Michel Favard

Michel Favard was fortunate enough to inherit these 2 hectares of vines, handed down through his family since 1875, situated on a superb and storied terroir – that of the Saint-Emilion plateau, near the vestiges of a 12^th century monastery known as Les Grandes Murailles, in the hamlet of La Gomerie. Nestled between Château Laroze and Franc Mayne, this ultra confidential Saint-Emilion (5 to 7000 bottles a year) producer has embraced a respectful, artisan approach to winemaking. With his first harvest dating back to 1978, at the beginning of the 1980s, Michel became one of the pioneers of biodynamic viticulture in the region. Since 1987, 100% of Meylet’s vines – composed of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, Franc and Malbec – have been cultivated biodynamically. Today he is a member of AVN (the French natural wine association). During a short period in the mid-2000s, Michel stepped away from winemaking, entrusting his vines to Stéphane Derenoncourt for a time. Finally in 2010, though, he decided to get back to business. And thank goodness! For what he produces is far too rare... a tremendous natural Saint-Emilion, a wine worlds apart from the bling-bling bottles produced by many of Michel’s neighbours.