France

Former sommelier Laura Aillaud is part of a wave of talented new growers raising the bar in the Luberon – a stretch of hilly vineyards between Avignon and Aix-en-Provence in the southern Rhône.Laura started her winemaking career under the instruction of leading minimal-intervention grower Jean-Christophe Comor at Domaine Les Terres Promises in Provence, before renting her own vines in nearby Luberon in 2017. Having purchased a further 3ha, which she restored using organic viticulture, Laura now farms 6ha in total across a diverse array of local grape varieties, including Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Counoise, Muscat, Vermentino, Ugni Blanc and Roussanne.She ferments her wines using indigenous yeasts and without chemical additions, and employs an assortment of vinification methods and vessels to craft juicy, fruit-forward natural cuvées that are balanced by fresh acidity and gentle levels of alcohol.Domaine Aillaud demonstrates why the Luberon – a region largely overshadowed by its neighbours Rhône and Provence until now – is a smart choice for those seeking brilliantly made wines of precision and drinkability.

Laura Aillaud

Wines

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