Au Contraire Wines Celebrate Living Life to the Fullest
Au Contraire wines are crafted for those who revel in turning the everyday ordinary into something extraordinary. They celebrate the spirit of taking on any challenge in life, no matter how insurmountable it may seem. This irresistible joie de vivre is artfully embodied on each Au Contraire label with a playful illustration that turns expectations on their heads.
The inspiration for Au Contraire comes from David Taub, the beloved founder of Palm Bay International, who touched everyone he met with his charisma, compassion, and tenacity. He often used this charming French expression, usually preceding an insight that took a turn from conventional wisdom. He used it to point out that there’s always various ways to tackle different situations. He could transform an ordinary idea into an extraordinary one just by adding his own special little twist on it.
President & CEO Marc D. Taub, David’s son, fittingly adopted Au Contraire to embody the first American brand established by the Taub family. It was his way of honoring his father’s 50+ years in the wine industry and his revolutionary, outside-of-the-box thinking.
Au Contraire strives to showcase the best of California’s Sonoma County, with Russian River Valley chardonnays that express the purity of this remarkable terroir. The Au Contraire team sources grapes from family-owned vineyards that adhere to Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing practices.
These expressive wines are dedicated to David Taub’s infectious approach to life, and to all those who aim to live life to the fullest.
Au Contraire Highlights
Au Contraire wines pay tribute to David Taub, the beloved founder of Palm Bay International and a revolutionary, outside-of-the-box thinker.
Marc D. Taub, David’s son, established the brand in 2012.
The chardonnay grapes hail from family-owned, Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing vineyards.
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Founded
2012 -
Location
Sonoma County, California, United States of America
The Natural Advantages of Sonoma County
Located about two hours north of San Francisco, Sonoma County is one of California’s most prestigious wine regions. Comprising six AVAs — including the Russian River Valley, from which the grapes for Au Contraire wines are sourced — Sonoma County stretches from the Pacific Coast in the west to the Mayacamas Mountains in the east. This varied topography has produced incredibly diverse microclimates, marked by warm days and cool nights created by coastal winds and mountain inversion layers. The result is a balanced, lengthy growing season that yields pristinely ripe, fresh grapes.
Hand-Tended Vines in the Russian River Valley & Beyond
Au Contraire’s mission is to showcase Sonoma County at its best, with chardonnay sourced from family-owned vineyards in the region’s leading AVAs. The grapes come from the Russian River Valley, one of California’s best spots for growing chardonnay.
In the Russian River Valley, the nearby Pacific Ocean sends onshore breezes and fog to cool the vineyards, resulting in wine textures that are structured yet silky. Likewise, these cool influences balance the daytime sunshine and heat, which allow the grapes to develop to full maturity and retain their natural acidity. The valley’s alluvial soils, including the Goldridge soil found in some of Au Contraire’s partner vineyards, have good drainage and provide outstanding natural balance to the wines. All the grapes are hand harvested to ensure the best-quality fruit is selected.
From Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing Vineyards
Committed to the highest quality and integrity of farming techniques and community values, Au Contraire wines hail from family-run vineyards that implement Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing practices.
The vineyards’ sustainability initiatives include the use of cover crops as an alternative to herbicide and to improve soil structure, compost as ground cover to return nutrients to the soil, drip irrigation and other water management systems, natural pest control, and solar panels. These practices ensure the health of the vineyards, protect the natural landscape, and result in high-quality grapes and wines.
Au Contraire Wines Are Carefully Handcrafted
Au Contraire’s experienced team of viticulturists and oenologists use a range of winemaking techniques to bring out the unique characteristics of each wine and its remarkable terroir. Au Contraire chardonnays commonly undergo barrel fermentation and lees stirring/fermentation to produce a rounder, richer texture. They also age in a combination of new and used French oak barrels to develop secondary flavors and greater complexity.
