Sylvain Martel trained as a winemaker in the Southern Rhône and spent ten years running a small organic estate in the Ardèche. It was thanks to the Graillots of Crozes-Hermitage that Sylvain came to Beaujolais joining them in establishing and managing Domaine de Fa. In 2016 Sylvain met Anne-Sophie Dubois and settled down in Fleurie and it is thanks to Anne-Sophie that we have come to know his wines. In 2018 he was ready to start his own venture and purchased a 1.3-hectare island of old gamay vines on a dramatic steep slope at 450m altitude in the lieu-dit of Bessay in Juliénas. A terroir of blue stones, the tree-lined vineyard is planted to a high density, cultivation is organic and the yields are kept low (25hl/ha). Fermentation is semi-carbonic using native yeasts and whole bunches and the wine is allowed to age nine months in old barrels before being bottled without fining or filtration. The total production is a mere 3,000 bottles.