July 2020

POLISHED ‘GO-TO’ BARBERA

There has and will continue to be a lot of attention paid to the fantastic 2016 vintage in Piedmont, though history will remember the great Barolos and Barbarescos. We have had a lot of fun with the little wines of the region and the vintage provided a number of very appealing Barberas and Dolcettos. In our minds the vintage should have passed through the market by now, the fragmented distribution of Italian wines (lots of small purveyors) in this marketplace still seems to have a few pockets of the vintage wine to be had.

The Giovanni Rosso ‘Donna Margherita’ Barbera D’Alba 2016 is a fine example of this special vintage, coupled with a more generous style. It shows a sweet nose of red and black fruits, with earth, minerality and spice/herb/floral accents subtly woven in. Probably due both to the bottle age and the vintage itself, this particular version comes off as more fleshy and elegant than your typical commercial rendition of Barbera, which can be wildly different but often lean towards higher acidity. Consider this a ‘kinder, gentler’ example of the breed.

Monica Larner’s description of the wine we felt was pretty on point, “The Giovanni Rosso 2016 Barbera d’Alba Donna Margherita shows a slightly aged personality with toasted hazelnut, dried blackberry, dusty mineral and campfire ash. Barbera maintains bright primary fruit for a long time, but this wine (tasting four years after the harvest) is just beginning to show that added complexity of time, especially on the bouquet. In the mouth, however, Donna Margherita is surprising lively, bright and fresh.”

We sure liked it and the description appeared pretty positive. Given that, we have to say we were a little surprised by the ‘conclusion’, a ’89’ point score. What’s wrong with “added complexity” while still being “surprising lively, bright and fresh”? It goes to show that, on any given day, it is difficult to figure out what might be in the reviewer’s head. This rather plush, varietally true, engaging Barbera should please a lot of folks and delivers a lot for its modest tab.

VIETTI’S EXCEPTIONAL ARNEIS

Around here we have been noticed that there are a number of vintners throughout the wine world that are definitely color oriented. Very often producers (in Burgundy in particular) that make great white wine also produce adequate but seemingly uninspired reds. There are red wine guys that follow the same pattern in reverse, exceptional reds but not necessarily compelling whites. Then there are a precious few that seem to do everything well. Luca Currado is one of those.

Sure he makes a variety of exciting reds from Dolcetto to Barbera to Nebbiolo, including some of the most highly prized single-vineyard Barolos around. But his Moscato d’Asti can sit on the same table with any producers’ efforts, including guys that are Moscato specialists. We have had a number of his Arneis wines over the years, and they have always been proper. But, for whatever reason, the Vietti Roero Arneis 2018 is a cut above most of the examples we recall from him as well as most of what we have tasted in general in recent years.

Sure, there’s only so much you can say about a regional white of this kind, but it matters when you get a textbook example that you can point to of what the wine is supposed to be. The aromatics are outgoing with mineral and florality vying for attention with notes of green apple and white nectarine. In the mouth, you get the expected verve but a bit more flesh in the midpalate and a bright, slightly piquant note of tonic and a touch of salinity to the finish. A lifted, bright white that has enough midpalate for casual sipping but really comes alive with food.

Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner said, “This is always such a delicious wine and one I could imagine pairing with a Thai salad or grilled shrimp. The 2018 Roero Arneis opens to fragrant aromas with spring flower, cut grass and white peach. This is a lean-bodied white with a bright, tonic and zesty personality…90 points.” Since her review is from over a year ago, we suspect the wine has expanded a bit since that note was written, but it still maintains the mouth-watering freshness to play its intended role. As to ‘scores’, we’d be even a point or two higher based on what we tasted.

DELICIOUS ‘AMERICAN’ ZIN FROM ABROAD

It all started with an idea. The Perucci family was one of the dominant players in the region, producing large quantities of commercial wine. Costantino Perrucci was one of the most famous wine entrepreneurs of Puglia in the 1970s and 80s. But Gregory Perucci had other ideas. He wanted to prove that fine wine could be made out of the native varieties of the area. To that end, in 1996, he founded Accademia dei Racemi whose purpose was to give impetus to the research and revival of numerous indigenous grapes.

He and his young, enthusiastic staff worked tirelessly to research and improve vinification techniques and raise the wine bar for an area known as a place for hearty, cheap reds. He was credited with the elevation of Malvasia Nera, Fiano Minutolo, and Ottavianello as well as bringing back Sussumaniello from virtual extinction(it is now one of the most important grapes in Puglia). But it all started with Primativo de Manduria. The Acaddemia commited serious effort to studying the many facets of the area’s different soils. Discussions still happen regarding the relationship of Primitivo to California’s Zinfandel. Here in the black soils of Manduria in southern Puglia, Primitivo has risen to the status of a serious varietal as opposed to just an ingredient to fortify generic blends.

In 1998, Gregory decided to take the step of creating a new winery that featured these indigenous varietals made as premium wines. He was convinced of the potential for fine red wines here by virtue of excellent soils, a near-perfect climate, and the extra control that modern technology could now provide. He hired consultant winemaking wizard Roberto Cipresso and off they went to revitalize and reactivate abandoned Primitivo vineyards containing ‘bush’ vines ranging from 40 to over 90 years old.

But the ambitious Gregory had other plans as well. He has been a member of ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers) since 1997 nd the Felline estate offers not only their ‘Old World’ version of Primitivo but this ‘New World’ version created from what was playfully called the ‘Samsonite clones’ said to be from cuttings that Gregory obtained from Ridge icon Paul Draper and carried back in a suitcase.

The Felline Primitivo di Manduria Terra Nera Sinfarosa Zinfandel 2016 is a wine Geek’s ‘home run’. This wine says Zinfandel right on the label and shows the earth, minerality, and countryside tones verifying it’s Italian origins, but an unmistakable core of spicy, brambly dark berry fruit that is the soul of quality Zinfandel from the North Coast. The two factions harmonize beautifully and make for an intriguing interplay of profiles, on the one hand suggesting classic Italian nuance, on the other ripe, shameless, very varietal expression. Since it is warm down here, this wine has the amplitude that one expects from something labeled Zinfandel.

At 15% it approaches Amarone weight, but still has the freshness to bring it all together and finish with some lift. A six month sojourn in a combination of French and American oak rounds the edges and adds a hint of vanilla. Those ‘American’ vines have ‘learned the language’, yet still retain visible signs of their identity. This wine provides both an intellectual side to ponder and a spicy, hedonistic side to simply enjoy with hearty fare. The choice is yours.

Vinous Media’s Ian d’Agata seemed as excited with this distinctive bottling as we were writing, “Medium red-ruby. Beautifully nuanced scents and flavors of red cherry, raspberry, smoky minerality and flowers. Rich, suave and wonderfully broad on the palate, with a tactile, plush mouthfeel and a powerful but refined presence. A noteworthy edge of saline minerality carries through on the very long, refined finish. A knockout Primitivo. ..93 points.”

While a little more subdued numerically, Wine Spectator still had nice things to say, “An elegant, medium- to full-bodied red, with creamy tannins and a palate that ripples with black cherry coulis flavors and accents of ground anise, graphite, smoke and herb, lingering on the fresh finish. Drink now through 2024…90 points.”

It also played well with the home folks earning the prestigious Tre Bicchiere (Three Glasses, the highest award) from Gambero Rosso. At that point, all we could do is ‘add by subtraction’ by shaving roughly $10 off the retail price. At $16.98, this is a must for a variety of reasons. Only 25 cases, though.

TASTY ‘NEW’ SPANISH RED FROM AN ‘OLD’ SOURCE

While not an official DO, the Sierra de Gredos is home to a group of young, passionate and innovative winemakers who are pushing the boundaries of viniculture in a region that has long been seen as a place for bulk wine to slake the thirst of nearby Madrid. Even in a country of mountains and high plateaux, and despite its proximity to the sun-baked capital, the Sierra de Gredos seems more alpine, more remote and more rugged than one would imagine this far south. It is the unique combination of high altitudes and low latitudes that defines the potential of Gredos and when you throw in weathered slate, granite and schist soils and add some varieties that are pushed to their limits in such an extreme environment.

Many of the Spanish importers we know are touting what are loosely referred to as ‘Vinos de Madrid’ as the next big thing. Our experience has been rather more mixed, with a a number of wines rather undefined stylistically and others overly ‘reduced’. This area has been producing for a long time but, like other regions in Spain have done, are trying to step out of the bulk image and make more distinctive wines. One that has given us hope in the region is Bodegas Maranones. The creative force here is ‘young gun’ Fernando Garcia, who along with Daniel Landi, has already created the critically acclaimed Commando G wines.

The issue here is that this terroir is, literally, ‘high and dry’. The rather unique growing cycle here has little problem with pests or disease, but the season can be abruptly short and is highly susceptible to spring frosts. A lot of the vineyard work, organic/biodynamic farming and plowing the hillsides using mules, is focused on facilitating a long enough vegetative cycle for the grapes to get ripe.

The Bodegas Maranones 30,000 Maravedies Madrid 2016 is one of two workhorse wines for the project and a great portion of this wine comes from a vineyard called Dehesa, located in the valley with deeper alluvial/sandy soils (the other two sites are above 2500 feet and very stony). Garcia will forgo bottling higher priced, single vineyard bottlings if he feels the ‘entry level’ wines need a boost. Clearly he committed to building a name for the wines. In the cellar, it’s ‘old school’ with whole cluster fermentation and grapes foot-trodden, big foudres and indigenous yeast.

The Bodegas Maranones 30,000 Maravedies Madrid 2016 is 90% Grenache and 10% ‘local varietals’ including Morate, a white grape. This is loaded with Grenache personality but there is a coolness and refinement likely due to the elevation. Very few wines we have tasted from “Madrid” have shown this kind of elegance and we suspect the inclusion of some white grapes might have the same effect as Viognier in Cote Rotie, giving the wine an airier and more floral quality.

Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez is a fan writing, “The fully developed, aromatic and open 2016 30.000 Maravedíes, with nice aromatics and a very pleasant palate. It’s fragrant and elegant, with pungent flavors and very good persistence. This is a superb showing for this bottling…91+ points.” (The ‘+’ indicates the wine may merit a higher review later on, this review was in Dec., 2018)

By the way, if you are wondering about the name, a maravidie is a gold-struck coin of Iberia for about four centuries starting in the 1100s. In 1150, Alfonso VII The Emperor, a real King of León, founds the Monastery of Santa María de Valdeiglesias in Pelayos de la Presa by assembling twelve hermitages of the area. From this moment, the agricultural exploitation of the land will be decided and promoted, with the wine as fundamental crop. In 1434, at the time when Juan II, father of Isabel la Católica, was king, Don Álvaro de Luna, “Condestable de Castilla”, bought the lordship of San Martín de Valdeiglesias from the monastery of Pelayos. The price…30,000 Maravedies.

NEW LABEL FROM A FAMILIAR FACE IN NAPA

It’s hard for us to explain the name of the winery as it is clearly something that is an inside reference. So, in the winery’s own words, “The name Mending Wall comes from the Robert Frost poem about two neighbors who meet once a year to restore the boundary that separates them, the boundary that brings them together. Our winemaking philosophy follows a similar path. Mending Wall is about coming together to explore and question the established boundaries in winemaking. Here, we’re free to experiment and play. No longer constrained by space, time or rules about what should and what should not go into a bottle.”

As to the nuts and bolts of it, this is a project/partnership between three families. The first couple you may not know even if you are a hard-core Napa fans. First is Frank Dotzler, owner of True Vineyard who later acquired Outpost Winery. Then there’s Mark Pulido and Donna Walker, who own three vineyards and produced their own Cabernet called Pulido-Walker from their Mount Veeder estate.

The third part of this story needs little introduction. He is pretty much known far and wide in the Napa by his initials alone, TRB. Thomas Rivers Brown has a hand in all the labels mentioned here and is a partner in this label. If you are one of the few who have not heard of ‘TRB’, he is the winemaker of record for a number of high profile producers on his extensive client list like Schrader, Revana, Seaver, Hestan, Aston, Round Pond, Gemstone, and Maybach, as well as his own wine, Rivers-Marie. He has accumulated a number of 100 point scores over the course of his winemaking and was Food and Wine Winemaker of the Year in 2010. Many think of him as the ‘Top Gun’ among Napa winemakers.

Simply put, you’ve got a group of passionate people, great dirt, and about as good a winemaking talent as you could hope for to put it all together. The results should be pretty predictable, and in this case they are. We don’t need to spend a lot of time talking about the current ‘marketplace’ and how pandemics and economic uncertainty make selling premium wine a bit trickier than it used to be Nor shall we introduce discussions about how this pandemic should change the nature wine distribution forever (one can only hope). Let’s just take the opportunity to enjoy labels of this caliber at, shall we say, less than standard prices. These are serious efforts.

The Mending Wall Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2014 (‘list’ $85) is only the second Cab from this who’s-who project and not a lot of folks talked about it. Also note that both of the reviews we did find were from 2016. We’ll take Robert Parker’s ‘90+’ score from four years ago with a grain of salt, and suggest that time in the bottle has pushed this one well into the ‘plus’ territory. His descriptors, however, are accurate with the exception of the ‘closed personality’. These days, there is plenty to see here.

The review, “As for the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, it is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 20 months in 80% new French oak. It is a moderately sized cuvée of 774 cases. It is still showing some tannin and a slightly closed personality, but the wine has an impressively saturated ruby/purple color, and a burgeoning nose of blackcurrants, cedar wood, licorice and loamy soil undertones. The abundant fruit continues on the attack and midpalate, with the wine medium to full-bodied and somewhat structured. Give it another year or so of bottle age and drink it over the following 15-20.” This showy Cab, while still structured, has ripe tannins and layers of dark, complex chocolaty fruit.

We’re more on board with Galloni’s take and have the temerity to suggest that, if tasted now, both reviewers’ scores would be elevated. From Galloni, “The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is a big step up from the 2013. Boisterous, rich and ample, the 2014 exudes raciness from start to finish. Dark red and purplish stone fruits, mocha, spice, chocolate and new French oak give the wine its luscious, exotic personality. The 2014 is a striking wine from Mending Wall…93 points.”

The Mending Wall Petite Sirah Palisades Vineyard Napa Valley 2016 (‘list’ $55) is perhaps even more distinctive because one doesn’t find Petite Sirah performing at this level very often. But Palisades, a mile north of Calistoga, is no ordinary vineyard. A vineyard since the late 1800s, much of it replanted with original bud wood grafted onto St. George rootstock in the 70’s, it is possessed of serious fruit and the source of designations by Carlisle, Tor and Biale. It’s a historic look back into Napa history to a time when Petite Sirah was king, yet here had not only power but a certain refinement.

Antonio Galloni gave the wine an original score of 93-95 in June, 2018, then came back with a solid 95 in December with a cautionary review as follows, “The 2016 Petite Sirah Palisades Vineyard is going to need a number of years before it starts to drink well. Inky, plush and concentrated to the core, the Palisades has a lot to offer. But it is also a wine for readers who can be patient and who love Petite…” Yes it is dark as night and big, with plenty of black fruit flecked with pepper and woodsy notes, ample but refined tannins, and loads of character. But nearly two years later, we didn’t find it near as foreboding as he did. It’s a rare bird varietally and an outstanding effort. Only 193 cases produced.

Take advantage of our special pricing on these special finds at checkout.

BRIEFS 7-14-2020

We did a bigger piece on this talented Priorat winemaker’s family winery, Clos Mogador, and their brilliant 2017 version from this historic estate in a separate article. But Rene Barbier III is involved in other projects, including one in Montsant with the also well respected Sara Perez. Their work at Venus la Universal is definitely trending steeply upward and this Montsant Venus de La Figuera 2016 is one showy bottle of Grenache. It got a very enthusiastic review from Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierrez and a 94 point score. Rene has serious chops and this effort, with the help of a substantial price break from the importer (from $79.98 down to $44.98), is definitely something to be experienced for its screaming, boisterous fruit. There’s not a huge quantity here so hurry.
You will be hearing a lot about the 2019 vintage in Germany. It will certainly be called one of the best vintages of the new millennium and expect comparisons to vintages like 2001 and 2015. We just tasted our first arrival from the vintage, the Dr. Hermann Riesling Kabinett Urziger Wurzgarten 2019, and it pretty much lit us up. There have been a number of good vintages since 2000, but precious few that have the evident fruit, clear terroir notes, and structural ‘zing’ that this one showed. This is a must-try not only on its own merit but as a vanguard for what’s coming. As a warning, the import/wholesale end of the German wine purveyors has greatly downsized since the last ‘great’ vintage. So overall selection and the acquisition of some labels may be much more difficult this time around.
Some five vintages ago we did a piece on an intriguing California wine. In it we posed the question, ‘What if you make California’s best Tannat?’ In a Cabernet world, it doesn’t mean a lot. Well, we hadn’t seen anything from Yannick Rousseau since that 2012 varietal Tannat we spoke of back then until just last week. Yannick is no stranger to this varietal having grown up in Madiran where he worked with the icons of the region in Montus and Bouscasse. Clearly the man has it down. The Y. Rousseau Tannat 2017 comes from a sustainably farmed single vineyard in Clarksburg (the 2012 was from Sonoma) and is a blend of 90% Tannat and 10% Syrah that saw 18 months in 35% new 500 liter barrels (a little more than double the size of a typical barrique). This bottling has all the good parts of Tannat and none of the bad! There’s the telltale blue/black color, a broad feel of black fruits on the palate with flecks of pepper and wild herbs and a touch of earth. True to form, there is plenty of structure but the tannins here are ripe and tame. The price has crept up a bit over the years (list is $45), but we were able to get it down to a more manageable $29.98. Wines like this could make Tannat ‘mainstream’.

We tasted the 2016 lineup from Scavino pre-COVID (February?) and found it to be possibly the best show we have ever had with their wines going back at least a couple of decades. They exhibited all of the telltale trappings of the 2016 vintage…tender, engaging fruit core, pleasing varietal purity, beautiful lift to the midpalate, and uncanny freshness and seamlessness. It was no surprise when Antonio Galloni rolled out huge scores on the group, with one exception. His mark for the Scavino Barolo 2016 was the dreaded ’89’. We have to wonder what happened even though we are fully aware that, on any given day, something might not show as well. We immediately cracked another bottle just to see if maybe we missed something. Don’t think so. Our descriptors for this bottling fall perfectly in line with our comments on the lineup as a whole. This Barolo normale was anything but. Almost ethereal harmony from front to back, beautiful, supple, engaging, classic Nebbiolo fruit, refined tannins, it was one lovely bottle of Barolo and, at $36.98, a pretty sensational deal for a producer of this caliber from an epic vintage. We can’t know the particulars of the Galloni tasting, but we vehemently disagree with the ‘number’. This is a beauty.
Yes, one more blip on rosé. A couple of very late arrivals that were huge favorites last year are back even better than. The Nebbiolo based Nervi-Conterno Il Rosato Piedmont 2019 (Vinous 92) from the Gattinara region, now owned by the estimable Barolo virtuoso Roberto Conterno, is a beautiful expression of the region in pink form. Bright, fresh, lifted, with lovely, mineral-laced strawberry fruit, it is an absolute delight and food-friendly in a way few are. Also better late than never for one of our longer running hit in the pink section, the Chateau Saint Pierre Cotes de Provence Tradition 2019. A delicate blend of 60% Cinsault and 40% Grenache, pale salmon in the tall curved bottle, it’s crisp, fruit-driven and imminently likeable. Berries upfront with a little bit of citrus in the finish, and subtle flecks of herbs, at a modest $14.98, it is definitely a wine for the people.

ABADIA’S OUTSTANDING 2016

Back when we visited this winery circa 2000, they showed us a large facility that was all gravity flow and had a suspended conveyor to drop the harvest straight into tanks from above. It was pretty clear that these folks, who had designed one of the most impressive cellars we had witnessed to that point, and clearly had spent serious money, were in it for the long haul. There wasn’t a vine on the property in 1991 but all was subsequently planted under the direction of former Ausone winemaker Pascal Delbeck based on a soils study done by Spanish terroir expert Vincente Sotes.

The 2016 Abadia Retuerta Sardon del Duero Seleccion Especial marks their estate’s 25th Anniversary and 20th bottling. In our minds, it is the best effort we can recall from this series. Yeah, we know folks hear that a lot, particularly given the notable performance of wines from the 2016 vintage in a variety of regions in Spain, France, and Italy. But to perhaps give the statement a little context, the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Abadia Retuerta bottlings made ‘three-peat’, back-to-back-to-back appearances on the Wine Spectator Top 100 in 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively. We can’t remember saying that very often for any winery.

This 2016 Seleccion Especial displays the cohesive fruit, acidity, and ripe tannins that has marked the best of the vintage. Rich in the mouth, with polished edges, a creamy palate feel, yet fresh and lifted from front to back. Cassis and dark cherry fruit roll across the tongue with accents of damp earth and notes of chocolate. The finish is authoritative but soft and supple, the wine thoroughly engaging.

Luis Gutierrez of Wine Advocate shared our enthusiasm for this bottling, and we’d call your attention to the blend. Since the winery lies in the Sardon, just outside the confines of the Ribera del Duero, they had a bit more latitude with their varietal blends. It all appears to have worked out for the better.

From Wine Advocate, “Selección Especial is Abadía Retuerta’s reliable red blend produced in enough quantities to have good availability and with an approachable and easy-to-understand profile that reached great quality with the 2016 Selección Especial, from one of the best vintages in recent times in the region. It’s 75% Tempranillo, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Syrah, 3% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, a blend that can change with the conditions of the year, as it’s decided by tasting the wines. If in the past this wine was quite oaky, this 2016 feels quite integrated and balanced, ripe and medium-bodied, with a soft and tender palate, round tannins and moderate influence from the élevage of 13 months in French and American oak barrels. This comes from a cuvée of 1,675 barrels that produced wine to fill 453,000 bottles, 22,500 magnums and 1,100 double magnums. The quality is awesome for the volume produced…93 points.”

We have always said it takes talent to make exceptional wine. but it is more difficult to make a lot of exceptional wine. Hats off to them. The 2016 Abadia Retuerta Sardon del Duero Seleccion Esppecial drinks well now, but it should do nicely in the cellar for at least a decade.

LES TERRES BLANCHES: ‘NATURAL’ DONE RIGHT

We’ll start with a simple statement. We’ve been criticized in certain circles for speaking out against ‘natural wine’. It seemed a good time to clarify our message. We have nothing against ‘natural wine’ per se. It is a perfectly viable choice when done correctly. The problem for us is that most of what we taste under the ‘natural wine’ banner (and deifying how the wine is made as relevant over what is in the bottle is a whole different peeve) is not well made. Far too many have oxidative notes, microbial quirks, dull edges, and scents of old peanuts. Supporters suggest we should accept these flaws because the wines were made ‘naturally’. Our response is ‘talk to the hand’.

Natural winemaking is very difficult and takes a fair bit of talent. A lot of things can go wrong. But there are folks that do it well. Celine & Benoit Blet are among them and their Les Terres Blanches estate’s newest offerings are prime examples of what we are talking about. In 2004, Celine and Benoit took over the 8.5 hectare domaine of Bernard Coutel, who was retiring and had no family members to follow in his footsteps. Certified in Organic Agriculture since 2010, they also work in the cellar to the rhythm of the wines. The wines are the expression of a grape variety on the specific terroir and their mission is to produce grapes and develop natural wines while protecting their environment throughout the farm.

The estate is located in Anjou, in the Loire Valley. The grapes varieties are Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. The vines are planted between 4,500 and 4,800 vines per hectare with natural grassing every other row, the other row is plowed after the harvest to bury the compost and maintained by hoeing the rest of the year. They refer to what they do as ‘peasant agriculture’, adhering to centuries old traditions that predated chemicals and machines. In their words, “To offer you hand-sewn natural wines, we strive to produce beautiful ripe grapes.”

The Celine et Benoit Blet Les Terres Blanches Brut Ancestral Blanc 2018 got our attention right off the bat. This is 100% Chenin Blanc hand harvested with the grapes fermented in buried cement tanks. The wine is then bottled then bottled to finish fermenting, disgorged, and then resealed without additional dosage. The soils for this bottling are raw quartz sand and marl. The slow fermentation yields a delicate, fine, not too aggressive bead and flavors of pear, peach, and a finishing kick of grapefruit. Bright, refreshing, dry, and sleek on the palate.

The Celine et Benoit Blet Les Terres Blanches Les 3 Poiriers Anjou Blanc 2018 is also 100% Chenin made from a later harvest of grapes from similar (or the same?) soils. These ‘healthy, golden’ grapes were pressed into neutral barrels via gravity where they fermented slowly without SO2, and then bottled with minimal addition. The subtle, complex Chenin reminds us of a top-notch Vouvray sec, except for the price. Pear, peach, maybe a little orange, with well woven in delicate minerality, this is a star. For reference, ‘Poiriers’ are pear trees. Two are pictured on the label along with a person doing a handstand. Clearly they are having fun.

Like all of the others in this lineup, the Celine et Benoit Blet Les Terres Blanches Anjou Rouge Demon 2018 exudes great purity. In keeping with the theme this 100% Caberenet Franc was harvested at optimum ripeness, destemmed, and given 5 weeks maceration then transferred to neutral (2-5 year old) barrels. Bottled unfiltered and unfined, with minimal SO2, this exudes ripe Franc character of dark red and blue fruit, is tender on the palate and without any green of funky notes. A gentle, engaging red, the ‘peasants’ drink pretty well around these parts it seems.

In closing, we didn’t buy these because they were ‘natural’, but because they were really good, well priced, and quite unique. Clearly these folks are working hard and, in our eyes, setting an example for the genre.