“Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.” Arthur Schopenhauer “With each year, the quality of the grapes establishes the breed of this exceptional, but too long forgotten, terroir.” La Revue du Vin de France The short version goes something like this: In 2005, France’s pre-eminent soil scientists, Claude and Lydia Bourguignon purchased a historic yet dilapidated terroir outside the southwest AOC of Cahors. Set on a stony hillside of Kimmeridgian limestone, over the following decade (joined by their son Emmanuel) the Bourguignons meticulously restored the vineyard and its buildings from the ground up. It took these pioneers more than 10 years to release their first wine. We can tell you, emphatically, it has been well worth the wait. This offer marks our second release from Laroque d’Antan—and as good as last year’s wines were (and still are), the 2020s are on another plane. This is not necessarily a result of vintage, although, of course, this counts for a lot. Instead, the speed of learning and understanding the terroir at a ‘young’ domaine is considerably more intense than at an established property where the key lessons have already been considered. There are two wines produced, both co-fermented field blends. Named after a cloud nymph of Greek mythology, the Néphèle is rich and mineral at the same time: a singular, precise and enigmatic white of lingering limestone freshness and stony resoluteness. The red Nigrine bears, with respect, zero resemblance to its nearest neighbours in Cahors. Unifying the elegance and freshness of the north with the southwest’s subtle savouriness, it’s a remarkable terroir wine: the consequence of excellent soils, meticulous viticulture and non-interventionist winemaking. Both are striking wines for both the heart and head; there is evidently something intellectual going on, yet the wines are also staggeringly delicious.Read the full story and see the available wines here.