Visit us to shop and hang in person or order online for quick and easy pick up.
Address
210 EAST VERMILION STREET LAFAYETTE, LA 70501
Hours
Tues-Thurs
1pm-7pm
Friday & Saturday
1pm-8pm
Closed Sunday & Monday
21 and Over Only to Buy Wine.
Choose In-store Pickup To Order Wine Online.
We Do Not Ship Wine or Alcohol.
We do ship Everything Else!
SHOP NOW
2018 was the first vintage of the straight "Bianco" and Fonterenza's first time sourcing fruit from the Tuscan coast, specifically the red sandy soils of Capalbio, where the Padovani sisters know two brothers farming local white varieties organically. The fruit is harvested by hand and vinified two different ways: one part is destemmed and macerated with the skins for 11 days and the other part is whole-cluster-pressed with no skin contact. Fermentation is spontaneous with indigneous yeasts in steel tanks. The two parts are blended and aged 6 months in tank before bottling without filtration and a small amount of sulfur (a little of which is used at the time of harvest as well).
Founded by twin sisters Margherita and Francesca Padovani in 1997, Fonterenza is a biodynamically farmed estate spread over the commune of Montalcino. Though the twins grew up in Milan, the farm where they currently reside has been in the family since the 1970's. Viticulture, however, does not run in the Padovani family; in fact, there were no vines whatsoever on the property until Margherita planted the first plots in 1999.
Francesca quickly joined her sister on the project, and subsequent plantings took place in 2002 and 2005 over four hectares of vines, with 3.5 hectares planted in Sangiovese and the rest in Cabernet Sauvignon (regrafted to Sangiovese in 2012). From the beginning, Margherita and Francesca agreed not to use chemicals in their vineyard practices, which quickly led to an interest in biodynamic viticulture and, a few years later, minimal intervention winemaking.
The estate now consists of three plots totaling 4.2 hectares: Vigna del Bosco (2h), Vigna della Strada (1.7h) and Vigna Alberello (0.5h). The first two were planted in 1999 and the third in 2005. While all the vineyards are gorgeous, Vigna del Bosco is particularly stunning; one must walk or drive down a long beautiful path to arrive to a hill completely surrounded by woods.
Denny & Katie
Owners
Your friendly neighborhood wine shop and tiny bar, focused on small production wines and conservas. Connect with us on Instagram for suggestions on your next bottle and to follow along in our downtown Lafayette wine journey.
Visit us to shop and hang in person or order online for quick and easy pick up.
Hours
Tues-Thurs
1pm-7pm
Friday & Saturday
1pm-8pm
Closed Sunday & Monday