BAPTISTE NAYRAND NORTHERN RHONE, FRANCE

Originally from the area around Lyon, Baptiste Nayrand created his eponymous domaine from scratch in 2014. Today he has just 15 acres of vines, which is the maximum he can farm himself to maintain the quality he requires. The majority of vineyards are dedicated to Gamay in the AOP Coteaux du Lyonnais, a small, rather unknown appellation on the outskirts of Lyon, located between the Beaujolais and the Northern Rhône. There is also a small amount of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Aligoté permitted. These wines have a similar excitement and energy found in the most legendary natural wine producers in France. Baptiste created his estate with a drive to produce exceptional natural wines, and has written his own eloquent philosophy for the domaine: “Since its inception, the entire domaine has been certified organic. The vineyard is maintained without any chemical products, pesticides, or synthetic fertilizer. The soil is plowed to encourage microbial activity. Parallel infusions of horsetail, nettle, comfrey, and willow are used to reinforce and structure the vines during their vegetative period, and to reduce to a strict minimum the use of copper and sulfur. The domaine also uses biodynamic methods, with the constant objective to recreate the harmony between the mineral, vegetable, human, and cosmos…”