Lune Rayée Red 2020

Lune Rayée Red 2020,

Pic Epeiche

Lune Rayée, vintage 2020, is a natural red wine from the Pic-Épeiche estate (Haut-Layon, Anjou), produced traditionally and entirely by hand by Jean-Baptiste Peltier. It is made from Cabernet Franc (80%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) planted in the same plot on clay-limestone soil.

Vinification

Lune Rayée was made without any additives in the vineyard, except for a little Bordeaux mixture as needed, and without sulfites added during vinification. Semicarbonic maceration (13 days) is followed by a long fermentation in vats using indigenous yeasts. Aging, at Domaine Pic-Épeiche, is done on lees for eleven months, with passage through a vertical press in between.

Tasting

The color of Lune Rayée 2020 is bright, clear, limpid, a beautiful transparent coral red. The palate is intensely sapid, fruity, and one would speak of gurgling if it weren't for a minerality that gives structure and a remarkably saline finish, as well as the touch of bitterness typical of Cabernet. Lune Rayée 2020 from Domaine Pic-Épeiche is easy to drink yet intense, full of red fruits—fresh strawberry—, an energizing sensation of fresh fruit and a beautiful length. It is a wine without additives, deceptively simple, that will be able to measure up to the finest cuisine - such as a rabbit stew of first quality - as well as local charcuterie and salted meats. Seafood rillettes will suit it like a glove. Best enjoyed chilled.

Learn more about Domaine Pic-Épeiche

Entirely natural, produced in a traditional, artisanal manner, Domaine Pic-Épeiche is located in Haut-Layon, in Anjou. It is run by Jean-Baptiste Peltier, who learned the trade from Jérôme Lambert and Patrick Desplats: another fine example of a natural, non-interventionist wine estate in this Loire region where there are many.

In the vineyard and in the cellar

No intervention, but a lot of vigilance: "We work with the grapes," says Jean-Baptiste about his natural wines. Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin and Grolleau, all from old vines, cultivated and vinified without additives. Macerations are short but aging is long, almost a year in vats, entirely on lees.

The style

All the freshness and liveliness of the clay-limestone soils are intact in the wines of the Pic-Épeiche estate, which offer the full typicity of the Anjou terroirs worked naturally. Red and white wines are fruity and flavorful, offering a lively and nuanced expression of the local grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Grolleau and Chenin.