El Lloar, Escaladei, Porrera, Poboleda, Torroja, Vilella Alta, and Vilella Baixa. These are some of his younger vines he has planted high up in the Montsant near the border of Escaladei and Morera and where the soils are unique for being clay and limestone rather than schist. Finding that these white varieties are relatively scarce and under-appreciated in the Priorat – especially at the table – a significant percentage of Terroir Històric’s production is white wine. Unlike Terroir al Limit, which was founded on the Burgundian principle of site-specific wines, Terroir Històric is meant to showcase the complexities of the Priorat in its entirety. \r\n\r\nThere is one red and one white. The white is currently a blend of Garnatxa Blanca and Macabeu, the red, Garnatxa, and Carinyena. Harvest is manual, and the grapes are pressed whole cluster (whites) or fermented whole cluster (reds)  without any manipulation, so their flavors are infused rather than extracted. Nothing is added or removed, and the wines ferment and age in concrete tanks. Bottled 6 months after the harvest, they are meant to be drunk young. To quote Dominik:\r\n\r\n\"The French have a very beautiful expression; they call it vin de soif. You drink Terroir Historic not with your mind but with your belly and emotions. With Terroir Historic, you are hungry and thirsty and want to socialize because, in the end, this is the fundamental thing about wine; you share it with your friends and family.\"","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3602/Logo-Terroir-Historic.png?1615220982","profile_url":"/b/terroir-historic"},{"name":"Terroir Sense Fronteres","description":"The dramatic view from Dominik Huber and Tatjana Peceric’s Les Manyes vineyard shows the tortured topography of the Priorat, their adopted home. Making wines in the Priorat has always been a challenging struggle against the torrid climate, steep hillsides, poor soils, and a generally conservative approach to grape growing and winemaking. But, being inclined towards organic and biodynamic cultivation and preferring wines of infusion rather than extraction, these two outsiders (Dominik from Germany and Tatjana from Serbia) must toil even more. Especially after all the accolades their distinctive wines earn year after year. So rather than look south from Les Manyes, they turned their attention to the north, where the DO of Montsant offers a diversity of terruño and a more liberal attitude about farming and winemaking. In 2017, they created Terroir Sense Fronteres, a range of wines from the Montsant as honest and forthright in expressing their origins as they’ve done in the Priorat with Terroir al Limit.\r\n\r\nIn the Montsant, they’ve assembled a diverse collection of sites. Some they own outright, while others are farmed organically under their supervision. They offer two village wines sourced from vines on sandy clay soils – a white called Brisat and a red called simply Negre. In addition, there are currently three single terroir offerings, Vèrtebra from La Figuera, just to the west of Priorat, and Marcenca and Guix Vermell from a vineyard close to Les Manyes but just over the border in Montsant. With less rigid regulations, a preference for sheltered sites, and their natural inclination for expressive and lively wines, the offerings from Terroir Sense Fronteres are slightly lower in alcohol and lighter in color than what they make in the Priorat. Still, they share the same vinous persistence, haunting aromas, mineral depths, and fruit precision.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/5438/Logo.png?1706731648","profile_url":"/b/terroirsensefronteres"},{"name":"Tikveš","description":"Wine from Eastern Europe is on the cusp of being the next big thing. All the elements are there: an ancient grape-growing tradition, great terroirs, indigenous varieties, new investment, and a youthful generation of farmers and winemakers who came of age after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Before this epic event, wine in Eastern Europe was mainly a bulk product from frightfully high yields resulting in quality on par with the Yugo or Trabant.\r\n\r\nFounded in 1885, Tikveš Winery has witnessed the independence movements in the Balkans, two world wars and one cold one, yet through it all, they have continued to make wines from grapes native to the region: the white Rkaticeli, which originated in the Caucasus, and Kratosija, Vranec, and Plavec which are all indigenous red varieties to the Balkan peninsula. With the fall of communism and independence of The Republic of North Macedonia, this historic estate was privatized, and new investments were made to update the vineyard and cellar practices. Sustainable farming has replaced industrial farming, yields have been lowered, and indigenous varieties have been preserved. With Philippe Cambie's assistance, they have modernized their cellar practices by utilizing temperature-controlled stainless steel for fermentations with concrete and French oak barrels for aging.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/3535/Tikves_Logo.png?1614292112","profile_url":"/b/tikves"},{"name":"Viñedos de Alcohuaz","description":"The Elqui Valley of northern Chile borders one of the driest spots on earth - the Atacama Desert. For well over 100 years, grapes grown here were largely eaten or distilled into Pisco, the brash brandy that is the national spirit of Chile and Peru.* The Elqui Valley stretches from the coastal plain outside the city of La Serena, renowned for its beaches packed with tourists during the summer, all the way up into the Andes Mountains. With less than 7cm of rainfall annually, grape production is limited to bench lands close to the River Elqui and historically favored heat and drought tolerant varieties such as Pedro Ximénez - an ideal selection for distillation.\r\n\r\nViñedos de Alcohuaz, named after a small village high up in the Elqui Valley, was founded in 2005 by Patricio \u0026 Alvaro Flaño after a visiting friend suggested that the boulder-strewn, sandy granite soils of the area looked to be the perfect place to plant some vines. After confirmation of the area's potential by viticulturalist Eduardo Silva, Patricio and his son Alvaro began planting Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Garnacha, Petite Syrah, Petit Verdot, Cariñena, and Touriga Nacional at elevations ranging between 1800-2200 meters above sea level. The Cabernet Franc and Merlot did not survive, but the other varieties thrived. Now totaling 18 hectares (with an additional 2 hectares Roussanne and Marsanne recently planted but not yet in production), Viñedos de Alcohuaz has the distinction of being the highest commercial vineyard in the world.**\r\n\r\nThe elevation and arid climate present some unique challenges for the production of fine wines at Alcohuaz. Luckily the valley is so steep and narrow this far up into the Andes that the vineyards are close enough to the River Elqui to benefit from groundwater deep underground. The property also has a spring-fed reservoir to keep the vines from suffering too much during the growing season. Another problem is the intense UV light at this elevation and latitude. Relying on the experiences of generations of Pisco producers, the vines are trained in pergolas locally known as parron elquino, which create a canopy of leaves to protect the fruit from the intense light of day. While daytime temperatures are hot, the evenings are quite cold, and diurnal shifts of up to 25ºC are not uncommon. Obviously, farming is easily sustainable under these conditions, but Patricio and Alvaro have tended their vineyards organically and biodynamically but have no plans to seek certification.\r\n\r\nA testament to the forethought and efforts Patricio and Alvaro put into locating and planting their vineyards came about in 2007 when Marcelo Retamal joined the project. Reta is the iconic winemaker of De Martino and a proponent of site expression, heritage vines, non-interventionist winemaking, and a pioneer of championing wines made outside of the Central Valley of Chile. From the start, each variety has been harvested by hand, crushed by foot, and fermented by indigenous yeasts in stone lagars. The wines are then aged in concrete eggs or Stockinger foudre. These steps reveal and preserve the natural acidity and freshness innate to this mountain fruit. These are pure, vibrant, and exciting wines -exactly the sort we couldn't pass up the opportunity to represent.\r\n\r\nAlta Elqui, it’s the new Sierra de Gredos.\r\n\r\n\r\n* Let's take a moment to consider the Pisco Sour. This drink can test the meddle of any bar since it relies on the presence of two important ingredients - Pisco and fresh egg whites. It also requires a fair amount of upper body strength and endurance to pull off. If well made, please tip your bartender well.\r\n\r\n** There are some vineyards within the Elqui Valley at higher elevations. Still, due to frost and the increasing salinity of the soils at higher elevations, wine production is erratic enough that these are not fully commercial vineyards. So you really didn't ask, but we still thought you might like to impress your tasting group with the knowledge.","logo_url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.sevenfifty.com/producers_supplier_company_profiles/logos/medium/4612/Alcohuaz_Logo.png?1635970232","profile_url":"/marketing_hubs/6651"},{"name":"Vitícola Mentridana","description":"The Sierra de Gredos is an area of rugged granite peaks, forests, and hilltop towns southwest of Madrid. The combination of high altitude, free-draining granitic soils, and a long growing season gives it a unique micro-climate for viticulture. Vines cling to scree-slopes like mountain goats, but many of the best sites, those most challenging to farm, were abandoned decades ago. But for a new generation of winemakers motivated by a back-to-the-land ethos, many of these vineyards would have been entirely lost. At the forefront of rediscovering the Gredos were Dani Landi and Fernando Garcia of Comando G. With a handful of other pioneering winemakers, they have defined a new style of Garnacha – one that is light in color but intensely flavored, elegant, and mineral-driven. After only a few decades, Dani and Fer have taken the Gredos from obscurity to one of the most relevant and exciting places in the winemaking world.\r\n\r\nCurro Barreño, one-half of the genius behind the Galician project Fedellos, grew up in the Gredos and is a childhood friend of Dani. Over the years, they’ve shared many bottles of wine and similar outlook on winemaking. So when, in 20021, Dani decided to focus all his efforts on Comando G and the vineyards in the Alberche Valley that he shares with Fernando Garcia, he entrusted his friend Curro with his vineyards in the Tiétar Valley.\r\n\r\nDani Landi’s former vineyards, plus some from Curro’s family, are located in DO Méntrida, hence the name of this new endeavor, Vitícola Mentridana. Curro is building on Dani’s meticulous foundations, interpreting Dani’s vineyards through what he learned after years of making wines here and in Galicia. Dani is proud to be able to allow Curro to take stewardship of his vineyards, and Curro is happy to have come home to make wine in the land of his birth.\r\nCurrently, Curro makes three wines at Vitícola Mentridana. El Mentridano comes from Curro’s vines near the town of Méntrida. Located where the Alberche changes course from flowing southeast to the southwest before it eventually joins the Tagus, this is a landscape of sandy, granitic soils, meadows, and holm oaks. Mentridano, therefore, is a more Mediterranean expression of the Gredos. Still, it remains light on its feet under the care of Curro, who initially gained fame for his ethereal wines at Fedellos.\r\n\r\nFor Las Uvas de la Ira, the sourcing remains the same as when released under Dani Land’s name – six vineyard plots in the village of El Real de San Vicente. Totaling 6.9 hectares, these vineyards of Garnacha are all over 70 years-old and planted on poor granitic soils at 850 meters compared to Mentridano at 600 meters. The Tiétar Valley is a more extreme environment with significant variation in ripening times and expression, so Uvas de la Ira sees several different harvests and a more extended maceration than Mentridano.\r\n\r\nCantos del Diablo was Dani Landi’s top site in the Tiétar Valley, a 0.35-hectare plot of 70+ year-old vines near El Real de San Vicente. A combination of sparsely planted vines, exposure, climate, and the age of the vines means that yields here are naturally restricted. Cantos ripens late, making for a wine that shows the ethereal aromatics typical of Garnacha grown on sandy granitic soils combined with a density and finesse characteristic of Garnacha from the Gredos.\r\n\r\nCurro is building on Dani’s meticulous foundations, interpreting the vineyards, and working with a light touch in the winery. 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