Luc Bauer’s work is rooted in biodynamics and natural viticulture, guided by respect for the environment, water and air quality, and the health of both vine and drinker. He hand cultivates, harvests manually, vinifies parcel by parcel, and works with native yeasts, minimal or no sulfur, no filtration or fining. For him, biodynamics is an evidence-based methodology that considers all living organisms within an environment and the energies they exert on one another. Aging takes place in neutral vessels — old barrels, large foudres, sometimes amphoras — to preserve transparency and freshness. The resulting wines are vivid expressions of terroir: crystalline Altesse with tension and flinty minerality, peppery and brambly Mondeuse with depth and grip, delicate Gamay with bright fruit. Beyond flavor, Luc sees his work as cultural preservation, rehabilitating slopes that were becoming deserted and re-anchoring the region’s winegrowing identity. From his modest beginnings in 2012, in a barn at La Pavaz, Les Grangeons de l’Albarine has steadily earned recognition, and today his wines rank among the most exciting discoveries from Bugey’s natural wine scene.