2017 Domaine Gramenon ‘Poignée de Raisins’, Grenache | Côtes-du-Rhône, France

Varietal(s): Grenache, 4-30 years in age

Vineyard Management: Practicing organic, Demeter Certified Biodynamic (2010)

Winemaking: Spontaneous fermentation, partially destemmed, Unfined/Unfiltered, Minimal Sulfur (if at all)

Vegan: Yes

Typicity: Atypical for the Rhône to bottle Grenache as a single varietal-although Michèle does it a lot.  

 Bio: Michèle and Phillipe Laurent left their past lives behind and moved to Montbrison-sur-Lez in the Southern Rhône, bottling their first vintage in 1990. Just as they began to carve out a niche for themselves in the wine world, Phillipe was killed in an accident in 1999, leaving Michèle with three small children and a winery without its vigneron. 

Michèle pressed ever forward, making each bottling with her own unique voice, and in doing so, she earned Domaine Gramenon a position of high regard and some might say a cult status in certain circles. Now their son, Maxime-François Laurent, assists with the domaine while making wines under his own name.

The vineyards are meticulously cultivated according to biodynamic principles, stainless tanks are gravity fed into demi-muids and foudres, and all bottling is done without fining or filtering.