The French don't have Burning Man. They have La Dive Bouteille. And for France’s nuttiest natural wine fans – and their international comrades in arms – that’s even better. But best of all for us: the driving force behind that fair, Sylvie Augerau, is also a winemaker extraordinaire, and we have a tiny little drop of her wines to share today. 

Like Burning Man, the Dive has blown up – from a small gathering of a few dozen vignerons to a massive event with hundreds of growers, spin off events, and worldwide imitators. All the while, its central push to help bring small-scale, hands-off winemakers to the attention of wine lovers worldwide has been one of the great successes of this millennium’s food and wine scene. 

Unlike Burning Man, the “Dive” is technically open only to wine pros. And instead of taking place in a dusty desert, it’s all about cold, underground Loire Valley cellars in the dead of winter. So what do wine lovers who want to get a taste of the spirit of the Dive, but can’t/won’t make the trek do? 

They can taste Sylvie Augerau’s wines. 

Augerau isn’t just the Dive’s fearless leader; she’s also one of its paragon winemakers. Dive growers are small scale – that’s the only way a vigneronne can work without using tons of chemical interventions. Sylvie farms just 1.5 hectares of vines. To work with minimal sulfur, requires a patient and attentive winemaker, who can give their wine the time and space to achieve natural stability and purity. 

Of course, none of that purity would matter if the source material weren’t special. Sylvie’s plot isn’t just miniscule, it’s also sans pareille. The up to 100-year-old vines are planted in siliceous clay and limestone soils overlooking the Loire. She farms by hand and horse – no machines, to protect the fragile, ancient plants. This is beyond merely organic or even biodynamic farming,music playing for the vines. 

Some of this is clearly scientifically founded, and some of it is way out there. But add it all up and you get something marvelous: tiny yields of incredibly concentrated fruit, that makes tiny amounts of absolutely stunning wine. Bottles can’t be any more direct a representation of their terroir – or of the magic that underlies Sylvie’s other project, the Dive Bouteille. 

Of course, with a producer this small we don’t get much wine. So please don’t wait to click through below and secure your bottles. 

Sylvie Augereau VdF Rejouissances 2023 - $34.99
The wine name means “rejoice” and that’s what you’ll do when you taste this 50/50 Pineau d'Aunis and Grolleau blend. Fresh red berries, crushed herbs, tart cherries and raspberries with a hint of spice and a refreshing, slightly chalky finish (taste the limestone!). 

Sylvie Augereau Anjou Blanc Pulpes 2021 - $36.99
Chenin Blanc from 100-year-old vines, direct-pressed to tank, barrel-fermented, then aged two years in old foudres. The importer calls this "explosive," and that’s not a lie: this is Chenin with intensity and energy, rich but lifted, with the kind of texture and complexity that only comes from old vines and patient aging. Zero sulfites added.

Sylvie Augereau Anjou Rouge Les Manquants 2022 - $52.99
100% Cabernet Franc from 100-year-old vines is macerated for three weeks then aged two years in old foudres to make a wine of depth and complexity: concentrated dark fruit, graphite, subtle earthiness, and silky tannins. This has the structure to age for at least five years.