Fontaine des Grives
Bergerac, Thenac, France
 

Fontaine des Grives is run by Benoît and Leïla, in a small hamlet on the plateau above Thenac, about 30 minutes south of Bergerac in the Périgord Pourpre.
 

Benoît grew up nearby in Eymet and started his career at Château Lestignac, one of the region's early pioneers of natural and biodynamic viticulture. Leïla, from the Basque Country, joined him a few years later after winemaking school and a stint working in Jurançon. Together they took over the domaine in 2018 and converted it to organic farming from the start.
 

They work mainly the classic Bordelais grapes, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, though the wines taste nothing like a typical Bordeaux blend. Alongside these they've revived some long forgotten grapes native to the area, mostly turned into sparkling wine, and have planted a new hectare of Chenin Blanc with an eye on the future.
 

Farming here is biodynamic, and the couple keep experimenting with ways to work more holistically: fruit trees planted among some of the vine rows, bat boxes to encourage a healthier ecosystem, all part of building the plateau back into something closer to a living landscape than a monoculture.