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When talking to Véronique Cunty of Domaine de Font-Sane, one would be forgiven for thinking that she may be new to this wine thing. There is boundless energy and a disarming honesty that one sees more often in younger winemakers. There is also the fact that she looks ridiculously young and we ascribe that to living and working in one of the most beautiful villages of Southern France. As she expounds more about the wines and the land, it quickly dawns upon us that  Véronique has been doing this for decades starting as young as 5 years of age under the eye of her father.This remarkable winemaker is a pioneer in Gigondas. In 2012, the New York Times rated her Gigondas as one of the best examples from the region. There is not one year where the critics don’t  rave about her wines. Of course her wines are great. We will not waste time disputing that

It is not about points from critics although she has bucketfuls of those. There is a lot written about her. It is about passion.It is about honest wine.

Domaine de Font-Sane and her wines were the first we thought of when we decided to get into the wine import gig.  What we recognize is that when we taste a bottle of Gigondas from Domaine de Font-Sane, we are witnessing the skill and history behind one of France’s remarkable winemaker. We will also be terribly amiss if we fail to acknowledge the role played by Romain Cunty, her son in the development of this estate.

We decided to ask Véronique the following 5 questions:

1. At what age did you first make wine?

I first made wine when I was 24, just after finishing my studies of viticulture-oenology in Avignon.

2. What is the most important lesson you have learned as a winemaker?

When I was a kid, I helped my parents in the cellar and in the vineyard. They taught me a lot about wine. After studying, I had straightaway a lot of responsabilities and I gave rise to my first vintage in 1987.

3. What did you have for dinner last night and what wine did you drink with it?

I had red mullet filets with a Rosé wine from Domaines Ott in Bandol.

4.  Which was your most memorable vintage? And why?

2007 was one of the best vintages in the Rhône Valley, therefore it was unforgettable. But the vintage 1987 was indelible because it was my first one and we had a very hard year with weather. However, 1987 was a good vintage in the end, with great awards from wine reporters.

5.  Tell us the truth. Which one do you like more – Grenache or Syrah?

I like Grenache more because it gives full-bodied and well-rounded wines with fruit and spices. It is definitely the king of the Southern Rhône Valley.