Who We Are

Louis/Dressner Selections is a portfolio of over 60 vignerons in the Burgundy, Mâconnais, Beaujolais, Loire, Bugey, Jura, Languedoc-Roussillon, Southwest and Champagne regions of France; in Piedmont, Friuli, Veneto, Tuscany, Sicily and Puglia regions of Italy; and in the Douro of Portugal. We are a partnership of Denyse Louis, a native Burgundian, Joe Dressner and Kevin McKenna. Collectively, we spend nearly nine months a year in Europe working with our growers and selecting wines for importation to America.

We have no brands. We are not looking for them. We do have a group of often fanatical growers who are doing their best to make wines that are original because they are honestly crafted. These might seem old-fashioned, but in the present context it is almost revolutionary....

There are no gobs, no exaggerations, no over-this and over-that. We don't have fruit bombs. What we do have is a group of growers who work their vines and make their wines with honesty, passion and humor.

In that sense THE BRAND is the convergence of these crazy growers and their American importers. Working together to produce and market natural products that follow several principles:

Wild Yeasts

All wines are made with the natural yeasts on the grapes, in the vineyards and in the cellars. Cultured yeasts to rush fermentation or add "enhancing" aromas and flavors are unacceptable. We look for wines that express their terroir. No enzymes, no hormones.

Hand Harvesting

Growers harvest by hand, not machine. We want the ripest fruit to be brought carefully and lovingly into the winery.

Low Yields

The growers want low yields for greater concentration. We look for growers with holdings in old vines.

Natural Viticulture

We encourage growers to plow their vineyards to keep the soil an active eco-system, and to use natural methods in tending their vines.

No or Minimal Chaptalization

We do not want an artificially high degree of alcohol produced by adding sugar to the must. Non- or slightly chaptalized wines are more enjoyable and healthier to drink.

Non-Filtration

Wines are either not filtered or minimally filtered. We also encourage low levels of SO2.

Non-Interventionist Winemaking

We prefer a harmony, not an imposed style —wines should showcase their place of origin and varietal character. We are not looking for oak flavor, particular fruits or overly done aromatics. Minimal use of S02 is encouraged.

Quality Control

We taste at our growers several times before and after bottling before shipping wines. Where possible, we work with the vigneron to make special blends representing the very best wines in their cellar.

Enjoyment!

Lastly, our most important "principle." Because, the overblown world of overdone wines is fundamentally tiresome. We're not looking for tasting specimens, but for wines that are great fun, and a great pleasure to drink.