Region: Burgundy, France
Appellation: VDF
Color/Style: Red Wine
Grapes: Gamay

Wills Wine is an evolution of the past ten years for winemaker Will Arnold. He grew up in wine and goes as far to say it runs in his blood, but not from a traditional winemaking standpoint. His father founded A&B Vintners in 1998, which influenced Will to learn the hustle and bustle of the wine business at a young age. After catchingthe winemaking bug, Will went on to harvest and work with various winemakers, including Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey and Jean-Louis Chave, all sources of inspiration and encouragement, Will shares.

A decade after his very first harvest, Will finds himself standing proudly in his own cellar, using the techniques and knowledge acquired through these invaluable experiences. With three vintages under his belt, starting with 2021, the idea has always been simple: put into practice his learned interpretation of wine. The intention of his vinification is to retain energy and craft the style of wines that he wants to share with friends and family.

Will only purchases fruit from growers whom he admires and that work in a way which aligns with his own views, either organically certified or practicing organics, or raisonnée. He oversees these vineyards and hand-harvests the grapes himself. When it comes to crush and élevage, Will whole cluster-presses his whites, and uses between 50-100% whole cluster for reds. The wines are spontaneously fermented, see no clarification or filtration, and minimum use of sulfur. He firmly believes in keeping things minimal with a low intervention philosophy, while firmly believing in ideals such as the moon cycle when it comes to racking and bottling. These details can have a noticeable influence on the wines, at key moments on their way to bottle, explains Will.

He produces wines from several different grape varieties, from wildly diverse terroirs that stretch from the southern Beaujolais to Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Southern Rhône. By working with the same parcels yearafter year, Will has learned how to express each vineyard honestly. He proudly says that the overarching philosophy comes firsthand from all the wonderful wine producers he has worked alongside.