So, what exactly does ‘flâneur’ mean, anyway? Great question. With origins in 19th-century France, the term describes “a leisurely wanderer, a worldly explorer, a connoisseur of life” – which is basically what Marty became after he escaped the craziness of the business world. According to Marty, a true flâneur knows that the mind functions best when working at a slow pace, and understands that the best things in life are uncovered when we allow our curiosity to guide us.
Taking a sustainable approach to farming, Flâneur’s award-winning winemaker Grant Coulter (ex-Beaux Frères, Hamacher Wines) eschews irrigation unnecessary intervention in favour of letting nature do its thing. He believes that when vines have to work hard to reach for water they build character and strength, resulting in wines with more intense flavour and aroma.
Coulter grows chardonnay and pinot at Flâneur’s two vineyards: the Flanerie vineyard in the Ribbon Ridge AVA – which produces a wonderfully savoury pinot noir; and the La Belle Promenade vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains AVA – a rocky, elevated site which once housed a cherry orchard and now produces a pinot with dark fruit forwardness and soft tannins.
Visiting? Be sure to check out their new tasting area and hospitality centre housed in an impressively redeveloped 120-year-old grain elevator.
