07/01/2010
Walden: Hervé Bizeul's Inspired Roussillon Colloboration
Named in homage to Thoreau, Walden, is a project of Clos de Fees’ Hervé Bizeul (Guide des Sommeliers' 2002 "Winemaker of the year", Gault et Millau's 2003 "Best Newcomer", and Revue du Vin de France's 2005) in collaboration with small family vintners. The Walden project is designed to affordably showcase the potential of Roussillon’s old Carignan and Grenache vines. They decided to create an intermediary solution between a 'cooperative', a wine merchant and private domain in order to help support local vine-growers and make fair trade possible for the region’s small producers.

"Seven years ago I returned to my place of birth, the Roussillon, also known as the «PaysCatalan» (Catalonia), to prove, with my wines from “Le Clos des Fées”, that this region could also produce great red wines..." -Hervé Bizeul

Gathered around Hervé, the winegrower partners collaborating in the Walden Alliance all have a strong cultural know-how and undeniable passion for their craft. Cultivating small areas, often on steep slopes, their plots are made of multiple terroir consisting of various soils and diverse exposition. The first vintage, 2004, included 3 growers with a production of 14,400 bottles. The fourth vintage, 2007, includes 9 partners and 72,000 bottles produced.

In 1854, Henri David Thoreau, poet and philosopher, published "Walden", an account of his lonely life on the shores of a wild lake in Massachusetts. This seminal book extols the joys of a simple life in harmony with nature. Anti-conformist, supporter of ecology and self-reliance, Thoreau defends the rights of the individual to resist the dictates of modern society by means of non-violence. He would go one to inspire Tolstoy, Ghandi, Martin Luther King, and us. Living in nature, proud to work with our hands, listening to the seasons, animals and plants, the winegrowers of the Roussillon live daily the kind of life he promoted. This authentic wine, rich, with jammy fruit and silky texture is an homage to him. His name commitment, our independence, our values." -Hervé Bizeul

Wine Imported: Walden Côtes du Roussillon

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