Lead by Lyne Marchive from 1970's until 2018, the domaine passed through a series of improvements and grew considerably in size to its current 29 hectares.
Since 2019 the vineyards are grown organically, and before that the family practiced sustainable agriculture since 1950's.
The wines are barrel fermented with indigenous yeast, and aged on the fine lees between 7-12 months in stainless steel tanks. There is a light filtration to avoid any cloudiness.
Producing organically grown single vineyards Pinot Noir, from multiple sites with various soil types, Johan quickly became one of the most interesting names for Pinot Noir in South Africa. His gentle extraction technique and previous experience in New Zealand and Santa Barbara allowed him to manage color, tannins, and oak use with great precision, delivering wines that are not only light in alcohol level, but also elegant and truth to its fruit character.
Productions are very small and yields are similar to some of the lowest yields from Burgundian producers.
The wines are fermented naturally with 100% whole clusters, and with one punch down performed daily for color and tannin extraction.
Those are great quality wines, that will surprise most of the pinot noir fans.
Most of the developments on the domaine were introduced by Gabriel Tortochot the third generation of the family to grow vines in Gevrey. His Daughter Chantal took over the domaine in 1997, and nowadays Sylvain Pataille from Marsannay has been involved in the production helping Chantal in the vineyards and winery, that is noticeable on the 2016 and 2017 vintages.
Those are wines that show an intense red berries aroma and a great sense of energy.
This famous Bolgheri estate was founded in 1981 by Marchese Ludovico Antinori trying to follow a similar path to the project that his uncle Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta was successfully managing also in Bolgheri, the Tenuta di San Guido, with the iconic Sassicaia.
The estate has been recently working towards sustainability certification, renewable energy sources, lighter glass bottles to reduce its carbon footprints.
The very first reference to Clos des Lambrays traces back to the fourteenth century. After the French Revolution, the Clos was sold in parcels and became extremely fragmented.
Multiple owners helped to put the plots together in the end of the 19th century and begining of 20th century. The Clos was finally promoted to Grand Cru in 1981.Vega Sicilia has stood out since it was founded in 1864 under the name Bodegas Eloy Lecanda, when it was the only winery at the heart of Castilla region. They were rewarded at the Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, an unprecedented feat for a Spanish wine. The Alvarez family acquired Vega Sicilia in 1982 and from 1983 started converting it to biodynamic.
Vega Sicilia celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2014, and it's one of the most wine producers in Spain.
Holger Koch, once cellar master at Fritz Keller, has run his own small, eight-hectare property in Kaiserstuhl (Baden) since 1999.
His vineyard management is virtually organic, and profiles of the wine favor a refreshing and finessed, elegant style of Pinot.
Blankbottle started 12 years ago with Walser buying wine from other winemakers, blending it and bottling it.
Five years ago, he started buying grapes and making the wine himself.
This is an honest brand that had no limitations when it came to style, vintage, area or cultivars. Something for someone with an open mind and an adventurous heart.
The Bass Phillip vineyards were first established in the southeastern corner of Australia in 1979, specializing in high-quality pinot noir and chardonnay wines. The vineyards have been organic since 1993 and biodynamic since 2002.
As of April 2020, Bass Phillip wines has welcomed the entry of Jean-Marie Fourrier of Domaine Fourrier as chief winemaker.
