Gilles Berlioz inherited a small vineyard in 1990, roughly a half-hectare of Jacquère and Mondeuse vines, and not enough to make a living. He expanded over the next few years to 7 hectares, but then, contrary to most smart business advice, he reduced the domaine back to 5 hectares in 1999. The reasoning was that Gilles and his wife Christine had converted to organics at that point and were in the process of going biodynamic; seven hectares was simply too much for a husband and wife team to manage biodynamically while still maintaining the quality they wanted. Scaling back like this represented a new start, so the estate was renamed Domaine Partagé (shared domaine). Today the couple makes some of the most sought-after Savoyard wines in France, with multiple cuvées of Chignin-Bergeron, Mondeuse, Jacquère, and Altesse, all naturally and meticulously produced from their tiny chai.
