6/13/26 - 

It’s always exciting when we have the opportunity to introduce a new winemaker to the U.S. market, and today we are thrilled to offer the beautiful Alsatian wines from Domaine Exeterra. We first met Florence in February of 2025 at one of the many natural wine fairs in Montpellier during the annual “salon season.” Eben and I had caught her at the tail end while everyone was packing up, and it only took two wines to know we had to come back the next day to taste more. The level of finesse and purity in the wines was evident and I was shocked to find out the next day that Florence and her husband Boris had only been making their own wines since 2022, which really ended up being just two vintages under their belt at the time. Fast forward a year later to this past February and we were back at the same fair tasting with Florence but this time with David Lillie in tow. The wines again were pristine, full of character but elegant and composed in a way that made them feel timeless. We were all in agreement that we just had to have these wines in New York! One part of this process that doesn’t always get talked about is the amount of time it takes from tasting for the first time to unpacking boxes and putting the wines on the shelf. There’s always a moment of anticipation when the wines arrive and we open them for the first time on U.S. soil—hopefully they’ve traveled well, hopefully the magic we tasted in France is still there—and in this case I was so grateful and also impressed that the wines were exactly as I remembered them. They are joyous and uplifting, but can be equally serious and contemplative. They are clean and fresh while maintaining personality. It’s been a long time in the making but we are delighted to be able to share with you all the superb wines of Domaine Exeterra!

-Jeff DiLorenzo

While Florence and Boris Kachelhoffer officially started Domaine Exeterra in 2022, it is the culmination of many years of working toward the goal of eventually having their own winery. Boris had been working as the vineyard manager for several organic and biodynamic estates including Marcel Deiss and Domaine Ostertag, honing his farming skills according to biodynamic principles, while Florence had worked for several Alsatian producers before having the opportunity to acquire 1.5 hectares of vines along the slopes of the Rittersberg in Scherwiller in the Bas-Rhin. They soon acquired an additional 1 ha of 70 year-old vines of Riesling and Pinot Noir in Nothalten and Blienschwiller, and Exeterra was born. They work organically and biodynamically in the vines and with minimal intervention in the cellar, taking great care to let the wines evolve on their own while setting them up for success through meticulous attention to detail. As Florence puts it, “My aim is to take care of the vines so that they give me high quality grapes, which are for me the essential basis for making good wines. Taking care of the vine is, first of all, learning to know it by observing it. It then means carrying out all the work of the season, adapting each one to the climatic conditions of the vintage to support the vines and enable them to find their balance in all circumstances. Finally, it means creating an environment that favors their development; an environment rich in life, where plants and animals live in symbiosis. This is why, as early as last spring, I planted about fifty melliferous trees and shrubs and installed a beehive on my parcel in the Rittersberg. In the cellar, my objective is to intervene as little as possible to obtain expressive wines that resemble the vines from which they come. I believe that my role is to accompany the wines as I have accompanied the vines. This requires time and observation, a good dose of confidence in myself (and in them) and sometimes, as rarely as possible, a small dose of sulfites; since I do not deny myself this option if, despite all my care, a wine needs it."

The wines we have on offer today are all excellent. The Sylvaner was the very first wine that got us hooked—bright and fresh with great minerality and cut. There are two Rieslings, the Loup Blanc and Grand Cru Muenchberg, which are both captivating and while the plots lie just 300 meters apart the terroir and the resulting wines are vastly different. The Clos Rittersberg is a blend of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, done in a chiseled and linear style that could cut through stone, with subtle reduction that doesn’t feel flashy but adds mineral depth and complexity. One of the most fun and interesting of the wines is GRouge, a blend of 50/50 skin-contact Gewurztraminer with Pinot Noir. It looks and drinks like a light red, but with some peachy floral aromatics of Gewurz alongside snappy red fruit. It’s perfect with a chill on a hot summer day and really tastes unlike anything I’ve had, while still being eminently drinkable and easy to enjoy. Lastly the Exogene Pinot Noir shows great depth and an underlying mineral core that gives it more substance than you might expect from Alsace Pinot, while remaining fresh and full of energy. 

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Clos des Gravillas

We're happy to have a new shipment from Nicole and John Bojanowski at the Clos des Gravillas in St. Jean de Minervois! The reds are distinctive and full-flavored but retain a fabulous purity and freshness that makes them absolutely delicious served cool, perfect with anything off the grill this season. We particularly love the whites - the 2024 Minervois "L'Inattendu," the Vin de France "Retour aux Origines" and the 2024 "Emmenez Moi au Bout de Terret," made from local and ancient grape varieties - they are crystalline, subtle and mineral, with refreshing acidity - perfect with seafoods, salads and light summer meals.

The orange wine - "A Fleur du Peau" - is one of the very best, and the sparkling "Jour de Teuf," is a delight - if you haven't tried these wonderful wines, please do so today, they are all highly recommended!

The vineyards are extraordinary, on a plateau surrounded by hills and mountains, composed of solid limestone with "soil" of limestone rocks and fossilized seashells. John and Nicole are serious, experienced winemakers who take advantage of this unusual spot to make profound wines of terroir that are both incredibly delicious and great fun to drink - in the true spirit of wine as a beverage to be shared and enjoyed. -David Lillie

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