Hailing from the northern Rhône and a family of local farmers, Nicolas Badel is not one to rush anything; instead, he is a steadfast perfectionist who prefers to take his time and do things the right way. Nicolas’ wine-making is non-formulaic; he adapts it to the unique conditions of each vintage. The essence of his philosophy is to make terroir and finesse-driven wines that are pure, precise, clean, and transparent. The wines are well-structured yet also approachable and easy to drink. For this reason, he is now regarded in the same league with his friend Pierre Gonon. 

His small winery is located near Vernosc-lès-Annonay, on the wild, forested plateau above the Cance valley, a tributary of the Rhône. Nicolas Badel’s farming has been certified organic since the very beginning and he is now in the process of carefully working biodynamics into his vineyards, with the intent of making the finest wines possible from his terroir. His labels feature a reproduction of the Roman coins from 75 BC that were found in the Intuition vineyard (along with other artifacts) during planting, evidence of the historic precedence of his vineyards.

On a hillside called Les Grandes Vignes next to the winery, Nicolas has reclaimed 2.5 hectares of vines from the forest at 350m on sandy granitic soils with full southern exposure. From this plot, he makes his top expression, a wine aptly named “Intuition.” The vineyard is planted mainly to syrah, but also some marsanne and viognier within a natural clos, which is secluded within a forest, untouched by other vineyards. The naturally beautiful area is very sauvage and raw. The granite here is very sandy, which allows for excellent drainage and root penetration. Badel’s Intuition vineyard is his greatest passion and crowning achievement, being incredibly unique from the rest of the northern Rhône valley. Instead of the industrial corridor of the river valley where most vines are planted, Intuition is set in a wild, bucolic environment, surrounded by scrubby woodland, high above the river on a plateau. This setting is incredibly important for biodiversity, which allows for a natural equilibrium that limits the development of disease in the vineyard, allowing for organic farming.

Vintage – The 2016 vintage was a lighter vintage that gave wines of great elegance, freshness, and detail. Far from underripe, 2016 produced wines of good depth, with a strong acid backbone and ample energy. Yields were healthy but not excessive, so there’s no lack of fruit concentration in the vintage. Fans of fresher-styled, elegant red wines with good acidity will enjoy the 2016 vintage.

Vinification – After a manual harvest, the grapes were destemmed. The wine was then fermented spontaneously with natural yeast in cement tanks, with a 20-day maceration on the skins. It was then aged for ten months in 20% new and 80% one-year-old Burgundy barrels. No sulfur was added during the vinification process, only a small amount at bottling.

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