Located in the windswept, rolling hills of the Minervois, just outside the village of La Livinière, Chateau Maris is run by the affable and gregarious Robert Eden, whom I had a fantastic visit with during my trip through the region.

Staunchly biodynamic and green conscious, Robert went as far as building their new winery out of thick compress straw (hemp to be exact) bricks. In addition, they farm select vineyards using estate-owned work horses.

Focusing on the wines, they’re impressive across the board and offer serious levels of fruit and texture, while staying fresh, balanced and very drinkable. They also represent superb values in most cases.