Côtes du Rhône

About the Winery

Domaine Andre Aubert

At the very heart of the Rhône Valley, at the northerly tip of the Southern Rhône, lie the vineyards of Grignan-Les-Adhémar. The chances are you haven’t heard the name before, few people have, but the wines are worth seeking out. It’s not a new wine region – vines have been planted here since around 500BC but it is a new name (formerly known as Côteaux-du-Tricastin). Domaine André Aubert, has been formed over decades and today comprises of more than 280 hectares spread from north to south of the prestigious Southern Rhone Valley on the appellations Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône villages, Visan, and Grignan-les-Adhémar.

About the Winery

Domaine du Coulet - Matthieu Barret

Matthieu Barret was born in Aix-en-Provence in 1975 and studied viticulture in Beaune.

He is the 7th generation vigneron and joined his grandfather in Cornas in 1997. Previously, his family had only been farming and selling grapes. He practices biodynamic viticulture, obtaining very low yields (23 hl/ha) and extraordinary quality. He describes his wines as being 100% grape, with a very low sulphite addition. His wines are extremely clean, and, true to the Cornas character. Domaine du Coulet was founded by Matthieu Barret’s grandfather after WWII, and over the years has supplied grapes to some of the best known producers in the Northern Rhône, including Chapoutier and Delas. While his father eschewed the agrarian lifestyle, opting instead for a career in international business, Matthieu knew early on that he wanted to be a vigneron. In 1998 at the age of only 23, he took over the family’s 25 acres of well-situated vines on the terraced hillsides of Cornas.

From the beginning, Matthieu has employed natural, organic practices and by 2002 (his second year of production) the domaine received its biodynamic certification. With each vintage, Matthieu has gained a better understanding of his vine parcels and through thoughtful experimentation, he now turns out a remarkable selection of Cornas wines that express the unique nuances of each micro-terroir. No new oak, no racking, minimal use of sulfur and no fining or filtration. Pure, sexy Syrah.

About the Winery

Domaine Andre Aubert

At the very heart of the Rhône Valley, at the northerly tip of the Southern Rhône, lie the vineyards of Grignan-Les-Adhémar. The chances are you haven’t heard the name before, few people have, but the wines are worth seeking out. It’s not a new wine region – vines have been planted here since around 500BC but it is a new name (formerly known as Côteaux-du-Tricastin). Domaine André Aubert, has been formed over decades and today comprises of more than 280 hectares spread from north to south of the prestigious Southern Rhone Valley on the appellations Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône villages, Visan, and Grignan-les-Adhémar.

About the Winery

Azienda Agricola Tessari

The Tessari family have Soave in their blood. For three generations they have been extracting delectable wine from the well cared for vines of their Monteforte d’Alpone vineyards. With only a little over a hectare of Garganega grapes in the prestigious volcanic solis of Soave Classico, Antonio Tessari hand dug his cellar back in 1933 and started the legacy that continues today with his grandchildren: Germano, Antonio and Cornelia.

From vineyard to bottle, these three siblings oversee it all; with unwavering respect for tradition, quality and passion for the art of winemaking. The volcanic soils of the hillside are rich with basaltic rocks and clays, which guarantees the health of the plant and the promotes the mineral and floral aromas that are characteristic of the Garganega grape. Truly artisanal wine making at it’s best.

Garage Wine Co.

Garage Wine was literally started in a garage in 2001, by Etobicoke expat Derek Mossman and his wife Pilar Miranda. Since then, the dynamic duo handcraft wines from a series of individual vineyards located in the Maule and Itata Valleys, in the south of Santiago, Chile.

Garage Wine Co makes wines from a series of individual parcels, small lots / bottlings of 8-22 barrels that include a series of dry-farmed field-blends of Carignan, Garnacha, Monastrell, País, Cinsault and Cab Franc grown on pre-phylloxera rootstock with small farmers in the Maule and Itata. Each wine is from a 1-2 hectare parcel in a different place.

Over the years working in the community they have raised a veritable posse of vineyard hands whose skills are working the vineyards the old way / the traditional way– originario. The vineyards are on the old coastal range of mountains closer to the Pacific and have granitic soils with cracks for roots to get deep down into.

When GWCo. speaks of the provenance of these wines they mean more than just the geological terroir. Derek and Pilar think the farming practices that have evolved over generations have as much to do with the wines’ personalities as the soils. All the wines are made by hand with native yeasts in small tanks, punched down manually and pressed out in a small basket press. GWCo is still very much a DIY operation and we still tow much of the crop back to the winery in trailers behind trusty pickup trucks 2,000 kilos at a time.

About the Winery

Château de Montfaucon

Just across the Rhone river from the beautiful vineyards of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the Lirac appellation extends itself on the low hills alongside the river. The history of Château de Montfaucon dates back to the 11th century when the castle's first tower was built. The castle's role in history was strategic; the Rhône River was the border between the French Kingdom and the Holy Roman German Empire. Montfaucon was one of many castles and fortresses along the Rhône River constructed to guard the border.

Rodolphe de Pins took over the family estate of Montfaucon in 1995 and subsequently rebuilt the winery and began practicing sustainable agriculture. He honed his winemaking skills in Barossa at Henschke and Vieux Telegraphe in Châteauneuf du Pape before returning to Lirac, so needless to say, his familiarity with the local varieties is well established.

Château du Moulin Noir

​This beautiful right-bank Bordeaux estate consistently produces high-value, elegant and classic Merlot dominant wines and is considered one of the most famous Château of this appellation. Located in Montagne-Saint-Emilion, Château Moulin Noir consists of seven hectares of vineyards on clay and limestone soils.

This château owes its name to a family feuddating back to the Middle Ages. Two brothers were arguing about their father’s legacy with the youngest brother being incredibly jealous that everything went to the elder. He was so jealous that he burnt the château to the ground - Moulin Noir translates to “blackened Mill”.

Domaine Baud Père et Fils

The history of Domaine Baud dates back to 1742, and it wasn't until 1950 when René Baud, the 7th generation, rebuilt the vineyard which had suffered from the phylloxera crisis and two World Wars.

Starting with only 4 hectares, the vineyard progressively expanded to 20 hectares with the help of successive generations. Now, managed by siblings Clémentine and Bastien, the 9th generation, the estate continues to flourish and grow, with a strong commitment to sustainable viticulture and preserving the traditions and style that makes the wines of the Jura so unique and incredible.

The estate achieved the Terra Vitis certification in 2014 for its eco-friendly work and environmental preservation.

Groupe Bellene

Led by Nicolas Potel in Beaune, Groupe Bellene is composed of the négociant arm Maison Roche de Bellene, the winery arm Domaine de Bellene, and a special back-vintage series under the Collection Bellenum label. 

• Maison Roche de Bellene offers a complete range of wines, with an emphasis on individual terroirs from old vines of more than 40 years. All of the growers that Nicolas works with are either organic certified or sustainably farmed.
• Domaine de Bellene represents the wines that are produced and bottled from Nicolas Potel's private vineyard holdings. 
• Collection Bellenum is a back vintage series that Nicolas Potel sourced from his friends in the region, offering a magnificent selection of bottled history. The wines have moved only twice in their lives, from the original cellar to Potel's and now to yours!

Nicolas Potel grew up at Volnay's Domaine Pousse d'Or, where his father worked. He trained abroad and returned home in 1996 to build a négociant business and started Maison Nicolas Potel, where he sourced grapes from good parcels, often working with the growers to improve the quality. By 2002, he was making 120 wines from 50 different appellations, and the rest is history!

Mas Carlot

Mas Carlot is situated in the south of the Rhône Valley, extending across 76 hectares of pebbly land southeast of Nîmes. Originally a 17th century farm, this beautiful estate was resurrected in the 1960's by the Blanc family—it is currently run Cyril Mares of the neighbouring and equally reputable property, Mas Bressades.

The appellation of Costières de Nîmes used to be considered part of eastern Languedoc but the climate, soil, topography and wine are far closer to those just over the river in the Southern Côtes du Rhône. It is now a region very much on the up and is widely recognized as a great source of excellent value wine.