Now here's one of those winemakers you *should* know about. Fanny Sabre, one of the natural wine world's most high profile younger-generation talents, has been making some bloody brilliant wine out of Burgundy (her cellar is in Pommard) for quite a while. Her wines, full of character and charm, are snapped up by the coolest wine bars in Paris and New York faster than you can say allons-y. But (there's always a but, isn't there?), due to the miniscule amounts she produces they rarely make it further afield in great numbers. Consider yourself lucky. We do.
Like all good life plans, Fanny's didn't go accordingly. She was originally studying to become a lawyer but, when her father passed away unexpectedly before she'd finished her studies, Fanny found herself in a predicament - finish her degree and go into law or take-over the family estate. She obviously chose the latter (or else we wouldn't really be writing this, would we?) and took over straight away under the watchful eye of natural wine legend Philippe Pacalet. The first five years proved to be a steep but enjoyable learning curve with Fanny involved in absolutely everything, from managing the vineyards to harvest and vinification. Now, more than two decades on, except for some minor help with trellising and bringing the casks up from cellar to street level, she quite literally does all the heavy lifting herself. All 4.5 hectares are farmed organically or biodynamically, tended by hand and with only a light touch in cellar. No funny stuff. Not here.
While Fanny is perhaps best know for her energetic and pure whites (she has an unbelievably deft touch with aligoté), her reds - all pinot noir, but of course - are just as thrilling to experience. Even though she produces a prolific number of cuvees, the number of bottles that leave France are precious and worth giving a go if you can get your hands on them. Do. Yourself. A. Favour.
