Amy Lillard

A Colorado native, Amy has worked in wine over 15 years. Straight out of university she moved to France to work in the vineyards and study winemaking in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin. Under the tutelage of people like Genevieve Bartet, Bruno Clair, Sylvie Esmonin, and Kyriakos Kynigopoulous she discovered a love of France and its wines. While in Burgundy she also had the fortune to meet and befriend French wine journalist Michel Bettane, who took it upon himself to teach her the fine art of wine tasting. California was the next stop where she worked for the American importer Kermit Lynch for several years, greatly reinforcing her tasting skills. In 2005 Amy and her husband purchased five hectares of vineyards and created a small winery (La Gramière) at their home in the Rhône Valley. She is also the Southern Rhône correspondent for the Bettane & Desseauve’s French Wine Guide.