Emmanuel Darnaud is a young winemaker who started his own domaine in 2001 with only 3.7 acres of vines on a tenant smallholding in the Crozes-Hermitage appellation district of Northern Côtes du Rhône, just south of the small town of Tain l’Hermitage. Year by year, the estate has acquired new lands which today occupy 37 acres divided among the municipalities of La Roche-de-Glun, Pont-de-l’Isère, and Mercurol. The climate is continental with a Mediterranean influence. The soils for the most part are glacial alluvial galets composed of rounded stones over brown clay and the output is limited, giving supple fruity wines. Since the very beginning, Emmanuel has made a point of separating out the production from each land parcel for winemaking to keep the emphasis on each terrain’s subtlety and lively expression. His ideal is to strike a perfect balance, requiring the utmost care during the grape harvest.