The Barsac (Left-Bank Bordeaux) Chateau of Jean-Marie Guffens, an extension of his Maconnais empire, Chateau Closiot is producing world-class dry and sweet wines possessing the finesse and depth for which Guffens has earned acclaim.

Chateau Closiot

The eight hectare Bordeaux estate of Jean-Marie Guffens of Guffens-Heynen has parcels of century-old vines on the enviable Clos Bonneau, where the soils are red clay with classic left-bank pebbles atop. Planted mostly to Semillon, there is also Sauvignon Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. Counting Climens, Doisy-Védrines and Coutet among its neighbors, this is a Chateau to watch, with Guffens' association not the least important reason.

J.M. Guffens' Notes on the 2025 Vintage:

"At Closiot, the news is significant because Philo and I have decided to take over the Barsac appellation vineyards of our neighbor, Château Piada. Eight hectares of old vines, which will double our acreage. A bold gamble on the future, one in which I firmly believe. I've fallen in love with this exceptional terroir, which can produce both the most sublime sweet wines and outstanding dry wines. Although the acreage has doubled, the quantity harvested in 2025 will remain the same as in previous years. Indeed, the yields were negligible: 18 hl/ha for dry wine and 7 hl/ha for Barsac."

Roberto & Mauro Prandi oversee the direction of their mother's eponymous winery, Rosanna Sandri. Owing to generations of hands-on work in the vineyards, the brothers imbue their work with knowledge gleaned as the first of their family to attend enological school. Those lessons served to hone their understanding of the special vineyards of the estate, further cementing the tradition of promoting sustainability, biodiversity and low-intervention in the winery.

Rosanna Sandri

In Treiso, Rosanna Sandri is the matriarch of a longtime family vineyard. Dating back to her parents, Mario and Teresina, who planted the vineyards in 1950, to Rosanna's sons, Mauro and Roberto, the vineyard has always been in the Sandris' care. With Rosanna's innate wisdom from her life's work in the vineyards alongside her parents, Mauro and Roberto's education at Alba Enological School intertwines to create a perfect blend of tradition with an eye to sustainability for the future.

The first vineyards of the Sandri family were planted in San Rocco Seno d’Elvio, near the village of Barbaresco. By the time Rosanna married her husband Franco in 1978, the vineyards totaled 2.5 hectares. Though it was by necessity in the early years due to the lean post-war years, today the family still embraces a very minimalistic mindset in both the vineyards and winery; there are no chemical additions at all, embracing biodiversity in the vineyards, eschewing the use of tractors and other mechanical tools, and allowing the wines to be fermented with native yeasts. Vinifications will occur in concrete vats without temperature control, and aging done in large wood tanks.

By the early 2000s the family had added another 1.5 hectares to the fold, maintaining the family's ideals of biodiversity, interplanting and a non-invasive protocol when it comes to pruning and planting. All together, the vineyards average 4500 vines per hectare, allowing the root structures to thrive in natural competition with the cover crops and other natural vegetation. The family feels very strongly about creating this sustainable ecosystem, and the vines thrive as a result.

"Look, to be honest, none of our imports have been more hotly requested than those of Domaine des Aricoques; we've been hot on the tail of our friends to refuel us so we can keep all of their loyal fans sated!"

Domaine Les Aricoques

For a label that only began with the 2021 vintage, the duo of Romain Dupont and Guillaume Bellon have sure generated incredible excitement amongst wine lovers. The high school friends took over the farming of a nearly-5-hectare vineyard in Frangy (the locals are dubbed "Frangypans", hence the exuberance behind PAN!) within the Haute-Savoie.

It definitely draws our attention when young winemakers spend their formative years in dominant wine-producing regions - in the case of Romain and Guillaume, that includes the Rhône and New Zealand - and return to their home regions and implement what they've learned; the subtext there is the great hope of the producer to elevate their native appellations' wines and, by virtue of increasing the quality, thereby the notoriety as well!

They are in the extended process of converting their new home vineyard to biodynamic viticulture, which is in their estimation, paramount to creating the finest wines, especially given the poor soils that greatly reduce yields.

The new release, as alluded to earlier, re-introduces the PAN! line of wines: Altesse, a native grape to the Savoie, is complex and exotic in aromas, naturally low-yielding and bright With the duo's guiding hands, 50 year old vines and the 6 months in concrete eggs, this version of Altesse possesses a beautiful, luscious texture akin to Roussanne (but with acid for days!).

Le Rouze is entirely Gamay, with a focus on the freshness of the grape. Coming from the same poor soils, already Gamay here takes on a beautifully, compact, complex flavor of red fruit and spice, but the grapes see very little extraction before their fermenting in egg-shaped vats. There are some whole clusters maintained, which provide that lifted, delicate spice aromatically. The color may more closely resemble a rosé, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's anything less than seriously delicious.

THE 2023 VINTAGE - SATELLITE COLLECTION

Only a couple years into our partnership, we received the text that no importer, wine fan or really anybody ever wishes to see: a tornado whipped through the Savoie, causing a near-total loss in the vineyards in late July of 2023. Grapes are not the sort of thing you can whip together overnight, as each vine is a living embodiment of long-term investment, benefitting greatly from time with its soil and its vignerons. Yet Romain and Guillaume dusted themselves off, assessed the damages, and pivoted with some help from their friends.

Per the Domaine: "In mythology, Saturn represents patience, wisdom, and rigor essential qualities in viticulture. As a planet with spectacular rings, Saturn is surrounded by many natural satellites, each with unique characteristics, just like the vineyard plots that produce these cuvées. Atlas, Rhea, Methone, Dione, and Calypso evoke exploration. Just as satellites orbit Saturn, each of these single-vineyard cuvées tells a story that reaches beyond the Aricoques estate while carrying the same intent and remaining deeply connected to our core expertise and savoir-faire."

"Just as satellites stay in orbit around Saturn due to subtle gravitational forces, these cuvées remain closely tied to the estate through a shared philosophy. Each cuvée is crafted with the same care, respect for the grape, and pursuit of excellence as wines made from the estate’s own vines. This approach reveals a captivating balance: the satellite cuvées revolve “outside” but always “around” the estate. They enrich the estate’s identity while broadening its horizons, demonstrating that diversity and openness are strengths that enhance the whole."

We are proud to be able to continue our partnership with vignerons so dedicated and respectful of their land and that of their friends that they would only choose to continue with the vintage if they could source from like-minded (read: respectful) vignerons. Knowing their work, the 2023s from Romain and Guillaume are sure to excite and be endlessly satiating!