Jean-Marc Barthez
& Mary Taylor

This “alternative” Bordeaux is populated by the small independent estates that line the banks of the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers, where conscientious growers craft honest bottles for everyday enjoyment.

 

This is the Bordeaux to which winemaker Jean-Marc Barthez belongs. The archetypal “dirt-under-the-fingernails” winemaker, he serves as the president of a small co-operative winery in Monségur, an ancient village founded by Eleanor of Aquitaine in the 13th century.

 

There, he oversees a handful of growers who cultivate small family vineyards - many certified organic - and join forces to produce Bordeaux wines that their friends and neighbours can actually afford.