In the history of natural wine, Hervé Villemade plays a key role. It was by importing these wines to the United States that Joe Dressner helped pave the way for the natural wine movement that exploded across the country.

Villemade’s wines check all the boxes. They come from the Loire Valley, which, next to Beaujolais, has the deepest and longest tradition of producing natural wines. They are made with the utmost minimalist intervention. They taste incredibly fresh, with a focus on drinkability and just plain glou glou pleasure (not translatable, just drink the wine).

There is also the important stuff beyond the wine. Like the label. Villemade had some of the very first artist-inspired, non-traditional wine bottle labels, and was using them long before natural wine labels became pejoratively referred to as “cartoon labels”. In the case of Villemade’s bottles, they are actually quite beautiful!

And of course, there is the man himself. To convey his joie de vivre – something that we associate strongly with natural wine –, we can simply quote from Dressner’s website: “If you have dinner at Hervé's cellar, there is a strong chance he will serve you marc (eau de vie) directly from demi-john. And then start a dance party.”

We are always happy to have these wines to offer our customers:

Herve Villemade Cheverny Rouge 2022 - $29.99

Herve Villemade Cheverny Blanc 2022 - $29.99

Herve Villemade Cheverny Rouge Les Ardilles 2021 - $43.99