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Ontario

The Quest of Authenticity

Photo : Matt Morris

HUMANITY AND AUTHENTICITY

 

A wine promotional agency established in Quebec in 1997, Le Maître de Chai represents more than 200 wineries, serving both the Quebec and Ontario markets since 2015.

 

Over the past two decades, we have put together an enviable portfolio of world-class wineries and winemakers who are considered the elite in their respective regions.

 

To our clients, be it individual wine lovers or restaurants, we are proud to offer truly exceptional wines. To the wineries we represent, we take equal pride in our ability to communicate their stories. Wether these wine are sold on private ordering, directly through the LCBO stores, or both, we will find the ideal route to bring these wines to market.

 

To excel in this business, one must have, before anything else, a passion for not only wine, but also the people who are behind every bottle. It’s these enduring personal relationships we cultivate with our winemakers, restaurateurs and individual clients that is the ultimate reward.– Francis Martin, owner of Le Maitre de Chai

 

Our story began at the end of the 1980’s, when Gilles Martin and Josée Levert, founders of Le Maitre de Chai, traveled all over France searching for wines to stock their personal cellar. Along the way, they discovered not only great wines, but met truly memorable winemakers. Wether or not they realized it at the time, they were laying the foundation of not only a wine agency, but a philosophy of how to run a wine agency. We operate on the same principle today- that wine is ultimately about people.

 

Among the pioneers of selling wines on private import in Quebec, Gilles and Josée carefully expanded their portfolio by knocking on the doors of the world’s most respected wineries, adding one new client at a time. This passion for wine and desire to represent only the best was passed on their son Francis, who has been running Le Maitre de Chai since 2010.
Le Maitre de Chai is one of the most respected wine agencies in Quebec, and now we have set up shop in Ontario. But as we have grown over the years, we have never wavered from our founding principle: to seek out authentic and exceptional wines at all price levels and to transmit the passion and stories of those who make them.

Producers

Bonnigal-Bodet

Loire, France

We present to you a recent addition to our portfolio, Bonnigal Bodet, one of the revelations of recent years in Touraine: the estate has entered the RVF’s guide to the best wines of France in 2024! Jean-Baptiste Bonnigal (none other than the son-in-law of François Chidaine) and Stéphane Bodet, a young and talented tandem who took over the property in 2015, offer us a variety of unrivaled quality wines an in this region of the Loire. Their friendship began while they were both students at the Montagne-Saint-Emilion wine high school in the Bordeaux region. Stéphane decided to leave Bordeaux to settle in Touraine in order to be able to join Jean-Baptsite, who represents the 5th generation of winegrowers in his family based in Loire at Domaine de Prévôté.

Website

Château Arcole

Bordeaux, France

Château d'Arcole, located in the commune of Saint-Sulpice-de-Faleyrens in the southern part of the Saint-Émilion appellation, has been part of the Barthe family's heritage since Napoleonic times. Véronique Barthe and Philippe Gardère, experienced winegrowers, today are the caretakers of this small property of 5 hectares planted with 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. This vineyard is the very first in the appellation to have committed to an environmental approach by cultivating the vines organically since 1960. A range of methods accepted in organic farming and biodynamics is implemented to obtain moderate yields of high quality grapes. Work in the cellar is done gently to avoid over-extraction and in favour great finesse. A classic aging of 14 to 18 months in barrels will follow the slow and natural vinifications. Several details including capsules, labels and 100% recyclable boxes as well as the use of lightweight bottles add to this eco-responsible approach.

Website

Lucien Muzard

Burgundy - Côte de Beaune, France

In the region of Santenay, the Muzard name is highly visible, as much for the breadth of the family’s vineyards (which includes five premier cru sites in the appellation), as for their leadership and quality of their wines. The Muzard brothers share a vision for producing wholesome wines; and they also understand the work required to make those wines. In 2009, they proudly converted their entire vineyard holdings to organics. Whether in the vines or in the cellar, they work seriously and energetically. Their wines always show bright, attractive fruit in youth, and they have the structure needed for serious aging as well. Their wines have stuffing found all too rarely in modern-day Santenay.

Website

Mas Cal Demoura

Languedoc-Roussillon, France

After a first professional life in the world of finance in Paris, Vincent and Isabelle Goumard decide to quit everything and take over a few hectares of vines from Mas Jullien. They learned from their role model and mentor, Olivier Jullien in the heart of the Terrasses du Larzac.The couple very quickly showed the extent of their talent, with a very detailed understanding of their plots and geological variations, a respect for plants and high wine-growing standards. The estate, which now has 16 hectares of vines, is cultivated like a garden using certified organic and biodynamic agriculture.

Website

Begali Lorenzo

Veneto, Italy

The 10-hectare Begali estate is situated in the DOC Valpolicella Classico zone in a small hamlet called La Cengia. Set amongst rolling hills and beautiful cherry groves, the vineyard terroir is particularly conducive to producing concentrated, fragrant wines. Since the early 1900s, the Begali family has passed their learnings and love of the land from generation to generation. Giordano Begali began to produce wines after the Second World War. He was succeeded by his son Lorenzo and his wife Adriana, and now their children Giordano and Tiliana, are helping to run the estate. The family's philosophy is to always respect tradition yet strive to improve quality. Every year this true family estate attracts lots of praise, and has earned an endless number of Tre Bicchieri awards (3 Glasses - the top prize) from Gambero Rosso, Italy's most respect wine authority.

Website

Ontario wine lists

Licensee - Price List

Consumer - Price List