Julien et Sophie Schaal

In 2011, Julien Schaal, together with Olivier Biecher, launched a wine merchant firm specializing in Grand Cru wines. He was joined in 2013 by his wife, Sophie, a Burgundian oenologist trained in Dijon, who fell in love with Alsace. The couple then divided their wines: Julien focused on the Grand Crus, while Sophie offered more accessible wines. For Julien, the wines are primarily made from Riesling, a grape variety he considers best suited to conveying the distinct character of the terroirs classified as Grands Crus. Sophie is more focused on wines that are fun, indulgent, and joyful, offering a warm, welcoming feel. At the same time, and since their first vintage of Chardonnay and Syrah in 2005, Julien and Sophie Schaal have been running a wine trading business in South Africa. This venture allows them to create wines made from Chardonnay—a grape variety to which they feel a particular connection due to their personal histories—as well as Syrah and Chenin, with the unique goal of crafting terroir-driven wines in a vineyard where such practices are uncommon. The result is refined wines that are inevitably influenced by Burgundy while retaining their South African character.