The twelve wines in this collection are divided into six bottles from living legends and six from rising stars in our portfolio, but if you tasted all twelve blind, or without reading about them first, you wouldn’t be able to tell which wines fall into which camp. The same goes for visiting the vignerons behind them. When you step inside all of their cellars or tour the vines with them, you realize that strong common threads run through each: incredible talent, thoughtfulness, and a spirit of constant probing to better understand one’s terroir and winemaking methods, no matter if they’re twenty-five or seventy-five years of age.
     Perhaps no one in this group represents these qualities more than Alain Pascal of Domaine du Gros ’Noré in Bandol. A man as thick, sturdy, and deeply rooted to the soil of Provence as his old Mourvèdre vines, Alain began bottling his own wines in 1997, naming his domaine after his late father, Honoré, and producing old-fashioned and rustic-in-the-best-sense Bandol from early on. Over the nearly three decades since, however, his style has evolved for the better. Today, his cellar is filled with bottles from countless regions near and far, which he has not only enjoyed but learned from. In recent years, power and concentration have gradually faded from the forefront of his cuvées, allowing freshness and finesse to shine.
     The other “living legends” in this collection have shown similar evolutions throughout their careers. While early in his career Guy Breton was among the last to harvest, now he is among the first in the region to pick and does everything else during the vinification process to prioritize finesse over ripeness and extraction. The Fantinos, meanwhile, have also trended toward freshness and elegance when it comes to their Barbera, opting today to use stainless steel instead of wood in an effort to preserve as much of the grape variety’s purity, brightness, and charm as possible.
     The younger generation of rising stars also show, of course, great curiosity and constant refining, but what’s most striking about these six producers is their commitment to fresh, unique, or inspired interpretations of their regions. Giulia Negri, for example, embraces the unusual northern exposure, high elevation, and forests surrounding her vines in Serradenari to draw out a singular elegance from Nebbiolo. Meanwhile, Roch Sassi of Clos Saint-Joseph leans into the occasional “alpine” vintages— like 2021—when the conditions of his pre-Alps sliver of Provence lend themselves more to a continental, cool-climate blanc than one evoking the warm Mediterranean coast. He also embraces malolactic fermentation, giving his whites and rosés a little more creaminess and body than you’ll often find in the Côtes de Provence’s lighter, airier cuvées.
     To the right of each wine from a living legend below, you’ll find a selection from a rising star from their same region.