Andouze, Cevennes

Emmanuelle Schoch is an indefatigable woman.

With just eight hectares of vines, she works alone (no help from husband or children) apart from a little manual help from a worker who brings a horse-drawn plough to the vines to clear weeds.

Her estate has vines around 400 metres up on the edge of the Cevennes, some 40 km. north-west of Nîmes. Here the folded geology is fascinating, leading to a mosaic of different soils: schist, dolomite, limestone fragments and volcanic grès rouges.

Viticulture and winemaking is near natural: organic cultivation; hand-picking; fermentation using only natural yeasts; and no barrels at all. Unsurprisingly the wines show an extraordinary purity. We had to ship them!