fontaine des grives

The couple works mainly with Bordelais varietals (Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and  Semillon) as well as some grapes native to the region that have been long forgotten (vinified mostly as  sparkling wines) – and are looking to the future with a new 1 hectare planting of Chenin Blanc. There’s a  diversity of wine styles here, ranging from free and easy drinking table wines to serious age-worthy  Cabernet Franc and an elegant sous-voile Sauvignon Blanc. 

Benoît grew up in the nearby town of Eymet (which has more English and Dutch retirees than natives!)  and started his career at Chateau Lestignac, a pioneer of natural and biodynamic viticulture in the  region. Leïla hails from the Basque Country and joined him three years ago after winemaking school and  domaine work in Jurançon. 

The couple work biodynamically and are fond of experimenting with methods to work even more holistically in the vineyards — they have planted fruit trees in some of the plots, as well as put up small  wooden houses for bats in the forests bordering their young Chenin plantings!  

But it’s not all experiments.  When Leila arrived in 2019, they bought one of the first organic vineyards in the region closer to Bergerac from an Englishman called Richard Doughty. Chateau Richard  just happened to have some absolute treasures, including 60-year-old Cabernet Franc vines! Leila has  had the wisdom to just keep the winemaking simple and age the Cab Franc for a couple of years in old  barrels (we are getting the 2020 right now and it’s drinking beautifully). 

The Dordogne, with its European retirees, cow pastures and timber forests, was a little bit sleepy and  still seen as an outsider for the last few years even as many importers combed through forgotten  regions of France. All of a sudden it seems to be hitting in both the natural and more classic wine worlds  -- nearby Château Thénac (a historic regional estate) was recently purchased by Russian oligarch Roman  Abromovich... the secret is out!