A consummate drinker and connoisseur of Burgundy, deeply versed in its soils, it wasn’t long before Daniel felt compelled to establish his own Domaine, one that would be utterly unique. The opportunity arose in 2011, when he managed to acquire 3 ha in Mosel originally planted with Riesling – which, to the horror of his neighbours, he regrafted with genetic material from, just to quote, Close de la Roche, Richebourg, and Romanée St. Vivant. For him, it could be no other way.

Dubbed ‘Pinot Noix’, this new Domaine, the first in over a century to focus solely on red wine production, nods to the French word for ‘nut’ – just visit his Hofberg vineyard, and you’ll know why! This landscape is riddled with ardoise (fr. for ‘slate’), which profoundly influences the vineyard’s character.

Daniel’s ambition has always been to craft top-class Pinots, capable of rivalling the greats of Burgundy, without simply mimicking them. His wines are sumptuous and structured, designed to unlock and express the previously untapped potential of this challenging terroir. They are incredibly hard to come by and, unfortunately, far too scarce for our own good.