Haut les Vins 2026
La Maison des Métallos, Paris 11th
It was a while I hadn’t been visiting a salon, but the good excuse was being proposed by Jeffrey to meet there (he’s the guy who makes wine with Bryn at Ellsworth Wines in the Sierra Foothills) as he was attending Haut les Vins as a visitor the day before flying back to California, so I dropped there and thought I’d eventually taste a few wines with him. There were a few people I had noticed who were showcasing their cuvées there but I actually ended up tasting a bit more than planned…
The even took place in the Maison des Métallos, a cultural center which was in 1936 some kind of headquarters for the Metalworkers’ Union. The neighborhood is very trendy with lots of small restaurants and wine bars, both very often with natural wine served. Oddly the area is also a hotbed of salafism with two mosques (including the one just on the other side of the street) having been in the past in the crosshairs of the French intelligence agencies for having many followers heading for Syria to join the militants there… Two worlds apart, as you can guess but happily each going its own business for now without incident. This area of the 11th is also still affordable enough so that you can find cool venues and shops in an unpretentious setting, very different from the Marais which has become so upscale among the years.
La pépière (Muscadet)
I made a small tour around the room before tasting anything, looking by myself on who was present to pour their wines, and inbetween Jeffrey arrived and like me hesitated about what to begin with. he had his eyes on a jura producer but we eventually started with thje table of La Pépière from Muscadet where Gwénaelle Croix herself was pouring and answering whatever question you could have.
My story on la Pépière
I didn’t take much notes for these first wines but I remember Briords (a brut de cuve 2025, not bottled yet) was beautiful and mineral and I ended up writing a few words about about Gorges, also a brut de cuve but 2022 : Intensity, length, voluptuous and energy !
Immich Batterieberg (Mosel)
When we stopped at the table of Weingut Immich Batterieberg, Gernot Kollmann was chatting with Mark Williamson, the wine-wise owner of Willi’s wine bar (I did write a story but long time ago) and of the Macéo restaurant (the latter with an excellent wine list with lots of Rhône wines). Whatever table he’s tasting the wines of is certainly worth spending time…
Gernot took over in 2009 this 17-hectare domaine and he is credited for doing a radical shift in the Weingut’s philosophy, turning it toward natural, low intervention and doing parcellaire for the best terroirs.
The wines are now known to have much less so2 than the other ones in the region.
__CAI Riesling
__Jour Fixe 2020, a sparkling, 4 years on lees, no so2, no dosage, disgorged 3 months ago. Exciting turbid wheat color. Very enjoyable bubbly.
That’s when I met Bonpei Someya, a Japanese sommelier based in Paris. He’s very discreet but extremely knowledgeable in wines including Burgundy terroirs, believe me (he also worked in a high-end restaurant in Burgundy). Our paths crossed several timz=es along the years and I have a small story about him somewhere which I’ll link to, when I find it while recovering the content for Substack.
Vino Gross is located in Slovenia, it was founded by two brothers, Johannes and Michael (pictured here), who came from Styria, Austria, they’re the sons at Gross Weingut. The odd thing is also that the two brothers married two sisters, Martina and Maria, and ended up setting up a winery in Gorca, in the Slovenian part of Styria… They do natural winemaking and long élevages. The terrain is typical Styria with terraces on steep slopes, the total surcace is 26 hectares but this is not how you may visualize because due to these narrow terraces the density is barely 2000 vines per hectare.
__Maribor Blanc 2023. Super nice wine ! Blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Laški Rizling (the local name for Welschriesling) on limestone. Altitude 400 meters. Vines 7 to 45 years old. Organic farming. Zero so2 added. 12,5 %.
__Haloze Blanc 2023. Also no additives, no so2 !!! And no filtration as well.
__Gorca Haloze 2023. 100 % Furmint. Nice.
__Colles Haloze 2023. Sauvignon Blanc. Very nice Sauvignon ! Stopped adding so2 in 2019.
__Kôrze 2023, 70% Sauvignon Blanc, 30 % Furmint. Lovely Furmint.
__Iglič 2023, 100 % Furmint. On the best <cru of the area. Superb crisp texture on the tongue. Biodynamic farming, I shoud have guessed…
__Hišno Vino Blanc 2024, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, a year in stainless steel.
__Hišno Vino Red 2024, 60 % Blaufrankisch, plus several varieties. Translucent, gorgeous red color. Delicious red !!! Long length ! Liquid food !!
Martin Texier, posing here with Jeffrey.
Martin has his domaine in the Northern Rhône valley and his vineyard surface makes between 9 and 10 hectares, part on the Brézème slopes, part in Ardèche. His start was in 2014, with organic farming. Natural winemaking, no additives, low so2 adding. You have the list of his cuvées with explanations on his website , click on “Vins” (in French).
__Petite Nature, a petnat from vines in a terroir East of Brézème. 100 % Muscat Petit Grain, 40 years old. This cuvée was his first one when he started. Very aromatic and subtle, and delicate, discreet bubbles. 10 % alc.
__MDMA, this is a brut de cuve, not bottled yet. Maceration of Muscat d’Alexandrie. Very aromatic, with rose petal notes, also anise Jeffrey says. Delicious !! This is the 1st time he makes that. 1800 bottles this year, and next year he hopes to make 5-6000 bottles of this wine.
__La Rouvière 2025, Clairette plus a bit of Roussanne. Generous.
__Brézème Blanc 2024, Roussanne, young vines on Brézème slopes. Barrel.
Preyna vin de France 2024, Cinsault and Grenache. It is original to have only these two varieties in a red cuvée in the region. Superb wine ! Delicious !! Light, translucent color, silky tannins. 12,5 % but feels 11,5 %. Great thirst red wine !!!
__Brézème Rouge, Syrah. Great wine to eat with
__Cérouan, Côtes du Rhône 2023. From vines sensitive to coulure and weather issues. But this is the Serine Syrah, a sub-variety which gives this excellent wine year after year. Same winemaking and élevage mode than the rest. 13 %. Splendid tannins !!!! Such a nice drinkability !! Price is 12,8 Pro.
A brief oveview on the salon and the visitors
Les Bottes Rouges (Jura)
You certainly recognized Florien and Jean-Baptiste Menigoz who not only make these terrific Jura wines but organize this cool event, Le Nez dans le Vert, where they receive fellow winemakers from different regions and pour lots of great wines.
For some reason, I have only one picture of a cuvée…
__Tôt ou Tard 2023, Oulsard. Super light color of red. That’s just delicious !! 11 % alcohol.
__La Pépée, Pinot Noir 2023. Part vinified whole-clustered, part destemmed. Turbid red, lovely appearance. What a freshness in the mouth and throat ! Liquid food again !!! The type of wine you can down the bottle by your self, don’t buy one, you need at least two…
__Pollocks 2023. Chardonnay, whole-cluster direct press then 2 years in demi-muids.
__Leon 2022, Chardonnay again, 2 years in demi-muids, topped up every two weeks.
__Face B, Savagnin planted in 2000 on grey marl soil. Vinified in cement tank.
Michet & Stéphanie Theron
We now taste the wines of the Clos du Jaugueyron which makes Haut Médoc and margaux wines. Biodynamic farming, on a vineyard surface of 7 hectares (6,96 exactly). 3 full-time people work in the domaine, plus extras for seasonal tasks.
__Haut Médoc 2022. A millésime solaire he says, lots of heat and sun that year, he’s not fan of this type of conditions, so here he looked for the vegetal side to counter the year excesses, adding a bit of Petit Verdot and keeping the stems for the vegetal side.
__Margaux 2021. They have 2,5 hectares on Margaux, planted in 1988-1989. No stems kept here. Superb nose ! In the mouth, what a freshness ! 100 % Merlot, élevage in 12-hectoliter Taransaud foudre, no barrel.
At this point if I remember, Jeffrey went his way, having to meet someone for lunch, and I continued my stroll.
Robert Gilvesy
Gilvesy is located near the Balaton, in the Szent György Hegy (Saint George hill) wine region of Hungary, Robert Gilvesy is born in Canade but from Hungarian ancestry, he has been an architect and came back in Hungary at the fall of socialism. He went to organic farming and now farms about 15 hectares, almost all white.
__Bohém, Riesling 2024. Two types of Rieslings blended here : Olaszrizling & Rajnai Rizling. Fresh, thirst-quenching wine
__Pixu, Olaszrizling 2023, which was a cool vintage in term of weather. 11,5 % alc. Fresh, easy-drinking, balanced wine. Egg, then stainless steel.
__Pixu 2023, Furmint. Same vinification. Vibrant Furmint ! 11,5 % alc. Energy ! Asked about it, he does a bit of biodynamie in addition to the regular organic farming.
__Varadi 2022, Furmint. 11,5 % alcohol content. Easy, balanced, fresh.
That’s when I spotted these two ladies tasting at a table, can you imagine, having both of them, Pascaline Lepeltier and Alice Feiring in front of me !
Yvan Bernard
Les Chemins de l’Arkose is managed by Eva and Yvan Bernard is located in Auvergne, this dead volcanoe area which is technically part of the Loire region. The now-10-hectare domaine was started in 2002 and is certified with biodynamie since 2021 (started this farming in 2017). They have more reds and rosés than whites.
__Fleuve Tranquille, Aligoté 2020, vines planted in 2020 on a basalte soil. Vinified in neutral, fiberg-resin tank. Vat sample here, will remain unfiltered when bottled. He says there is very little Aligoté planted in Auvergne, he’s the first one actually to have planted some in the area.
__Oppidum 2023, Chardonnay. Vinification & élevage (one year) in old barrels. Generous wine with ripeness. 13 %.
__Au Pied du Mur 2024, Chardonnay Muscaté. 24 hours of maceration on skins, élevage until harvest time, until july. Nice concentration, with aromatics that go further with this sub-variety of Chard.
__La Flamme 2024, Chardonnay Muscaté vinified as orange wine. Destemmed, then 5 weeks of skin contact and then on lees. Turgid color, with wheat nuances. Super good !!! Long length, my stomach noisingly approuves my love for it … 13 % but feels lower. The first time he made this wine was 2022. He made 800 bottles, sells well in Japan.
__Corent 2024, a rosé made with Gamay d’Auvergne. Soil : volcanic ash. 12 %. Good balance with sweet edge.
__Banlieue Rouge (means red suburb) 2024 (not sure of my writing). Pinot Noir 60 %, Gamay 40 %. Vat sample (fiber-resin tank) until spring, unfiltered, no so2 at bottling. Sit down : De-Li-Cious red with these luminous nuances in the glass, and so vibe=rant in the mouth and throat ! 8€ pro price. Retail in the domaine is 14,5 €, such a great value !
__Les Terrasses 2023 Syrah (the 1st to have been planted in Auvergne, this was in 2004) on granite soil. 18-month élevage in amphorae. Another top red, believe me, super nive to drink ! 12 € pro, 22 € retail in the domaine.
Arkose 2022, old Gamay, 60 to 80 years. 1-year élevage in 500-liter barrel. No fining, no filtration, 1,5 mg total so2. 10 € pro.
Weingut Herbert Zillinger is located in Weinviertel, in Niederôsterreich, total surface is 16 hectares and they make a total of 16 cuvées on average. I don’t have any picture in the stand, I guess the winemaker was tasting wines elsewhere. Biodynamic farming.
__Hirschensuperreyn 2024, Grüner Veltliner, unfiltered, some so2. Natural fermentation, there may be some co2. 14 %.
Energy feel, easy to drink. Doesn’t feel like 14 %.
__Cuvée Neuland 2025, a year which is said to me more acidic and lower in alcohol. Vrey fresh.
__Grüner Veltliner 2021. Ripe, generous. 13,5 %.
L’Enclos des Braves is managed today by Nicolas Lebrun & daughter Marion, they started in 2005, did the organic conversion in 2008 and then on biodynamie in 2011, they now farm 9 hectares and this is taking place in the Gaillac region. They have lots of these very rare varieties of Gaillac, they use massal selections for their plantings and vinify naturally. Marion, in addition to working in the domaine is the artist who made the labels here.
__Tombé du Ciel, a white made from 5 varieties including Mauzac and Loin de L’Oeil. Obviously unfiltered. This is a vat sample because not bottled yet.
Nice golden color. Very aromatic, brillant mouth, and long, it shines while going down when swallowed !
__Passage 2023, made from Mauzac Rose, Bouysselet and Verdanel, vinified in small vessels, which will be blended in foudres until bottling end of july.
__Tombé du Ciel Rouge 2022, 3 varieties, Braucol (40 %), Duras & Prunelard (20 % each). Astringency in the mouth. No additives at all, like the other wines. 13 %. Very enjoyable tannins, if marked.
5,4 € pro price.
__Faut Pas S’en Fer 2022, a red made with Braucol planted in 1978. Cuvée parcellaire. They do it depending of the vintage. Very delicate aromas. Tannin feel. Nice energy, here too, love it ! Biodynamie really makes a difference in the wines !
__Duras’ en Passer 2022, a red (Duras of course) with a year of élevage in cement egg. Super long feel, this wine resonates along the throat, chalky tannins, superb !!! Nicolas says Duras is a top variety but you have to rein in the yields through adequate pruning.
__Rouge Queue 2023, Prunelard (the father of Malbec), 10-day maceration, "élevage in sandstone egg, bottled september 2024. Very concentrated, some astringency but classy wine. Filtration 5 microns (very light). Super good especially after I aerated the wine in the glass. Pro export : 9,35 €.
__Tête en L’Air, Vin de Voile, 300 bottles, this is a solera 2013-2014 of 70 % Loin de L’Oeil & 30 % Sauvignon sous voile. Superb nose. Stron character, must pair well with cheese, like Comté or Roquefort. 15,5 % but feels more like 13,5 %.
Last but not least, Chateau Sainte Anne of Bandol, and the table was manned by no less than Jean-Baptiste Dutheil de la Rochère and Raphaël ! No need to present this iconic domaine and its terrific reds… Their surface today is 17 hectares.
Raphaël was there himself when I visited long time ago, and he remembers fondly my first picture of the story, showing the dirt road and these two cypresses that the local authorities cruelly cut down to to develop the road that runs along the estate, he realized when they were cut down that he had not made any picture of these venerable trees… I just checked my other unpublished pictures and didn’t see any with the entires trees to the top, except from afar (from the facility), and this will be my last picture for this post…
__Côtes de Provence 2022, 4 varieties including Mourvèdre (25 %), and Grenache, Cinsault and Carignan. Beautiful tannin touch.
__Bandol 2022, 6 % Mourvèdre, 20 % Grenache, 20 % Cinsault. Nose : already freshness. On the market since 2 years ago.
__Bandol 2010. That’s grand ! Mokka notes, earth notes, great Bandol red.
__Bandol La Collection 2021, selection parcellaire from old vines, 95 % Mourvèdre. Exposition North/North-East, that’s why these nice tannins, Raphaël says.
Nose : freshness and depth. In the mouth, the tannins are so refined !!
__La Collection Bandol 2001. Color : barely on the edge of tile; turbidity. All these wines are about 12%, not big at all considering the climate there in summer. Soooo gooood, onctuous, powerful in the throat and still so smooth, this is superb liquid food !!!
The temperature difference between day and night plays a role too, he adds. Top notch cuvée and vintage ! 25 years !
In memory of these two cypresses…