Anders Frederick Steen I Hate To Say Goodbye Rouge 2019

As a sommelier at NOMA, Anders Frederik Steen was no stranger to the natural, weird and wonderful wines that grace the lists of Rene Redzepi's Michelin-starred restaurant. His pursuit for the most natural, pure expression of wine led him to creating lists for Manfreds and Relae, picking up a number of accolades along the way.

But the simple curation of other peoples' wines, wasn't enough for Anders. He wanted to get his own hands dirty, so to speak. So in 2013 he bought some fruit and began to create his own wines, alongside legendary Jura vigneron, Jean-Marc Brignot. He was hooked.

Anders and his family now live in the beautiful village of Valvignères in the Ardèche, where he works with fruit grown on Jocelyne & Gérald Oustric’s farm, Le Mazel. It is a picturesque spot on the slope of a wide, open valley and the many varieties grown here thrive on a perfect mix of clay and limestone. The vineyards are full of life, having been tended organically for decades.

Anders draws on his restaurant background when making wines.

"Vinification, is, for us , like cooking, seasoning a sauce, making a vinaigrette or mixing a salad," he says.

"Simply put, we taste the grapes and we follow the flavours we find most intriguing."

With nothing added and nothing taken away during vinification, Anders' wines are the most pure reflection of the vintage, the site, and the grapes. Every vintage is different, and this is embraced by Anders who tries to never repeat a cuvee.

"The expressions of the grapes and terroir are never the same. We believe nature, in this way, is helping us to be curious and open to new possibilities."