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With parcel-specific soil maps recently released and winemakers looking to highlight the characteristics of the terroir of their own vineyards, older techniques more similar to Burgundian winemaking have taken root in Beaujolais. The resulting wines are still juicy and lovely, but with added depth and mineral crunchiness not often found in Gamay wines. This is how the vanguard of winemakers is shaping one of the most exciting areas in France, if not the world.
 
Anne-Sophie Dubois, a Champenois native with her training in Volnay, is making some of the most perfumed and elegant wines off of her 20-acre hilltop vineyard in Fleurie. She is, in some circles, already a name-brand, rock star producer.  Generally speaking, though, she’s not well known enough.  

“Of all of the domaines we represent, no other serves more as our cornerstone, stands more in the defense of terroir, and is more intricately interwoven with our own history, than that of the iconic Peyraud family of Domaine Tempier…. the wines of Domaine Tempier stand as the proud benchmark when talking about Provençal wines. Through their passion, pioneering, and advocacy for Bandol, the Peyrauds have become legendary. We are fortunate to have their wines serve as the flagship of our portfolio, and even more grateful to have the Peyrauds and their extended family as cherished friends. If any wine can be said to have soul, it’s Tempier.” – Kermit Lynch (Importer)
 
Domaine Tempier is Bandol. It is the most famous producer in the region, best known for its mineral-driven and cellar-friendly rosé.

On Sale Now!
 

In a virtually unknown side valley of the Middle Mosel, just south of Piesport, are the steep, south-facing vineyard slopes of Dhron. Few of the younger generation have taken over for the aging winemakers of this small region, leading the region to fall into obscurity during the 1980s and 90s.
 
One of the rare exceptions of younger winemakers is Andreas Adam. Though his family’s holdings had dwindled to one hectare and his parents had chosen not to make wine themselves, Adam restarted his family’s estate. He released his first wine from the 2000 vintage at 19 years-old after honing his craft at Heymann-Loewenstein. Not long after, he was discovered by Terry Theise, who imported his wines to the US, bringing international attention.

Louis Barruol of Château de Saint Cosme’s Project in Vinsobres
 

Château de Saint Cosme is an iconic producer in Gigondas. Its vineyard sites can be traced back to Roman times, and its current ownership, the Barruol family, traces their holding on the lands over five centuries.
 
Louis Barruol, the 14th generation of winemakers for this historical estate, is not one to rest on his laurels. He’s had a hand in several projects both Old World and New. One such estate is Chateau de Rouanne.
 
Barruol has sourced fruit from this ancient estate for many years. It is a phenomenal site that also dates to Roman times. The vineyards were replanted in the 1960s and have been maintained with massale selection of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre.

Imagine you’re a world-class winemaker crafting bottles that sell for thousands on the secondary market. Now imagine deciding to sell wines from a specific vineyard only after you’ve made at least ten vintages of wines from said vineyard to test. Now imagine that only 5% of vineyards you test make the cut. After a decade. That’s ridiculous, right? That’s Bill Harlan’s BOND.
 
Described by Antonio Galloni as a “once in a generation, modern day classic,” these are prestigious wines from Napa Valley. Launched in the 1990s, the San Francisco Chronicle describes the concept as completely at odds with what was popular at the time: style (one could snidely argue “over substance,” but really the article says over terroir):
 
“Bond instead emphasized a sense of place as its organizing principle, asserting that minute differences in a vineyard’s climate, soil and exposure — rather than the winemaking techniques — were the true variables.