Meet Thomas Finot
Thomas Finot, orginally born and raised on the foothills of the Rhône valley, is a young vigneron based in the “Coteaux du Gresivaudan" (Isère) Northeast of Grenoble. After diverse work experience in the South of France and Switzerland he now looks after 5 hectares of old vines, mainly planted with hyper local varieties such as the white Verdesse and Jacquere, as well as rare red varieties such as Persan and Etraire de la Dhuy. Despite his family legacy and a few remaining vineyards being based in the Crozes Hermitage appellation, Thomas truly believes in the potential of the Isère valley and is determined to recultivate these long-forgotten varieties in the former 'cave cooperative' of the village. Taking over vineyards that were wanted by real estate companies and making few friends along the way, Thomas is an outsider who is saving heritage. In addition to the native varieties Thomas also farms small amounts of Gamay, Pinot and Chardonnay that he usually blends for accessible day-to-day 'vin de table'.
Despite his focus on Isère, Thomas also makes beautiful Syrah, Viognier and Marsanne blends from his his own fruit from Crozes-Hermitage. The 1.8 hectare plot is in a village named Larnage on a hillside with granite and limestone. In terms of vinification, Thomas destems and macerates all his wines in tanks for several weeks. After pressing, they are all aged in barrels for at least 18 months and most may only receive a small dose of SO2 before bottling. If you haven't had a chance yet to try Thomas’s wines, they are an exciting dimension to the lesser travelled paths of France - make sure to give his beautiful Persan a go!
