Domaine Gramenon has emerged as an icon in the southern Rhône (and France as a whole) over the past three decades. What began in 1990 as a small, idealistic project between Michèle Aubéry-Laurent and her husband, Philippe, has grown into a true reference point for pure, soulful grenache. After Philippe’s sudden passing in 1999, Michèle carried the domaine forward with a conviction that helped define the early natural wine movement. Working in the cooler, high-lying reaches of Montbrison-sur-Lez, she built a reputation for wines that combine southern Rhône generosity with a lift and energy that feel distinctly their own. Today she farms twenty-six hectares with her son, Maxime François, whose own touch has expanded the estate’s vision while preserving its original spirit.

The Laurents farm organically and biodynamically, with a deep commitment to non-interventionist winemaking. The vines range from young massale plantings to parcels of grenache more than seventy years old, rooted in a mosaic of limestone, clay, sand and gravel that shapes the domaine’s signature finesse. Fermentations rely on native yeasts with gentle handling, including whole clusters, long macerations and gravity-fed movements in the cellar. Aging takes place in a mix of demi-muids, foudres and concrete eggs, and all bottles are unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulfur. It is a simple, uncompromising approach aimed at clarity, freshness and the aromatic detail that old vine grenache can deliver when handled with care.

La Sagesse is Gramenon’s most beloved expression, and the 2023 vintage carries all the perfume and finesse that define the cuvée. It comes from vines planted from the 1950s through the 1970s on limestone rich soils behind the family home, fermented with significant whole clusters and aged for a year in older large barrels and concrete egg. The wine is dark fruited, supple and deeply scented, with damson, black cherry and warm spice woven through a silky, mouthcoating texture. There is a vivid pulse of acidity and fine, powdery tannin that keep the wine lifted, giving shape to its generosity without heaviness. It is a southern Rhône grenache that remains, vintage after vintage, one of the region’s most compelling bottles.