Their story

Frédéric Berne grew up with soil under his fingernails. The son of a farmer in Beaujolais, he worked alongside his parents as a teenager before the agricultural crisis of the early 2000s ended the family estate. Rather than walk away, he doubled down — spending nine years as a winery hand, training with agroecologists, biodynamicists, and natural winemakers before founding his domaine in 2013 at the Château des Vergers in Lantignié. From the beginning he farmed organically and pushed toward biodynamics, earning both AB and Demeter certification. Every grape is hand-harvested, whole-bunch fermented with indigenous yeasts, and macerated between 5 and 15 days depending on the cuvée. He is also one of the leading voices championing Lantignié's elevation to full cru status.