Wine from the Vigneron Model in California
Les Lunes is one of the most committed natural wine projects in the United States — a collaboration between two vignerons who farm 50 acres across 10 leased vineyards in Napa and Sonoma counties, making wine in a converted basement in Orinda and now a proper facility in Richmond. [^17^] Founded by Shaunt Oungoulian (UC Davis graduate, former intern with Julie Balagny in Beaujolais and Philippe Valette in Mâcon) and Diego Roig (viticulture and enology degree from UC Davis, harvests in France, New Zealand, and at Domaine Leon Barral and COS), Les Lunes has restored the broken bond between farming and vinification that defines the French vigneron tradition. [^25^] [^21^] They do not own land. They lease vineyards, drive their two tractors between sites throughout the week, and convert conventionally farmed plots to organic practices — all while making wines of remarkable balance, freshness, and California terroir expression. [^17^]
From UC Davis to Burgundy & Back
Shaunt Oungoulian and Diego Roig did not come to natural wine through the conventional California path. Both are graduates of UC Davis — the world's most prestigious viticulture and enology program — but they left the conventional wine industry behind to pursue something more honest, more connected, and more French. [^25^] [^21^]
Shaunt spent the 2013 vinification period in Beaujolais interning with Julie Balagny, herself a former protégée of the legendary Yvon Métras. [^25^] Before that, he spent a year working with Mâconnais maestro Philippe Valette. [^25^] These experiences in France — working with vignerons who both farmed their own vines and made wine from them — shaped his understanding of what wine could be. The first Les Lunes Pinot Noir label was an homage to Yvon Métras's Fleurie "Ultime" — the same flowing cursive script, the same thick diagonal red band. "It was five years ago and his wines were much less known in the US," Shaunt explains. "So it was kind of a wink to the people that could recognise it and understand it." [^25^]
Diego's journey was equally international. Before UC Davis, he was brewing beer in his garage. A friend introduced him to natural wine, and he made a 180-degree turn — abandoning law school plans to work harvests in France and New Zealand, and at Domaine Leon Barral in the Languedoc and COS in Sicily. [^21^] [^25^] He and Shaunt met while working for the same producer in Burgundy, where both were equally driven in their pursuit of making great, honest wine. [^21^]
Upon returning to the USA in 2014, Shaunt partnered with Diego, Sam Baron, and Martha Stoumen to found two wine labels: Populis Wine and Les Lunes. [^25^] Baron and Stoumen have since moved on to other projects, leaving Roig and Oungoulian as the faces of the operation. [^25^] They started making wine in Shaunt's parents' converted basement in Orinda, California — a suburban house on Cascade Lane with plastic fermenting tanks on the lawn and a heap of marc in the driveway, about as far from the old stone cellars of France as one can imagine. [^25^]
From those humble beginnings, they have grown into a proper facility in Richmond, California — high ceilings, climate-controlled storage, brand-new equipment, and an office space for staff tastings. [^21^] But the philosophy has never changed: farm first, make the wine you want to drink, and let the vineyard do the talking.
"We do very little in the cellar because we spend time in our vineyards. Proper pruning, precise suckering, well-timed treatments and thoughtful weed management lets us minimize the pesticide inputs in our vineyards. We do this to preserve the indigenous microbes on the grapes and in the soils, which leads to healthier and more complex wines that don't need adjusting or stabilizing."
— Shaunt Oungoulian & Diego Roig
Leasing, Farming & Converting to Organic
Les Lunes does not own any land. Instead, they have built a unique business model around leasing and farming 10 vineyards across Napa and Sonoma counties — approximately 50 acres in total. [^17^] Of the 50 acres they farm, about 80% were previously farmed with synthetic chemicals. [^17^] They have now converted everything to organic practices — a massive undertaking that involves driving two tractors between sites throughout the week, performing all the labor themselves along with a few full- and part-time employees. [^17^]
Their farming protocol directly informs their winemaking. Instead of adding nutrients to a wine tank to jump-start a fermentation, they correct nutrient deficiencies beforehand in the vineyard by spreading compost and planting cover crops. [^17^] The Les Lunes staff even eats the peas and radishes grown between the rows of vines — the farm is that integrated into their lives. [^21^] Vineyards must be certified organic, and for sites that aren't yet organic, they take the time to transition them, often enduring a couple of years without financial return as the vines recover from previous treatments. [^21^]
Because they perform the labor themselves, they get access to affordable fruit "in regions that we'd otherwise be priced out of," such as Merlot in Napa Valley. [^17^] It's a peculiar arrangement — they farm 4.5 hectares of leased vines for their own wines, cultivate another 4.5 hectares under vineyard management contracts for others, and use that income to fund grape purchases from still other organic vineyards. [^25^] "It becomes a game of economics," says Shaunt. "With the stuff we farm in Napa and Sonoma, the price of the grapes is high, so it kind of makes sense to say, 'Ok let me sell a ton of grapes in Napa and I can go buy three tons in Mendocino.'" [^25^]
Diego is the vineyard scout — "really good at finding weird vineyards by, like, calling everyone," as Shaunt puts it. "He basically gets the phone book and just starts calling people. He's like, 'Do you have any organically farmed grapes?' and they're like, 'No.' And he's like, 'Do you know anyone who does?'" [^25^] This hustle has led to remarkable sources, including the Venturi Vineyard in Mendocino — probably the oldest Sauvignon Blanc vineyard in California, with wide-spaced, tall goblet-trained vines dating from 1948. [^25^]
Of the 50 acres Les Lunes farms, about 80% were previously treated with synthetic chemicals. They have converted all of it to organic practices through their own labor. [^17^]
They drive their two tractors between leased sites in Napa and Sonoma throughout the week, performing all vineyard work themselves. No outsourcing. [^17^]
Instead of adding nutrients in the cellar, they fix deficiencies in the vineyard through compost, cover crops, and thoughtful weed management. The farming protocol informs every winemaking decision. [^17^]
Their self-farmed model gives them access to sites like the 1948 Venturi Vineyard in Mendocino — probably California's oldest Sauvignon Blanc planting — that would otherwise be economically out of reach. [^25^]
Natural Acidity & Zero Adjustments
Les Lunes' winemaking is built entirely around vineyard integrity. Because of their careful vineyard selection and farming, there are almost no adjustments or stabilization steps in the vinification process. [^21^] The wines rely on — and thrive on — their natural acidity. "When it comes to aging, I think that natural acidity is a forgotten yet much-needed component. Tannins just don't buy you as much as good, crisp acid," Diego explains. [^21^]
Shaunt's key insight, perceptible in all the Populis and Les Lunes wines, has been to grasp the aesthetic link between vineyard work and the final wine. The wines are agile, full-fruited, with splendid balance and little of the high-glycerol character that can accompany ripeness in California. [^25^] "Great wines are made in the vineyard" is a truism that has been abused for decades by winemakers seeking to avoid discussing invasive vinification, but in Les Lunes' hands, it is undeniably true. [^25^]
The challenges they face are the opposite of those in France. "In France they are struggling for ripeness, they are struggling for sugar accumulation. In the vineyards they are struggling to keep weeds down," Shaunt notes. "Here, for us it's the opposite. We have no problem with losing ripeness. It's about how do we keep acidity. In the vineyards, it's like, how do I actually keep something growing, but so it's not just sucking up all the water?" [^25^]
Shaunt learned in France that ripeness and balance are not mutually exclusive. "Take Philippe Valette — his wines are so ripe, but they still have great acidity and great balance and freshness. Like, in the vineyard, how do you delay the sugar accumulation? How do you delay the acid going down? While letting flavors develop? That's where it's not just a question of, like, picking in July." [^25^]
Les Lunes operates three distinct labels, each with a different purpose and expression. [^21^] The Les Lunes label is the flagship — single-vineyard wines from their self-farmed sites, with longer macerations, longer élevage, and longer bottle-aging before release. [^25^] Populis is the sister label — wines made from purchased organic fruit from trusted growers, designed to be bright, energetic, and made for everyday good times. [^16^] And then there is Licorne Méchante — a fully experimental label for when they encounter an unfamiliar grape or something goes unplanned in the cellar. Carbonic red blends? Repurposed pressed lees from every barrel and tank in a single season? Absolutely. [^21^]
The Three Labels of Les Lunes
Les Lunes — Single-vineyard wines from self-farmed leased sites. Longer macerations, longer élevage, longer bottle aging. The flagship. Petaluma Gap Pinot Noir, Venturi Old Vine Zinfandel, Napa Merlot. [^21^] [^25^]
Populis — Wines from purchased organic fruit from deeply trusted growers. Bright, energetic, made for everyday good times. Sauvignon Blanc from 1948 Venturi Vineyard, the popular "Astral Blend" (Zinfandel, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay). [^16^] [^21^]
Licorne Méchante — The experimental playground. Carbonic red blends, repurpressed lees, anything unplanned or unfamiliar. "We make the wines we want to drink." [^21^]
The Les Lunes Range
Les Lunes produces wines across three labels — Les Lunes (self-farmed single-vineyard expressions), Populis (purchased organic fruit, everyday drinking), and Licorne Méchante (experimental). [^21^] All wines are made with native yeasts, no adjustments, minimal or no added sulfur, and a focus on natural acidity. [^17^] [^21^] The Les Lunes wines see longer élevage and bottle aging before release, while Populis wines are designed for earlier enjoyment. [^25^] Prices are approximate and in USD.
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Retailers for Les Lunes Wine
Les Lunes wines are highly sought after and are distributed through a network of specialized importers and independent wine shops. Due to their small production and high demand, their wines can be difficult to find and often sell out quickly.
Online Retailers & Direct from the Winery
The most reliable way to purchase their wines is directly from their website, where they offer an online shop. You can also find their wines on popular online marketplaces.
Official Website: https://www.lesluneswine.com/buy-wines
MYSA Natural Wine: https://mysa.wine/collections/les-lunes
Select Retailers & Distributors
Les Lunes wines are available at fine wine shops that focus on natural and low-intervention producers. Since their distribution is limited, it is a good idea to call ahead to confirm availability.
Distributors:
Olmstead Wine Co.: https://www.olmsteadwine.com/
Cream Wine Company: https://www.creamwine.com/
Retailers (Examples of places that have carried their wines):
Bitter Pops (Chicago, IL): https://bitterpops.com/
VinoNueva (Miami, FL): https://vinonueva.com/
Solano Cellars (Berkeley, CA): https://www.solanocellars.com/
Grand Wine Cellar (Syosset, NY): https://grandwinecellar.com/