Amy Lillard and Matthew Kling sum up their story in a one liner on their website:
“A small two person farm and winery in the Southern Rhone. Farming organically, vinifying naturally and the living the dream in Southern France.”
Amy and Matt of La Gramiere
That’s it in a nutshell. More than that though they make brilliant wine. Their vineyard is in Castillon du Gard, just a stones throw away from Pont du Gard, one of the most magnificent pieces of Roman engineering in France.
The wines are pure and hedonistically good. There’s a tiny amount of their Syrah based, Peter’s vineyard 2007 left but by the time you read this it will probably already have been sold…
What is available, albeit in small amounts is the La Gramiere Rouge 2009 – it’s packed with character and totally charming in every way. It has great complexity, wonderful fruit definition and is sumptuously long. This is going to be one wine I’ll never tire of. Had friends over for dinner recently and opened a bottle of La Gramiere and another wine that’s much more expensive and with elevated appellation status… La Gramiere was the one that was finished first… and that’s all you really need to know!
Amy and Matt work tirelessly in the vines and the cellar to create these masterpieces which have to be the best examples of VdT known to man!
Check out this video: Amy in the vineyards, dropping fruit before harvest