Marie-Lise & Thomas Batardière have become famous amongst those in the know, and it's an absolute honour to have their wines in my portfolio. Together, they make pristine Chenin in a reductive style that will make you salivate, and a small amount of Grolleau and Cabernet Franc that are also extremely bright, lively, juicy and delicious. With so much International demand, their wines sell out instantly every year. We're very lucky to have a small allocation of them in Australia.

Thomas discovered his passion for natural wines while working with a caviste in Amboise. He went onto earn a sommelier degree, which included partaking in an internship at Château Yvonne in Saumur. It was here that he learnt about biodynamic farming, and ended up working for them full time, while also obtaining his viticulture degree in parallel.

In 2011 he sourced 1.5ha of Chenin in Rablay-sur-Layon. He immediately took about converting the vineyards to biodynamics, and finally obtained certification from Demeter in 2015. Marie-Lise joined him full time in 2020. They have since obtained a small plot of Cabernet Franc and Grolleau in Rablay, as well as a tiny plot of Chenin in Faye d’Anjou. More recently they also planted a tiny parcel of Grolleau right next to their house, and another small isolated plot of Chenin at the edge of Rablay. The total surface area is just over 4ha - enough for the couple to manage by themselves, thoroughly and consciously. For the most part, the vineyards are sandy and stony, with clay over schist. The Montbenault parcel (0.25ha) is also very heavy in volcanic rock.

They vinify naturally, and use only tiny amounts of SO2 before bottling, often none at all. The wines are never fined or filtered either. They work in a reductive manner, to ensure that the purity and freshness of their wines are preserved. These are focused and precise terroir driven wines that rival the best Chenins in the world. Their next door neighbour and mentor is Richard Leroy, and so that should give you an indication to the quality of their wines.