Franck Peillot Bugey Mondeuse 2022

Profile & Story

Franck Peillot has run his family's 6.5-hectare estate in Montagnieu, Bugey, since 1985, taking over from his father Jean after working alongside him from 1981 and continuing four generations of winemaking on the area's steep hillsides of heavy clay and gravelly limestone. He was the sole grower to obtain AOC Montagnieu Mondeuse status for his red wine, in 1997. His philosophy favors natural fermentation and minimal cellar manipulation - after a conversation with the late importer Joe Dressner, he moved away from commercial yeasts, and he ferments small, parcel-by-parcel lots in 15-20 hectoliter vats before blending. Mondeuse, which he calls 'the most rustic grape I've ever worked with,' comes from vines up to 100 years old that still crop generously; he puts all the effort into vineyard work rather than winemaking technique, and rejects oak aging to preserve the grape's character.