Domaine Finot – Virginia
Mathieu Finot
About
Owner & winemaker: Matthieu Finot
Vineyards: 5 acres
Vineyard management: Sustainable
Soils: Chester stony loam
Grapes grown: Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Tannat
Annual production: 3,000 bottles
Quick facts:
- Domaine Finot Virginia is the sister winery to Domaine Finot France, run by Matthieu’s brother Thomas in the French Alps.
- Matthieu Finot is also the winemaker at King Family Vineyards–Domaine Finot is his “garagiste” personal project.
Domaine Finot is the passion project of Matthieu Finot. Matthieu arrived in the United States from his native France in 2003, and he soon connected with Gilbert Tallard, a fellow Frenchman who had established 5 acres of vineyards in Afton, Virginia. Their friendship and collaboration has grown over the years, and since 2016, Matthieu has been managing the Turk Mountain vineyard. For him, growing grapes and making wine go hand in hand, so he began producing “garagiste” wines from this vineyard. After a few years of experimentation, the 2019 vintage was the first to be bottled under the Domaine Finot/Turk Mountain Vineyards label.
The winemaking philosophy is all about using classically simple winemaking techniques to create wines that reflect their terroir. Grapes are not destemmed, fermentation occurs via native yeast, and no sulfur is added. Essentially, as Matthieu puts it, “only the most limited intervention is applied between grape and bottle.”
