Tardieu-Laurent

During the establishment of the domaine, Rhône Valley wines were not popular, and the concept of making terroir-driven wines without owning a vineyard was very unusual but pioneering.

The inaugural ’94 vintage and preceding ’95 vintage were made in Dominique’s cellars in Burgundy, but since the ’96 vintage, the wines have been made and aged in Provence.

Michel’s son Bastien, oenologist, has joined the team since 2008. The duo buys wines in their raw, fermented state from a network of trusted winegrowers who own top-quality and often low-yielding parcels. Michel and Bastien know both these vineyards and the specific parcels within them by heart.

An accurate translation of terroir and vintage is fundamental to the Tardieu-Laurent mindset, meaning intervention is kept to a minimum. As an example, no wines are fined and only a few have a very light filtration.

In the early days of the domaine, an important ingredient was the barrels. Oak has, however, been scaled back over a number of vintages, and for the last few years, Michel and Bastien have favoured large oak foudres — preferring slow, measured exposure to oxygen rather than oak character per se. The naturally restricted volumes result in increased complexity and intensity — world-class wines which thoroughly deserve their international acclaim.