Crozes-Hermitage 'Certitude', Francois Villard, Rhone Valley, France, 2021

Overlooking the Rhône River, the Domaine François Villard is situated in Saint-Michel-Sur-Rhône, in the north of the Rhône Valley.François Villard did not start out to be a wine maker. At first, he worked in the restaurant business as a chef. Having a real passion for wine and after some decisive meeting, François decided to start a career as a winemaker. He began planting wines in 1989 with the help of Yves Cuilleron and made his first Condrieu in 1991.Our wine production has grown from 400 bottles to 300.000 bottles today. It comes from 40 hectares of our own vineyards and purchased grapes. We produce around twenty different wines which are spread out between 6 North Rhône Valley appellations. We are proud to produce quality wine. For us, it is very important to let our soils and vines express themselves naturally through each vintage and bottle. It is for this reason we are in conversion for organic farming with the label ECOCERT,The goal of François Villard is to produce wines with affirmed personalities which reflect faithfully the vineyards and soils from which they are produce. This means, he wants to make completely different wines, all distinct from each other and easily identifiable during the tasting. His dream is to create great wines for ageing that can be also served young and fresh.