Papillon Estate - VÍNO OD FRANCÚZA "The Frenchman’s wine
The story of this estate is a story of love, David Papillon’s love for wine and also, for a Slovakian lady, Darina, who would lead him to Slovakia where they would create the Papillon estate, Víno od francúza (Le Vin du Français).
This small estate, located in central Slovakia in a village called Devičie, is characterized not only by the friendliness of its inhabitants but also by its history linked to vines and terroir, where you can find around a hundred cellars dug into volcanic rock.
David Papillon is French and trained in France first as a sommelier and then as a winemaker. As soon as he began his sommelier training, he discovered, thanks to a passionate sommelier teacher, the wines of winemakers, wines with an identity. With his sommelier diploma in hand, he set off to work in France and Switzerland. To continue refining his knowledge of wines and terroirs beyond his job as a sommelier, he travels as often as possible to meet winemakers and discover the passion that drives those who cultivate grapes to transform them into wine. David believes in the importance of a natural approach to wine production, aimed at preserving the living character of the wine.
During his training, he took part in internships and subsequently worked for winegrowers in the Saumur and Roussillon regions, all of whom practiced organic or biodynamic agriculture with passion. He rediscovered the spirit and values that had inspired him from the start. His goal was achieved: he learned to make wine with grapes and, as his only additive, minimal doses of sulphur.
In 2018, David and Darina renovated an old stone house and converted it into a winery. The same year sees the production of their first vintage, made from organically grown grapes purchased from a friendly neighbour.
At the same time, David prepares a plot for planting his vines, he aims to follow the grape from the vine to the glass of wine. The Sitno stratovolcano, which erupted 16.5 million years ago, is the source of their volcanic tuff terroir (ash compression, presence of rock blocks such as amphibole, and pyroxene). This draining terroir lends finesse and elegance to the wines while preserving their acidity.
2023 will see the release of the first organic wine from their own vineyard, where every effort is made to use as few inputs as possible: spontaneous fermentation, gravity-fed bottling, unfiltered, unfined wine. Their current production is around 15 to 17,000 bottles of certified organic wine a year.
VÍNO OD FRANCÚZA is the only estate in Slovakia to have wines certified as Vin Méthode Nature.
«We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children» Native American proverb