every A story in bottle

Naked’s superstar winemaker Benjamin Darnault has crafted some spectacular bottles over the years, and his story is almost as remarkable as his wines

“I’m now able to produce consistently outstanding wine at great value – with the comfort of being able to try new things, knowing Naked Wines will back me up!” Benjamin Darnault, winemaker

There are many reasons the Languedoc is winemaking heaven. Rolling hilly vineyards, centuries of grape-growing expertise, oodles of Mediterranean sunshine – and did we mention it’s home to superstar winemaker Benjamin Darnault? Ben has made wines that have scooped an eye-popping 95 Parker Points (aka ‘terrific wines’). One was even named in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines in the World. It’s no wonder he was voted Naked Winemaker of the Year. But life wasn’t always so rosy for Ben. Ten years ago he had just left a successful winemaking career in Australia to resettle his young family in his native France. Ben dreamed of making wines of his own in the Languedoc – but he was struggling to get off the ground. That was until 200,000 Naked Wines customers (called Angels) came along and transformed Ben’s livelihood. Thanks to Angel investment, Ben was finally able to set up on his own and realise his lifelong dream of putting his own name on the label. Even better, he had an advance on his next vintage! With the backing of Angel funding, Ben has been able to invest more, source even better fruit and establish strong relationships with local growers to improve the quality of his delicious wines year on year. Fast forward to today and Ben is paying Naked Angels back with exclusive wines that punch well above their weight for the price. With over a quarter of a million rave reviews and a mind-boggling 90% average rating, he’s a bonafide Naked icon.