Bruno Duchêne

Bruno Duchêne, yet another kid from the northern France who headed south for the sunshine of Roussillon. Settling here in 2002 in a middle of a vineyard of vines that were clearly exceptional, but also impossible to work – at least with tractor. A vigneron in the right place at the right time, the vines he acquired were lovely terraced parcels, unsuitable for mechanised farming due to their vertiginous slopes. On his eponymous 4-ha estate, Bruno is particularly fond of his Grenache Noir grapes, cultivated on slate soils. Whatever playfulness and whimsy Bruno has in him he puts into his colourful labels, but the rest of the time he’s a serious character. Like a man in a prison chain gang, he works his parcels tirelessly with a hoe and a horse. Bruno tends to his vines as naturally as possible, which is to be expected, he’s a graduate of the school of Burgundy’s organic icon Fred Cossard, and counts Alain Castex among his respectable neighbours. The cuvées of Bruno are ultra confidential, fewer than 10000 bottles a year, primarily classified under the Collioure appellation. We salute this impassioned vigneron for his smile and kindness, and his wines so refined and full of freshness.