Emmanuel Darnaud is a young, enthusiastic wine grower from La Roche de Glun, to the south of the Crozes-Hermitage appellation. This passionate, garrulous man is a perfectionist who is seen as one of a talented new generation of wine makers. He came to the wine business circuitously, via his culinary interests, deciding In 2001 to take over the family company, which consisted of a few fruit trees and 1.3 hectares of vineyards. He had no formal training, but he was clearly inspired and coached by his former teacher, who is now his father-in-law, Bernard Faurie (a prominent Hermitage producer from Tournon). Emmanuel is an intuitive grower, who now has 15 hectares of vineyards, with 17 terroirs, spread over the municipalities of La Roche de Glun, Point d’Isère and Mercurol, which are tilled on a sustainable basis, which the French refer to as lutte raisonnée.The entire operation, both in the cellar and the vineyard is exemplary. Although the wine is aged in wooden barrels, Emmanuel’s objective is to preserve the expression of the fruit in his wines. The use of wood is however remarkably balanced, which is down to the use of different wooden vats (conical foudres (a type of vat), and new and used barriques. His domaine wine, Les Trois Chènes is a reference to this. All of the parcels are vinified separately and later assembled. Grapes from the young vines are processed in mise en bouche (appetizers). In good years a selection of wines is aged in new barriques over time and bottled only in magnums. This is a young producer with a vision and a mission, that much is clear.