DOMAINE MARC DELIENNE

Fleurie, France

Marc Delienne left his job in Paris, packed up his belongings and set about pursuing his dream of becoming a vigneron. An avid collector of the finest wines, he studied at Domaine de Trevallon with Eloi Durbach before acquiring Château de l’Abbaye Saint Laurent d’Arpayé in the heart of the village of Fleurie and producing his first wine in 2015. A 12-acre vineyard on a slope below the house is now cultivated organically, gaining certification in 2017.

All wines are 100 percent whole-cluster with no pesticides, no chaptalization or acidification, no racking during élevage, no fining or filtration, and very little sulfur. The wines are aged in a combination of foudre, concrete tanks and old Trevallon barrels in a simple but beautiful cellar.

Delienne is producing some of the best Gamays we have tasted in quite some time. The wines offer everything you would hope for: profound purple color; an aromatic nose of black and red fresh fruit, rose petals and blood orange; and a palate that showcases the texture and power of the great terroir of Fleurie.

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