Like many of us, Marc Delienne had a dream of making his own wine. But unlike many of us, he actually did it.

After quitting his job in Paris, he packed up and studied at Domaine de Trevallon with Eloi Durbach, before purchasing Chateau de l’Abbaye, in the heart of Fleurie. Domaine Marc Delienne aims to translate the character of his sandy, loamy soils into each of his Beaujolais wines. This is aided by the biodynamic philosophies he uses to encourage biodiversity among his 40-80-year-old vines.

In the winery, whole clusters go into concrete vats, relying on native yeasts to begin fermentation. They pump over minimally to restrain the levels of extraction, and with no fining or filtration, and very little sulphur added, they keep things as stripped back as possible in order to achieve aromatic, textured and powerful expressions of the Fleurie terroir.