BORDEAUX | Provence
OvervieW OF our french wines
The Wines
THE Vineyards
THE PEOPLE
THE WINERY
The Wines
In Bordeaux, we have three small “lieu-dits” or single vineyard parcels from both the right and left banks. Originally, when trying to capture what we believed would be the best site for varietal expression at the highest quality level from these communes, we spent time with Oenologist Eric Boissenot who aided our selection process to these three vineyards. The goal was simple, produce single varietal wine in the “Burgundy model” of single site expression, with the best winemaking team in the region. Our first vintage of production in Bordeaux could not have been more blessed - the famed 2016 vintage in which both banks produced superior wines.
“La COLLINE” Merlot (Formerly la pyramide) Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France
2016 - 2017 - 2019- 2020 - 2021
“des romains” Cabernet Franc (FORMERLY LA CARRIÈRE) Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France
2016 - 2017 - 2019 - 2020 - 2021
“les galets” Cabernet Sauvignon (FORMERLY DEMI-LUNE) Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux, France
2016 - 2017 - 2019 - 2020 - 2021
“Vin de fleurs” rosé of cinsault, saint-tropez, provence
2022 - 2023
“Vin de soleil” rosé of grenache, saint-tropez, provence
2023
Bordeaux
LA COLLINE (FORMERLY LA PYRAMIDE) | saint-Émilion
La Colline is a single vineyard, small lieu-dit or “named parcel” on the top of the plateau in Saint-Émilion, on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. The vineyard is planted to 100% Merlot, in deep red clay soils with major limestone deposits. This vineyard sits adjacent to two main landmarks: the iconic Château Troplong-Mondot and an ancient limestone terraced quarry. The vineyard produces Merlot that has the density expected from the finest estates in the world for Merlot, but with a subtlety of beauty and reservation that reminds me of Lafleur.
DES ROMAINS (FORMERLY LA CARRIÈre) | SAINT-ÉMILION
Des Romains, planted to 100% Cabernet Franc, is an impressive, yet quite small, single vineyard just steps away from La Colline, also on the top of the plateau in Saint-Émilion. This vineyard however, is directly adjacent to the eastern-most vineyard parcel of Château Pavie - truly one of the most iconic and revered Bordeaux producers in the world - and one of only four Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) designated wines. The soils are absolutely stunning, clay, limestone and calcareous deposits. The vineyard produces Cabernet Franc of elegant finesse with a backbone of firm structure.
LES GALETS (FORMERLY DEMI-LUNE) | SAINT-ESTÈPHE
Our only Left Bank vineyard is Les Galets, planted to 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, in the heart of the northern-most region of the Médoc, Saint-Estèphe. This site is stunning, offering the slightest bit of elevation increase from the neighboring vineyards, and allowing visitors to see to the river from the highest point. The soils here are classical Left Bank, specifically classic to Saint-Estèphe - gravel, limestone, clay and sand. They are perfectly suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, and stand out from other Médoc neighbors for higher clay content - allowing for more concentrated wines in warmer, dryer vintages. A neighbor of this vineyard, down the road north to the river is Château Montrose, the first Bordeaux wine that truly taught me what complexity was - and as such, we couldn’t be more excited to work so close to that special estate.
Michael Kennedy working on vineyard selection with Château Lynch-Bages Director of Winemaking Daniel LLose in Bordeaux.
The People
This project takes quite an incredible team of people, from vineyard management to winemaking to logistics & hospitality. While we are absolutely dialed in to our production in Bordeaux, we couldn’t do it without the help of Stephen Bolger, Lorraine Carrigan, Véra Pham Van Sam, Daniel LLose (Technical Director, Château Lynch-Bages), and Eric Boissenot (Oenologist).
The Winery
We are proud to make our wines at the VINIV winery adjacent to Château Lynch-Bages in Pauillac, on the Left Bank of Bordeaux. Here, we are able to work with the team at Lynch-Bages to create these wines from the stunning vineyard sites above. To visit the winery in Bordeaux, please send Jamie Alleman an email & we will do our best to accommodate your arrival.
Provence
Our first ever rosé was grown & made on the Estate of Fondugues Pradugues! Winemaker, Stephen Roberts lives on the estate with his family where he and his team practice an organic approach to farming & winemaking. This biodynamic winery uses a draft horse for key jobs in the vineyards and has herds of sheep each year to trim cover crops. The estate is comprised of sandy soil that works in favor of the biodynamic growing process. Located on the small peninsula of St. Tropez, the 12 hectares of vines bask in warm summer days and super cool nights. The gentle morning mists on the plain of Ramatuelle, and maritime sea breezes help define the terroir - giving the grapes unique flavor. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be producing a wine from this region - and even more so with Fondugues Pradugues. I’m so excited to get this wine into your glass! -MK
