Moving to Saint-Chinian in the early 90s from Provence in his search for ‘strong and characterful terroir’, Jean-Marie Rimbert bought some old Syrah and Carignan vines from a coopérateur and began his winemaking career. He’s now one of the leading young winemakers of the appellation. His passion is evident. He speaks lyrically about his wines, the appellation, the local schistous terroir and especially the Carignan grape. He’s also very much a family man, naming two of his wines after his young children. His winemaking equipment is located in barns and outhouses around his house, in which you’re just as likely to be offered a box of freshly picked fresh apricots grown by Jean- Marie’s mother as a glass of his wonderful wine. His low yields, grape sorting, twice daily pigeage (“you feel great and smell great”), natural yeasts and refusal to pump, sieve or filter the harvest result in exceptional wines.