There are 5 hectares of vines at Domaine de Ratapoil, a name that reminds us of Raphaël Monnier's playful vision of himself as an amateur wine maker, though it was in 2009 that he launched his venture. Over the years, parcels across 8 communes have been planted with old grape varieties – not yet featured in the appellation criteria – such as Trousseau, Poulsard, Gamay, Gueuche, Petit Beclan, Poulsard Blanc, and Mézy. Raphaël's passion for history clearly hasn't left him. He has converted the domain to organic growing, putting the vines at the heart of his work, guaranteeing a living soil and healthy, balanced plant life. He produces quite a large range, including appellation wines, vins de France and the famous ‘Avis de tempête' cuvées that demonstrate the innovative spirit of this wine maker: in 2017, a year that saw catastrophic weather conditions, he launched a négoce project, taking to the road in his refrigerated van to collect grapes that he vinifies under the name of ‘Avis de tempête', to the great relief of his loyal clients.

Vines with the name ‘Corvées’ aren’t rare in France’s winemaking world. There are also vineyards like this in Meursault and Gevrey-Chambertin. It’s a name that recalls the hard labour carried out by those who work in the vines, especially when they’ve chosen to work organically like Raphaël Monnier. This former teacher is committed to creating a healthy, living environment, so uses no pesticides or chemicals in the vineyard. These 50-year-old vines are part of the Arbois AOC and are planted with two grape varieties: Trousseau and Poulsard. The soil here is made up of grey marl and chalk pebbles. The grapes are harvested by hand and destemmed. There is a 15-day maceration before the two varieties are blended, followed by a year-long maturation in stainless steel vats. There is no filtering or fining before bottling. We recommend enjoying this bottle in 5-10 years.