René-Jean Dard & François Ribo

René-Jean Dard and François Ribo, two famously reserved vignerons from Mercurol, north of Valence, founded their estate in 1984. Started from just a single hectare, the estate is today composed of 9 hectares of vines, with parcels in the appellations of Saint-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage and Hermitage. The wines produced are always of uniform quality, with tremendous work put into their single vineyard cuvées (one soil + one grape variety = one cuvée). Their methods have gone unchanged for the last 30 years: non-interventionists, 10% of the grapes are trodden by foot, no additives are used, a long decanting period is used in place of filtering, and no sulphur is added. The estate’s winepress dates back to 1955, which was bought from Prieuré-Roch in 1992. We’re a world away from the classic, massive Rhône style here. The wines always show brilliantly in their youth, driven by their fruit and freshness, but they also age divinely! The estate’s wines are highly sought out by connoisseurs, for their exquisite drinkability! Long considered atypical, today their style enjoys wide recognition, as makers of cult wines.