'Before vines and wine, I was working in construction, this is a new industry for me' 

Simon Faure’s route into wine is far from conventional. Before making his first vintage in 2023, he worked in construction. Today, he is building a small project in the Mâconnais, working with carefully sourced fruit alongside parcels of his own land in Saint-Véran.

Production remains in miniscule amounts, with around 12,000 bottles made in 2025. Faure’s approach to winemaking is measured, following a practice of: meticulous attention to detail in the vineyard, a restrained hand in the cellar, and a desire to preserve the individual character of each site.

Wine Source spoke with Simon about his unusual journey into winemaking, the differences between his wines from Mâcon and Saint-Véran, the importance of terroir, and what lies ahead for his wine making.

WS: You began your career in wine from a very unconventional background. How did your story as a winemaker begin?

SF: Before wine, I worked in construction. I started making wine in 2023, it was a completely new job for me. At the beginning I bought grapes from a grower who was selling his fruit to the cooperative rather than making his own wine. Since then, the project has developed and I now also have my own parcel of land in Saint-Véran.

WS: How does the domaine work today? Are you still buying fruit as well as working with your own vineyards?

SF: Yes. I continue to buy grapes, but I also have my own parcel. The idea is to work with excellent fruit and good vineyards, while gradually developing the domaine.

WS: How important is the farming behind the wines?

SF: It is very important. I do not personally farm all of the vineyards from which I buy grapes, but the grower works carefully with the soils. My own parcel is in conversion to organic farming.

WS: What happens to the fruit once it reaches the winery?

SF: The grapes spend one night in a cold chamber and are pressed the following day. After pressing, there is only a short period of settling before the juice goes into barrel. Before bottling, I move the wines into stainless steel tanks for around two or three weeks.

WS: Your wines have a strong sense of individuality and place, why is this?

SF: The vineyards are very different. One site has deeper, richer soil and gives the wine a rounder and richer style, with more of a citrus character. The other has a sandier soil and gives more tension and a more vertical expression.

WS: What is the difference between the wine you make from the Mâcon and Saint-Véran?

SF: The Mâcon wines are generally easier to drink when they are young. The Saint-Véran wines need a little more time and can be more suited to drinking with food.

WS: You are releasing a new cuvée for 2025, can you tell us about it?

SF: Paradis is new for 2025. There is only one barrel from the vintage because it was a very difficult harvest.

WS: Your production is remarkably small. How much wine do you make each year?

SF: In 2025, total production is around 12,000 bottles. Some of the individual cuvées are made in extremely small quantities - around 1,500 bottles for some wines, and roughly 800 to 1,000 bottles for another in a normal year.

WS: There are also some older vines within your vineyards, what do these add to the wine?

SF: One of the parcels has vines of around 50 years old. These vines sit at a little higher altitude on a limestone plateau, this offers a more concentrated expression to the wine.

WS: One of the wines brings together two separate parcels. How do you approach that cuvée?

SF: The two small parcels are vinified separately and then assembled towards the end, before bottling. They have different personalities: one is rounder and the other is more vertical. Bringing them together gives the wine its balance and harmony.

Our conversation with Simon, cemented one thing, this project is still very young, but that is part of its fascination. From a first vintage in 2023 to a growing collection of site-specific wines, Faure’s focus remains on small quantities, individual vineyards and the contrasts that exist across the Mâconnais. With Paradis joining the range in 2025, the domaine continues to evolve, one parcel and one vintage at a time.