Producers

Jérôme Saurigny Anjou, Loire, France Jérôme Saurigny could’ve never imagined, after studying in Bordeaux and starting as a cellar master in Pomerol, that he would make wine without any additions. He very well remembers that before harvests, his colleagues and he would collect packets of yeast and other additives. This is now well in his past. It all changed when he was introduced to Patrick Desplats and Sebastien Dervieux - Babass, two uncompromising pioneers of natural wine who completely changed his vision on wine. So, in 2007 Jérôme started an adventure of his own. He bought 6,5 hectares of vineyards in the Coteaux du Layon appellation, growing mostly typical Loire grapes such as Grolleau, Gamay, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc and decided to make wine following his own philosophy. He ploughs the land with a horse and is part of the SAINS (Sans Aucun Intrants Ni Sulphites ajoutée) association founded by Jean-Pierre Robinot. Jérome refuses to compromise and looks for the limits of his philosophy. He vinifies naturally, through indigenous yeasts and without any additives or sulphites. He often blends red and white grapes, from the maceration. Using a technique where whole bunches of grapes are submerged in direct-pressed juice. A twist on carbonic maceration without the need for added CO2. The wines of Jérôme are intense, pure and full of energy but also very rare. We are very happy to receive a small amount of his cuvées every year!

Château de Bonnezeaux Loire, France A reborn wine estate with a rich history Château de Bonnezeaux has a history that dates back to the early 19th century. Originally famous for its sweet wines, the estate fell into disrepair in the 1980s and the vineyards were neglected for more than three decades. In 2012, the family decided to breathe new life into the estate and appointed their cousin, Guyonne Saclier de la Bâtie, as the head of this ambitious project. Guyonne, inspired by her internships with renowned winemakers such as Mark Angeli and Stéphane Bernaudeau, committed herself to restoring the vineyards and chose to produce dry Chenin Blanc wines. In 2019, Guyonne passed the baton to the young duo Léa Meslet and Pierre Boisseaux. With a shared passion for viticulture and a commitment to biodynamic practices, they have further expanded the estate and planted new plots. Their approach includes the use of traditional vertical champagne presses and long aging in old wooden barrels, resulting in wines with deep minerality and refined complexity. Château de Bonnezeaux works entirely organically and with minimal intervention to preserve the pure expression of the terroir. No chemical pesticides are used in the vineyard and the soil is worked by hand and with the help of horses to promote biodiversity. The grapes are hand-harvested and strictly selected to vinify only the best fruit. In the cellar, fermentation occurs spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, without temperature control, allowing for a natural and complex development of the wine. Additions are kept to an absolute minimum: no fining, no filtering, and only a small amount of sulfites at bottling, ensuring that the wines remain pure, vibrant, and authentic. Today, Château de Bonnezeaux covers approximately nine hectares of vineyards. Despite the challenges of the past, the estate has established itself as a producer of high-quality dry Chenin Blanc wines, reflecting both the rich history and the innovative future of Loire viticulture and became one of the most sought-after wineries of Loire. The limited production is almost never for sale online.

Naïma & David Didon Chassey-le-Camp, Burgundy, France Started in 2017 by Naïma and David Didon is Domaine Didon in Chassey-le-Camp in the Côte Chalonnaise. This village is situated in the Bouzeron AOC, known for its Aligoté. However, besides their pristine Aligotés Domaine Didon also makes beautiful Chardonnays and different styles of Pinot Noir. Some of them are made with grapes from the Domaine’s own vineyards, completely adhering to biodynamic principles, and some are made as négoce wines, with the grapes coming from a friendly wine making family in the Alsace. The Domaine’s own vineyard, Vignes Blanches, is just about 2 hectare and is full of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinor Blanc and Aligoté. The soil is composed of limestone and is known as one of the best terroirs in the village. The vineyard is solely tended to by hand, with the exception of the help of a horse every now and then, thus avoiding the use of heavy machinery and preventing damage to the soil. In the cellar, Naïma and David look to influence the wine making process as little as possible. The wines are all aged on the lees in amphora, fiberglass or oak barrels after which they are bottled without or with minimal amounts of sulphite. This process results in terrific and pristine wines that are very limited!

Les Vins Pirouettes Ammerschwihr, Alsace, France Originally founded by Christian Binner and associates in 2009, Les Vins Pirouettes is a collective of around 15 independent vignerons from the Alsace. All participating winemakers follow either a biological or biodynamic approach, grow their own grapes and make the wine in their own cellar. The label represents quality, the community, knowledge and environmental conservation. The winemakers of Les Vins Pirouettes do not hesitate to think outside the box resulting in rare, creative and innovative wines, often aged and only released when they are ready to drink. The collective, including winemakers like Jean Marc Dreyer, Stephane Bannwarth and Claude Straube, are assisted in the marketing, distribution and wine making knowledge by a specialised team, which allows the winemakers to concentrate on their passion: working with the vines. The characteristics of the grapes are strongly influenced by the Alsatian soil such that each harvest makes unique wines. All the wines are ripened in the winemakers’s cellar, revealing the terroir’s specific characteristics with finesse. Each cuvée carries the name of the winemaker on the label. The 20 winemaking partners of Les Vins Pirouettes cultivate their vines throughout the Alsace, from the north to the south. The difference in soils, ranging from limestone to granite and sandstone, allow for great diversity in the wines. Around 30 cuvées are produced by the collective with all the grape varieties known to the Alsace: from Gewürztraminer to Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Muscat, Sylvaner and Riesling. Nowadays it’s Remi Segura you’re talking to if you are connecting with Les Pirouettes. He is the face you will see on the wine fairs and events and has all the knowledge and connections with the vignerons. But don’t forget to pay him a visit in his restaurant Amsel if you are in Alsace, he’s the sommelier there too!

Farid Yahimi Ammerschwihr, Alsace, France Farid Yahimi has been working with natural wine for over 20 years already and is one of the founders of the Association des Vins Naturals (2005). After years spent experimenting with natural fermentation in his garage it was only in 2017 and after the recommendation of Christian Binner (also known as the founder of Les Vins Pirouettes) that he started to make wine himself. The wines of Farid are a mixture of wild and pure wines for which he uses grapes from different regions. He produces his wines, under the name of Sons of Wine, in an old cellar in Beblenheim in the Alsace. From this cellar he makes spectacular and authentic wines with grapes grown in the area but also from the vines he owns in Côte de Toul in the Lorraine and the Beaujolais. Futhermore he collects grapes from the Languedoc, the Loire and even from Spain. Yahimi’s wines are unique and creative and greatly supported and respected throughout the world of wine. He never releases a faulty wine, as he always makes sure the problems stay in the cellar, without any additions but just the addition of time, he makes sure you get wines that are ready to drink.

Joachim Roque Banyuls, Roussillon, France Winemaker Joachim Roque was raised in the hills surrounding Collioure in the Roussillon, in one of the last coastal villages of France before entering Spain. The landscape is desert-like, arid, steep and dusty with a view of the mediteranean in the distance. It is known as a place where vines are hardest to cultivate and yield only very few grapes. Roque has been a member of Les 9 Caves since 2014. Les 9 Caves is a cooperative of independent winemakers in Banyuls that exchange ideas and equipment. Together with three other winemakers from this cooperative he also makes wines under the name of Tutti Frutti Ananas, which we also import. It is possible to visit Les 9 Caves, that also has a beautiful restaurant, ran by people from Amsterdam, making it even more worth the trip. Roque works his 8,5 hectares of land organically and as much as possible by hand. He puts a lot of emphasis on respecting the existing vegetation and its ecosystem in the already difficult climate of this region. Considering the intense heatwaves and dry spells that regularly occur, Roque manages to create beautifully fresh and living wines. Their balance and character make his wines a thrilling expression of the Côtes Catalanes. Since last year Joachim has moved away from Les 9 caves and built his own domaine, in between his vineyards. Together with his wife they created some new cuvées, put new labels on the wines and started afresh. Some wines to look out for if you love Southern French heavier red, that are stable for by the glass, but our favorite is his rose, Esperanza, which is amazing for the summer now.

José Carvalho Moreiro Banyuls, France

Romain Chapuis Pommard, Burgundy, France In Côte de Beaune, the heart of Pommard, brothers Romain and Jean-Guillaume Chapuis started their winery in 2009. In the years prior, Romain has been following his passion for wine in Lebanon and Australia where he learned from multiple winemakers in different cellars. Following this he has spent 3 years working together with Philippe Pacalet, cousin of Marcel Lapierre. Romain and Jean-Guillaume combined their skills and passion for gastronomy, wine and terroir into making wine, something they had been dreaming of for years. Their method consists of buying grapes from various farmers in the area as well as tending to their own vineyards. However, they select the grapes meticulously: composition and condition of the soils, exposure, age of the vines and variety are all considered with the utmost care. The wines are made with minimal intervention, always fermenting with indigenous yeasts, never filtered en only adding sulphites in a couple of wines when absolutely necessary. They differentiate between their zero zero natural wines such as the Rosé, Pet Nat and the Haute Côtes de Beaune and wonderful, more classical wines such as the Chorey Les Beaune, Savigny and even a Corton Charlemagne (available on request). It is definitely worth trying these wines, especially for the non-funky natural wine enthusiast!

Andrew & Emma Beaune, Burgundy, France