Clos Fantine is run by the three Andrieu siblings in the rugged schist hills of Faugères, in the Languedoc. Their wines are pure expressions of southern French terroir, made with biodynamically grown grapes and no added sulfur.
Backstory
The siblings, Carole, Corine and Olivier Andrieu, inherited the hilly family estate from their father Jacques in 1997. He had already moved the farming to organic practices. Three years after he passed away, in 2000, they built their own winery and have made natural wine in his honor ever since. Each sibling has a role: Corine, who studied oenology in Montpellier, is responsible for the wines, Carole handles the books, and Olivier works the vineyard.
The Region
The estate sits in the Faugères appellation, in the hills of the Languedoc in southern France, where schist soils and elevation give the wines their structure and freshness.
Vineyards and Farming
They farm 23 hectares of vines grown biodynamically. Plantings are dominated by the traditional southern varieties Carignan, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Cinsault, with smaller amounts of Syrah, Aramon and Terret.
Winemaking
All the wines are made without any added SO2 and rest 18 to 20 months in concrete vat depending on the vintage. The range includes the red Cuvée Tradition and the white Valcabrières, among others.