Hervé Bizeul, creator of Clos des Fées, is quite the character.

He’s also formidably accomplished. He’d been a sommelier emeritus, a restaurateur, and a food and wine critic before throwing himself body and soul into the production of Côtes du Roussillon wines in his mid-forties. Eloquent, insightful, proud and with a flair for the dramatic, he found the idea of making “basic” wines to be beneath his dignity. It’s well-known today that he accomplished his goal of superlative quality in an under-recognized region.

The main guides of France wine all agree on the excellence. Could his consecration in these guides be even more impressive? It is quite possible, yes. Perhaps the hint of critical reserve might partially explain his turbulent personality. Adding to his accolades is the strong impact of his blog, which Bizeul maintains with passion and individuality.

In our view, all top producers should be able to produce, as unconditionally as their top cuvées, excellent wines at remarkably low prices. To wit, his cuvée Les Sorcières, one of four Clos des Fées wines in the SAQ’s specialty section, is all about easy, instant happiness. Hervé Bizeul’s wines cover a spectrum of price points. In the mid-range, his cuvée Vieilles Vignes is a wise choice for those patient enough to wait a few years. The cuvées Clos des Fees and La Petite Sibérie offer proof that Roussillon’s terroirs deserve to be considered among the very best.

Hervé Bizeul also created the Walden co-op in 2005. The name is, of course, taken from the works of the poet and philosopher Henry Thoreau, who wrote of his experiences as a hermit in close contact with nature. Walden brings together a group of a dozen of the Domaine du Clos des Fees’ neighbors, each of whom tends vines with great potential, but who may not have all the skills necessary to produce fine wines. With an emphasis on sustainability and fair trade, the organization is managed by Hervé Bizeul, who also provides technical, administrative and promotional support. At each respective step, the vines, the grapes, and the wine are pampered. The attention to detail is extraordinary. For example, they seek optimal ripening levels, they harvest manually, placing picked grapes in small 70-liter containers, they then store and transport everything is temperature-controlled trucks, and so on. Little wonder, then, that the style of their Côtes du Roussillon, distributed via private import, is reminiscent of the Clos des Fées’ cuvée Les Sorcières.