Jérémy Quastana, Jean Quastana & Mélissa Lavaysse

In the late 2000s, Jérémy Quastana was juggling studying history and working in the vineyards and cellar of the late Olivier Lemasson of Les Vins Contés. Eventually, he decided to follow his passion and enrolled to study winemaking in Bordeaux. After graduating, Jérémy completed internships with Marcel Lapierre (Beaujolais) and Louis-Antoine Luyt (Chile) before returning to the Loire Valley—fitting right back in at Olivier’s. Jérémy worked alongside Olivier and our other winemakers, Blandine Floch and Jérémie Choquet, before purchasing his own 2.2ha parcel. His vines are 35 to 60 years old, planted over silex to Gamay and Côt and an older section of Gamay, which he has slowly rehabilitated and converted to organics. Since then both Jérémy’s brother Jean and his partner Mélissa have begun assisting in the vineyard and cellar and are now making their own wines under separate labels. Each of their wines are made with techniques that Jérémy learnt from his time with Lemasson and Lapierre. The grapes are vinified in whole bunches, with juice aged in old barrels without any additions. These wines are full of energy; fantastic examples of the kind of easy-drinking yet serious wines we’ve come to appreciate.