François Dhumes

François Dhumes is a low-key winemaker who deserves much more attention, we think. Born in Clermont-Ferrand in Auvergne, François trained as a winemaker in Mâcon before working at several conventional wineries in Burgundy and the Rhône Valley. Although he learned a lot from working in the vineyards, François didn't like being told what products to add to the must every week after seeing the oenologist. François returned to Auvergne in 2005, took over 1 hectare of vines and started making wine part-time. Gradually, he expanded his vineyard and finally devoted himself exclusively to it a few years later. In the meantime, he tried a lot, supported by already established Auvergne winemakers like Bouju or Maupertuis. A fan of non-intervention, François tries to manipulate his grapes as little as possible, with little or no pumping over, racking or underpushing. François wants to produce wines that are easy to digest and easy to drink, an approach with which we agree 100%. François' wines are juicy, tangy and have a beautiful minerality, not without complexity thanks to the volcanic terroirs of Auvergne.
Full-bodied ripe grapes on hot volcanic rock is the image that comes to mind when we drink François' wines.