Joe Chandellier is true artisan wine maker, producing not much more than 10,000 bottles a year of one wine. I first met him a couple of years ago at La Dive Bouteille wine event in Saumur. He is young, enthusiastic and very well trained in his ‘Metier’ of natural farming, having spent his formative years working with some of the well known growers of his region. His approach is all about the vines, the farming. When I ask him how he makes his wine, I am struck by the fact that he doesn’t really talk about the cellar, just about what he does on the land, with the soil and the canopy of the vines. Good wine is made in the vineyard, that is the mantra of natural growers which is not always what you here from conventional wine who talk about their skill and mastery in the cellar.
Joe is still in the infancy of his wine making career and he admits, he hasn’t got it all right with some bottles in previous vintages tending towards refermentation and other associated issues. He was in the past committed to using no sulphur at all in the process but has now realised that a slight addition at bottling helps to stabilise the wine in the long run without losing that crucial authenticity which he is aiming to capture.
The new releases are excellent, and include his first white wine, a 100% Viognier made in a deliciously understated style without too much fruit cocktail, and much of a textural wine than most Viognier at this price. Making wine naturally is more costly and labour intensive and artisans don’t make many bottles so this makes the price point for these wines all the more exceptional, try them!
| Is Vegan? | Yes |
|---|---|
| Production Method | Natural, Organic |
| Producer | Joe Chandellier |
| Country | France |
| Region | Languedoc, France |
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