The story of Famille Lignères is the story of a medical family with wine in their veins. André (a general practitioner) and Suzette (a pharmacist), are now able to take a back seat as their sons Jean (Doctor of the village of Moux like his father before him) and his wife Anne, Paul (a dentist) and Geneviève (a biologist) look after the estate.

Paul, Anne, André, Suzette and Jean

Our family's ties to the wine world can be traced back to the sixteenth century, but it was in 1957 that André and Suzette Lignères bought the estate. André's parents were from Moux and Fontcouverte, the two villages on either side of the estate and already had vineyards in both villages as well as a négociant business in Moux. Since then they have gradually expanded the domaine, acquiring the most attractive terroirs bordering on the estate, particularly Las Vals, which was acquired in the eighties. Throughout this period the assistance of Marc Dubernet was invaluable in helping develop the family's wines.

In 2002, Richard Marlowe, an incredible wine-specialist and our best and most faithful “fan”, organized a meeting with the renowned Tuscan wine consultant Stefano Chioccioli. He knew Stefano could understand our “terroir” concept, i.e. trying to produce wines with more of everything – weight, aroma, dimension, focus, varietal definition, and most importantly, allowing the terroir to shine through in every cuvee.

Stefano Chioccioli is one of Italy's leading winemakers. His influence on the domaine has been profound, not just because he is extraordinarily gifted (he is!), but because of the way we have built up a close working relationship. Perhaps our medical training has helped us understand the scientist in Stefano, whilst his extraordinary nose and respect for the estate's identity won us over. His contribution to the revival of our wines is essential.

Having qualified initially as an Agronomist, perhaps it is unsurprising that Stefano's primary concern is always the vineyards: achieving perfectly ripe grapes that can then be transformed into wines that represent the maximum expression of their terroir. In the cellar, it is a combination of myriad minute details that can then extract the fruit characteristics of each terroir, creating a balanced, harmonious wine.

For more information see www.stefanochioccioli.it