The son of a Georgian winemaker, Evgueni Louis Max moved to Nuits-Saint-George in 1859, establishing his own wine business on arrival. Despite nineteenth century European viticulture being dramatically impacted by the destructive Phylloxera louse, Evgueni’s son, Theordore Max, continued to successfully grow the business, building offices, tasting rooms and a wine-storage cellar-offering that is still in use today.

The Louis Max holdings expanded south after World War II, including the acquisition of sites in Mercurey, Corbières and the Côtes-du-Rhône. This spirit of adventure and viticultural exploration captivated the renowned Burgundian winemaker, David Duband, whose paths crossed with the Louis Max team in 2013. The resulting alliance between premium winemaking know-how and the historical expertise of Maison Louis Max, as both a wine merchant and fellow champion of organic farming, has led to an atypical and exciting take on the two legendary Burgundian grape varieties: Pinot Noir and Charodonnay, in the South of France.

The Languedoc region unveils a myriad of microclimates, sculpted by the wind, drenched with sunlight and underpinned with an eclectic geology. David Duband & Louis Max engage in a meticulous fruit selection process, the objective of which is to provide great fruit for vinification that crafts regionally expressive wines, with a naturally Burgundian fingerprint and an emphasis on freshness and approachability. Gentle extraction is prioritised in order to showcase the distinctive characteristics of both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with part whole cluster fermentation for structure and site expression.