about Meryl, Geraldine & La Vrille et la Papillon
Ardeche may be one of France's lesser known regions
but it is an amazing one!
Situated west of the rhone river and north of provence, there are limestone caves with ancient paintings and even some that are so untouched skulls & bones of ancient bears remain in some. In fact, it is estimated that less than 10% of the caves here have been discovered let alone explored. The craziest thing for me is that huge parts of these caves are UNDER the vines. How could that not be good?
And exciting things are happening in the vineyards and cellars as vignerons like Meryl and Geraldine Croizier of "La Vrille et le Papillon" return to the land of their family
and to make wine that is honest
- wine that is a true representation of its place.
Meryl spent summers in Ardeche visiting his grandparents and he loved it! Working harvests then college led to a degree in enology. They met and married; Meryl taught enology in Macon; Geraldine taught law. And in 2011, they made the decision to move back to Ardeche to make wine. The first few years, the wine was made in the cellars of friends;
in 2014, their own cellar was completed.
4 hectares have grown to 6 hectares - Meryl & Geraldine have found their place. And the wine reflects it -
honest, pure wine that tastes of its place and is DELICIOUS!
All vines are farmed without herbicides or pesticides (since the first plantings) and they use biodynamic preparations in both the vineyard and in the cellar (winery). All vinifications are natural with only wild yeasts and little or no sulfur added. All the wines are bottled without fining or filtration.
Click on the images above to learn more!