Charles Sparr represents the eighth generation of his family of negociants-vignerons to tend vines in Alsace; Amelie Sparr hails from the larger Barmès-Buecher winemaking clan, natives of Wettolsheim. Inheriting small parcels from both sides of the family, the young couple started their own domaine in 2017, the goal to create dry wines of terroir according to biodynamics.
The smoldering power of an ancient yet still active volcano, the native roots of unique grapes, and the passion of local talent eager to breathe new life into one of Campania’s most historic wine regions: Dionysus, god of the vine, would be most proud of the team at Cantine Olivella.
With many vines planted in 1924 and terroir that echoes Châteauneuf’s finest, winemakers Marilou Vacheron and her brother Axel are more than well-positioned to craft seriously compelling and character-rich southern blends.
We like to call Domaine Sauvète wines “stress-free” because what’s in the bottle comes not only with an iron-clad organic certification but also the know-how of four generations of artisan winemakers in Touraine.
Romain and Damien Bouchard founded their winemaking estate only in 2016, yet they are the fourth generation of their clan to toil the classic and chalky, Kimmeridgian soils of Chablis. For generations, the family provided other winemakers with peerless Chardonnay fruit, pulled from impressive holdings in grand cru and premier cru vineyards, planted carefully by family hands.
The wines of Radda in Chianti are truly “mountain” Sangiovese wines, crisp and lively, redolent of summer fruit and Alpine-fresh breezes. Diego Finocchi, a native son, started his family winery project in 2006 with a goal of capturing all of Radda’s stony energy and verve in their organically raised wines.
Diego Conterno and his son, Stefano, craft elegant wines in Monforte d’Alba, Baroli that are supple and utterly profound in their perfumes and flavors. They tend five acres in the heart of ‘Ginestra’ (plus another 15 acres in Monforte, including a rare plot of Nascetta vines) organically.
Luigi Vico’s family roots in the Barolo village of Serralunga d’Alba reach back to 1694, yet it took more than 300 years, and the dedication of a native son, for the family name to appear on a Barolo wine.
There is something truly exciting happening in what may seem the unlikeliest of wine regions: Romagna. Winemaker Chiara Condello’s Sangiovese wines from Predappio are leading no less than a revolution in this historic region between the Apennine mountains and the Adriatic Sea.
Sitting on a perfect plateau some 1,050 feet above altitude, Azienda Agricola Patrizia Cencioni benefits from a particular microclimate that moderates the more Mediterranean heat of this side of Montalcino. Brunello here is wonderfully suave and savory, with tangy licorice and black cherry fruit.