Claverach Farm & Vineyards, LLC

Sam Hilmer planted his first vines here twenty years ago, on 300 acres carved from a larger family property in the first hills of the Ozark Mountains. The soils are very high in limestone and the slopes are steep. Grapes are grown at very high density and most work is done by hand. The portfolio spans Bianca, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chambourcin, Malbec, Marsanne, Petit Manseng, and Viognier, with The Artist among the notable releases. Wines are fermented using native yeasts and are unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulfite additions. Hilmer, a chef as well, tends vegetables, brambles, and tree fruit alongside the vines near the Meramec River.