France - Domaine Fournier Pere et Fils

Claude Fournier is the 10th generation of his family to make wine. His wife, Eliane, is the 13th. After many years of hard work Domaine Fournier is now one of the most important estates in Sancerre. Together with Claude's brother, Jacques, who manages the vineyards, the family has worked tirelessly to produce top quality wines; combining family winemaking traditions with advanced facilities including custom made tanks and a modern winery design that incorporates hand sorting of the grapes and the use of gravity to ensure delicate treatment of the must (juice). Over the last 50 years they have grown the Fournier Estate from their father's 13 acres to 222 acres in Sancerre, Pouilly Fume and Menetou Salon. Claude's son, Thibaut and his wife Stephanie have now joined the team, helping with both winemaking and sales. Claude's daughter, Aude and her husband Guillaume Pinson also joined the family estate. The Sancerre vineyards include top sites in the villages of Verdigny, Sancerre, Bue and Maimbray, which enables them to produce wines of sophistication and complexity. They are able to control every detail of the process from planting the vines all the way through to bottling; and use only the very best selections for their wines. While Jacques and Claude have excelled in the world of winemaking their brother, Daniel, followed a perfectly paired path, cuisine. He is the owner and executive chef at the best restaurant in Sancerre, La Tour.