Drinking extinction: Persan from the last 10 hectares on Earth

In the 18th century, Persan was considered one of France's best red wines. By the 21st century, only 25 acres existed in the entire world. Nicolas Gonin owns part of the last 10 hectares and spends weekends hunting old vineyards for cuttings. Sixty minutes from Alpe d'Huez, he'll pour you 100% Persan while explaining why some grapes deserve to be saved. You're drinking wine as archaeology, conservation, and obsession.

What to do there

4 things to do

1. 1 Email ahead to visit a working winery saving extinct grapes Wine · Free

   Nicolas Gonin's estate in St-Chef (60 min drive from Alpe d'Huez) isn't a public tasting room—it's a working bio/organic winery where a young winemaker saves grapes from extinction. Email 1-2 weeks ahead explaining you're a wine traveler from Alpe d'Huez interested in endangered varieties, specifically Persan. Find contact via Isère wine associations or ask at La Bamboche/Vins Marcon in Alpe d'Huez—they stock his wines. Mention you know his conservation story. Tastings usually €15-30 with purchase expected, but you're buying liquid archaeology.

   Backup: If Nicolas Gonin isn't available during your dates, Domaine Thomas Finot (Bernin, 45 min from Alpe d'Huez) also makes Persan + Verdesse + Étraire de la Dhuy. Contact: 04 76 13 45 57, thomas@domaine-finot.com. Or visit Le Vin des Alpes in Grenoble - Eric Esnault stocks both producers.

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2. 2 Taste 100% Persan: one of France's best, now nearly extinct Wine · Price: moderate

   Taste Nicolas's 100% Persan varietal bottling (organic since 2012)—in the 18th century, Persan was considered one of France's best red wines. By the 21st century, only 25 acres existed worldwide. Nicolas owns part of the last 10 hectares. You're drinking wine as archaeology, a grape rescued from extinction's edge. At his cellar, ask him to explain: why Persan was prized 250 years ago, how he hunts old vineyards on weekends for cuttings, the challenges of saving a variety collectors have forgotten. Taste slowly, take notes. This is education in liquid form.

   Backup: If Persan is sold out or not available for tasting, focus on Verdesse (white, also endangered - only 5ha/12 acres worldwide). Or buy bottles to take home and taste later - you won't find these anywhere else.

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3. 3 Walk the vineyard and see the vines being saved Adventure · Free · Optional

   Ask Nicolas to show you the Persan vines—part of only 10 hectares left on Earth. Stand among the rows, touch the vines, ask about glacial alluvial soil, south-facing slopes, low yields for concentration. He'll explain sourcing cuttings from abandoned vineyards and nurseries, propagating them, planting. This is conservation at the most granular level. Ask: "Which vintage was your favorite Persan so far?" "Do you think Persan will survive another 100 years?" "Where did you find your most recent cuttings?" The answers reveal obsession with saving liquid history.

   Backup: If weather is bad or vineyard access isn't possible, stay in the cellar and ask to taste from barrel or tank. Seeing unfinished wine is equally revealing - you taste the grape before oak and aging shape it.

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4. 4 Buy bottles to prove you tasted extinction Wine · Price: moderate

   Buy at least 2 bottles of Persan (€30-50 total)—one to drink soon, one to age. Also grab Verdesse (white, equally rare) if available. These bottles are conversations: "Only 25 acres of this grape exist in the world, and the winemaker hunts vineyards on weekends to save it." Wine nerds will lean in. Ask Nicolas which vintage he recommends drinking now vs aging, request his tasting notes or winemaking philosophy in writing. Store bottles carefully for the drive back—you're transporting extinction in glass form.

   Backup: If budget is tight, buy 1 bottle of Persan and ask for his contact for future orders. Or join a wine club/importer that carries his wines. The goal is to remember this moment in liquid form.

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