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Artisan Wines of France and the U.S.

One needs only to look at the hands of Marc Tempé in Alsace, Eric Saurel in the southern Rhône or Mark Vlossak in Oregon's Willamette Valley to understand the common thread connecting V59 vignerons.

Whether French or American; organic, biodynamic or simply a common-sense sustainable farmer, none of our winemakers is afraid of getting his or her hands dirty. They are artisan producers. Their natural approach requires a great deal more work in the vineyard: severe pruning to control yields; compost rather than synthetic fertilizers; tilling the soil rather than spraying herbicides; homeopathic vine treatments in place of chemical pesticides and fungicides; and of course, harvesting by hand. The shared belief of this enlightened minority is that all of the extra effort not only preserves an ecological balance, but also results in superior fruit. Such fruit, when tempered with restraint in the cellar, results in superior wines. Our vignerons' non-interventionist winemaking practices include extended lees contact to enhance texture and reduce the need for sulfur; minimal racking, fining and filtration, all of which can strip flavor; and judicious use of oak so as not to mask the individual characteristics of grape varieties or terroir. The aim is to let the wine and its specific vineyard site speak, rather than the man or the marketplace.

While many importers represent a worldwide variety of wines, V59 focuses on what we know best. Our challenge is to stay abreast of who is making the exceptional wines in our favorite French and American appellations and bring those wines and their winemaker's stories to those who would appreciate them. From established vignerons profiled in textbooks to emerging next-generation stars of tomorrow, it is our mission and our passion to bring you not just great artisan wines, but also familiarize you with the people and places behind those wines.

Perhaps the most important lesson we can provide is that even the best artisan wines don't have to cost you an arm and a leg. It requires only an open mind.

Voila! Les vins de V59.