Jérôme Lambert is first and foremost a paysan, a farmer whose vines, animals, and vegetables all share the same attentive, demanding care.
Backstory
Born in Rablay-sur-Layon, a small village in the south of Anjou, Lambert did not come from a winemaking dynasty and once worked as a salesman. He began making wine as an amateur in 2003, around the time his father fell ill, gradually buying a few parcels while working for other estates. After several years making wine for himself, he started selling professionally in 2008.
The Region
Lambert works in the heart of the Coteaux-du-Layon in Anjou, in the western Loire Valley, a zone better known for sweet wines but increasingly a hotbed for dry, expressive Chenin Blanc on its schist soils.
Vineyards & Farming
Today he farms roughly four hectares, mostly Chenin Blanc with a little Grolleau and Gamay. He is a true mixed farmer, also raising chickens, pigs, and sheep and growing vegetables, tending his plants and animals with the same hands-off respect he brings to the vines.
Winemaking
From early on Lambert has worked without adding sulfur, letting native fermentations run and bottling wines that aim to capture nature in its truest sense. The results are pure, living wines that have made him a quiet reference point among Loire natural growers.
The Wines
His cuvees, with playful names such as Le Zu de Fruit, L'Air de Rien, and Alerte Rouge, range from energetic dry Chenin to juicy reds, all carrying the directness of fruit grown and vinified without compromise.
