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2252 products
Coup de Foudre Rosé 2021,
Domaine Bois Moisset
A cloudy pink color that already makes you thirsty, a nose that expresses its fruit and fermentation discreetly, while the palate, on the contrary, blossoms with great opulence and roundness, making this Coup de foudre a very easy-drinking wine. The texture on the palate is soft, enveloping, silky, with a fruity and delicious substance. The bubbles are fine and lively, with a tonic and tense finish. From the beginning to the end of the tasting, notes of bitter orange and candied citrus peel, a lovely mineral astringency and a bitterness that further ennobles the whole, balancing the velvety fruitiness. A magnificent bottle, this Coup de foudre, which one might think is vinified in a tuns given its name, but this is not the case: here we have an entirely organic and natural wine, one hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon, pressed at the harvest and fermented in fresh juice in a room where the temperature is maintained at 19 °C. This alcoholic fermentation is followed by malolactic fermentation and the wine is bottled without filtration. The secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle with indigenous yeasts and, of course, without sulfites added at any stage of the vinification. Disgorging in December. We recommend chilling this beautiful wine upright for a day before opening to avoid excessive overflow upon opening.
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The name Gaillac, the region where the Bois-Moisset estate is located, owned by Sylvie Ledran and Philippe Maffre, has been associated with wines since Antiquity; it is the oldest vineyard in France, with two thousand years of history and an impressive collection of ancient indigenous grape varieties. It is also a region of dazzling beauty, nicknamed "French Tuscany" because of its gentle hills planted with groves and its almost Florentine brightness. Many estates, along with that of Bois-Moisset, showcase this uniquely rich winemaking heritage. Along with a vineyard, this is an organic mixed farm that directly sells its production of lentils, sunflower oil, cereal flours, and grape juice. A herd of old local breed cows also thrives there, and guest rooms are available during the summer months. It is in this small rural paradise that natural wines typical of their origin and terroir are born, on fifteen hectares of boulbènes, gravelly and sandy-loam soils carried by the Tarn for thousands of years. The grape varieties are dominated by Syrah and Duras, but the ampelographic richness of the Gaillac region (braucol, prunelart, loin-de-l'œil, etc.) is also evident in the Bois-Moisset estate's vintages, which consist particularly of red wines with crisp fruit, concentrated but with smooth and delicate tannins.
Argile White 2020,
Argile is a dry Jurançon, 100% Petit Manseng, produced by direct pressing, fermented and aged in terracotta jars. This wine, with its strong personality, will surprise you with its balance, length, and frank minerality. Fresh, long, and lively, with a continuous line between tension and fruit, enhanced by a unique aromatic palette due to fermentation and aging in terracotta. It's a real companion to oysters and seafood, but it also tastes great on its own. Harvested by hand in mid-September, the grapes are healthy and meticulously sorted. Petit Manseng lends itself to the production of very fine wines, with aromas that faithfully reflect their terroir and region. No chemical additives in the vineyard or cellar, no added sulfites. Keep it in the cellar for two to five years.
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Château Lafitte is located in Béarn, on the noble terroir of Jurançon, the origin of superb sweet wines and dry wines that have nothing to envy. Since the 14th century, Monein, the commune where the estate is located, has been nestled in an exceptional natural, rich, and hilly environment. In the 16th century, vines already occupied a significant part of the property, and they have persisted to this day. Philippe and Brigitte Arraou, the current owners, have undertaken to revive viticulture on the site, helped since 2012 by their son Antoine, a winemaker as passionate as his parents. Château Lafitte is now managed biodynamically and with agroforestry: five hectares of marl-limestone soils typical of the appellation, on a hilly terrain that can become very cold in winter. The king grape varieties of Jurançon, Petit Manseng and Gros Manseng, represent the majority of the grape varieties. Also typical of Jurançon and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques in general, viticulture en hautains, that is to say raised and trained very high, is practiced. As it was in many primitive vineyards, some of which are still active (Portugal, Spain, Georgia, etc.). On this beautiful estate, winemaking experiments are legion: aging in terracotta jars for dry wines, solera for sweet wines in untopped barrels, photovoltaic roofs for the cellar, rainwater harvesting, gravity-fed vinification. Château Lafitte produces sweet Jurançons as well as still dry wines and a very successful natural sparkling wine, Funambule.
Hüpnos White 2019
Hüpnos ("sleep" in Greek) owes its name to the slopes of the dormant volcano on which its vineyard terraces are located, harvested at night. This dry white wine is produced from two remarkably austere vineyards. A macerated wine, it offers great mineral freshness and rich fruit, prolonged by notes of candied fruit.
Where?
On the slopes of an extinct volcano, in the Agii Sarandides area, and on Mount Karvounis. Basalt and limestone soils.
The vines
Muscat à petit grain from Samos, grown organically in conversion to permaculture. The vines are pruned in goblet form. Manual harvesting at night, in order to preserve the freshness of the polyphenols and ensure perfect maceration.
Vinification
Free-run juice obtained by maceration in stainless steel vats by diffusion for forty days, whole bunches. Vinification without aeration or stabilization, only settling, pumping over and topping up are carried out. Vinification in 500-liter Stockinger barrels. Wine without additives, unfiltered, bottled by gravity and transferred by peristaltic pump into black bottles ensuring aging. Aged in bottles with organic cork without paraffin, sealed with a mixture of paraffin and black beeswax.
Vino Rosso Red 2017
Corva Gialla
Red fruits, mineral and earthy notes, tertiary aromas, spices, and tobacco: this sums up the profile of Vino Rosso, the emblematic red of Azienda Corva Gialla, with beautiful notes of evolution and a pronounced but not excessive full-bodiedness. The richness, due to a high natural sugar content during fermentation, and the polyphenolic maturity are remarkable, as well as the balance between velvety and tannicity, lightness and body, roundness and acidity. On the nose, notes of spices such as cinnamon, black pepper, and fennel; On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and dominated by red fruits: ripe cherry, raspberry and strawberry. Black fruits and plum are not left out, and delicious aromas of dried fruits (prune, fig) combine with spices on the finish. Vino Rosso is a 100% Sangiovese from vines planted at an altitude of 450 meters on a west-facing plot with volcanic soils. The harvest is destemmed and macerated for about three weeks in fiberglass vats, with daily pumping over or punching down as needed. Vino Rosso is aged for twelve months in chestnut barrels and at least two years in bottles before being marketed.
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The azienda Corva Gialla ("yellow crow") is a wine estate in Lazio, Italy, located on the edge of Umbria in the Alta Tuscia Viterbese. A volcanic region considered one of the most beautiful in Italy and characterized by its calanches, high tuff rock formations delimiting deep valleys carved by numerous rivers and torrents. Corva Gialla is located in Lubriano, opposite Civita di Bagnoregio. Alta Tuscia is proving to be a breeding ground for young winemaking talents devoted to nature who are promoting these lands deprived throughout history. Founded in 2017, the estate comprises four hectares cultivated by Beatrice Arweiler, originally from another wine-growing region, between the Rhine and the Moselle. The new owner also planted an olive grove (Frantoio and Leccino varieties) and developed the estate into a mixed crop and livestock system. The vines were planted with the help of Gian Marco Antonuzzi of the Le Coste estate. The friable volcanic soil lends itself beautifully to viticulture and the planting of grape varieties such as Grechetto d'Umbria, Trebbiano, Vermentino, Sangiovese, and Ciliegiolo. The estate's wines are quintessentially Italian, meaning they are crafted primarily for enjoyment. They are straightforward, deep, and easy to drink, expressing the strong minerality of their soils.
Vino Rosso Rossetto Red 2021,
Fruit and drinkability above all: Rossetto was designed to be joyful and easy to drink. Azienda Corvagialla sought to promote maximum acidity in the harvest to obtain a pleasant wine with a very present fruity note: cherry and strawberry, on the nose as well as on the palate. This wine is a distinguished gurgling wine, a wine for pleasure and relaxation with friends that you will love to return to on any occasion. Rossetto is a 100% Sangiovese from the most vigorous plot of the vineyard: made up of volcanic soils, it faces west and is located at an altitude of 450 meters. The harvest is destemmed and macerated for about three weeks with daily pumping over or punching down as needed. After fermentation, Rossetto is aged in fiberglass vats until bottling in March.
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The Azienda Corva Gialla ("yellow crow") is a wine estate in Lazio, Italy, located on the edge of Umbria in the Alta Tuscia Viterbese. A volcanic region considered one of the most beautiful in Italy and characterized by its calanches, tall tuff rock formations delimiting deep valleys carved by numerous streams and torrents. Corva Gialla is located in Lubriano, opposite Civita di Bagnoregio. Alta Tuscia is proving to be a breeding ground for young winemaking talents devoted to nature who are promoting these lands deprived throughout history. Founded in 2017, the estate comprises four hectares cultivated by Beatrice Arweiler, originally from another wine-growing region, between the Rhine and the Moselle. The new owner also planted an olive grove (Frantoio and Leccino varieties) and developed the estate into a mixed crop and livestock system. The vines were planted with the help of Gian Marco Antonuzzi of the Le Coste estate. The friable volcanic soil lends itself beautifully to viticulture and the planting of grape varieties such as Grechetto d'Umbria, Trebbiano, Vermentino, Sangiovese, and Ciliegiolo. The estate's wines are quintessentially Italian, meaning they are crafted primarily for enjoyment. They are straightforward, deep, and easy to drink, expressing the strong minerality of their soils.
Rencontre Red 2020,
Rencontre's nose is subtle, laden with red fruits, with pronounced forest notes: mushroom, humus, a touch of leather, spices, and violet. On the palate, the fruit is very present, very pleasant, and decidedly peppery, and the beautiful, fine, precise tannins nestle gracefully into a very tactile, chewy finish. This is a wine of strong character that surprises with its beautiful structure. Its color is dense and full, like that of a Bordeaux. This wine from the Gaillac region is made from local grape varieties: 40% Syrah and 40% Braucol, supplemented by 20% Duras, all fermented in the same vat. The harvest is destemmed. Maceration lasts three weeks in a temperature-controlled concrete vat, with indigenous yeasts. The Braucol and Duras are co-fermented. Only a few pumpings are carried out. The press juice and free-run juice are blended with 20% Duras free-run juice to add a peppery touch. Aging is also done in vats. We recommend decanting this Encounter which, without any pun intended, is a true encounter that is definitely worth the detour.
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The name Gaillac, the region where the Bois-Moisset estate is located, owned by Sylvie Ledran and Philippe Maffre, has been associated with wines since Antiquity; It is the oldest vineyard in France, with two thousand years of history and an impressive collection of ancient indigenous grape varieties. It is also a region of dazzling beauty, nicknamed "French Tuscany" because of its gentle hills planted with groves and its almost Florentine brightness. Many estates, along with that of Bois-Moisset, showcase this uniquely rich wine-growing heritage. Along with an estate planted with vines, it is an organic mixed farm that directly sells its production of lentils, sunflower oil, cereal flours and grape juice. A herd of old local breed cows also thrives there and guest rooms are available in the summer. It is in this small rural paradise that natural wines typical of their origin and their terroir are born, on fifteen hectares of boulbènes, gravelly and sandy-loam soils carried by the Tarn for thousands of years. The grape varieties are dominated by Syrah and Duras, but the ampelographic richness of the Gaillac region (braucol, prunelart, loin-de-l'œil, etc.) is also evident in the vintages of the Bois-Moisset estate, which consist particularly of red wines with a crisp fruitiness, concentrated but with smooth and delicate tannins.
Vers la Maison Rouge 2019,
Jean-Yves Péron
Light color, beautiful aromatic richness with slight muscatel notes, tannic mouthfeel nicely rounded by barrel aging of several wines (which rounds out the tannins without oaking the wine). Vers la Maison rouge 2019 (the name comes from the main plot) retains the characteristics of the cuvée—a beautiful, lively, and energetic red wine, with great minerality, a clear and limpid appearance, almost rosé, offering notes of redcurrant and small red fruits on the palate—but due to its production, it has a more solid structure. Indeed, this is a special vintage of Vers la Maison rouge, a Mondeuse red wine vinified on skins in carbonic maceration but this time produced according to the principle of "repasse": after blending, a refermentation (or several successive refermentations) is carried out on grape marcs from various grape varieties. This operation produces reds with characteristics of macerated white wine (orange wine), particularly in terms of structure and structure. Here, the 2019 vintage, to avoid a volatile that risked appearing in this vintage, was put to referment on Mondeuse marcs, then Jacquère, and finally Muscat. This produces a clear, structured wine, closer to the desired color. To further melt the tannins, after refermentation on the marc, the wine is returned to barrels for aging for eight to ten months, which explains why this 2019 is being marketed in 2020. No filtration, fining, or addition of sulfites.
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Jean-Yves Péron embodies the natural renaissance of the beautiful Savoyard vineyard, which has long suffered from a somewhat flimsy image, not taken seriously enough. Yet, what treasures its varied soils and numerous ancient grape varieties produce!
Near Conflans, in Albertville (Savoie), Jean-Yves Péron skillfully combines committed viticulture and merchant winemaking, both under the banner of nature and high-altitude organic vines. Initially destined for a career in biochemistry, he quickly became drawn to the vine and trained as an oenologist in Bordeaux. He learned his trade as a winemaker with Thierry Allemand in Cornas, then with Bruno Schueller in Alsace, before spending some time in New Zealand and the United States. Jean-Yves' current vineyard, one and a half hectares biodynamic since the beginning, is divided between Conflans, near Albertville, and Fréterive, a little further down in the Isère Valley. Made up of micro-plots of vines, it is staggered between 350 m and 550 m above sea level and is worked entirely by hand. His trading activity, which he began in 2011, allows him to buy the harvest from organic winemakers close to his home (such as Raphaël Marin and Adrien Dacquin). Also, the construction of a new winery in 2017 allows him to increase production and collaborate with winemakers from Northern Italy: Paolo Angelino in Casale Monferrato (Turin), Giorgio Barbero in Asti. This is a new dimension given to his work as a winemaker, allowing him to diversify the terroirs and deepen his experiences in winemaking and aging. Jean-Yves Péron's winemaking follows the principles of minimal intervention. On narrow and steep surfaces, his mountain vines receive no synthetic products, Jean-Yves preferring horsetail and nettle manure. The surrounding vegetation is very rich: it protects the vines and helps to strengthen them. The soils are grassed, mown and reworked with a pickaxe and winch. The harvest is entirely manual. Once vatted in whole bunches, the grapes, both red and white, undergo a semi-carbonic maceration which allows the extraction of fresh fruit aromas. This maceration time varies between five days and nine weeks depending on the vintage. The day before or two days before pressing, Jean-Yves performs foot-treading directly in the vat. After this fermentation, the musts are sent to barrels for aging on lees for twelve months in five hundred liter barrels of two or three wines (to limit the oaky sensation), followed by blending and resting in vats. No sulfites are added, or as little as possible, and the wines are not fined or filtered.
BB Bobal Ancestral Sparkling Red 2019
Partida Creus
Fresh and tangy, a perfect aperitif and table wine, all this makes a beautiful identity card for BB Bobal Ancestral, a natural sparkling wine from Partida Creus. Its very pretty bouquet of red fruits with a hint of citrus peel and a creamy mouthfeel combines with a solid structure and intense flavor. While it has a special affinity with raw or cooked oily fish (sardines, mackerel, horse mackerel, tuna, or anchovies, the pairings are for guidance only), BB Bobal Ancestral is perfect with all kinds of dishes, from fish and seafood to grilled or roasted meats. As its name suggests, it is 100% bobal, a common grape variety in Spain but whose expression here is very original. Serve well chilled.
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Partida Creus is an important estate, both in terms of wine and history – we are talking here about the history of the vine in Catalonia. Massimo Marchiori and Antonella Gerosa, originally from Piedmont – and even from the Langhe region, where they know a lot about wines – first pursued a career as architects in Barcelona. But the wine bug tickles them, and soon they abandon the big city and its sophistication for the vineyards of southern Catalonia, in Bonastre in Baix-Penedés. There they find a quantity of abandoned vineyards planted with a dizzying diversity of traditional Catalan grape varieties, which they passionately revive to save these varieties – and their wines – from oblivion. For them, it's not just a matter of heritage rescue, no: it's a matter of taste and nature. Of natural wines, which they will never stop making from now on on these sandy, poor, clay-limestone or clay-gravel soils, poor and poorly irrigated, where the vines suffer to produce their best juice. Massimo and Antonella practice organic, biodynamic viticulture, entirely manual and natural to give new life to these wines. Vinyater, sumoll, garrut, monastrell, ull de perdiu, ull de llebre, sumoll, queixal de llop, cariñena, trepat, subirat parent, maccabeu, parellada, pansé, vinel·lo, bobal, cartoixà vermell or xarel·lo: Partida Creus is a veritable conservatory of native Catalan grape varieties. It also grows moscatel, grenache, merlot and cabernet (among others). Few wineries can boast growing so many different grape varieties. The wines reflect this diversity, with the winemakers striving to best convey the signature of the soil and the grape variety: single-variety wines are common among them, alongside extensive blends, all in the styles dear to Catalonia: still wine, "ancestral" sparkling wine, and even vermouth. The bottles themselves are works of art: bare glass, simply marked with two large stenciled initials that denote the vintage. The wines, fresh, vibrant, lush yet always straightforward and impeccably juicy and fruity, exude life. The arrival of a Partida Creus at the table always elicits cries of satisfaction.
€66,00
Unit price per€66,00
Unit price perAuxey Duresses Les Crais Blanc 2020,
Domaine de Chassorney
This Auxey-Duresses white, produced on the Les Crais plot, is remarkably pure. The ripeness of the grapes (obviously all-Chardonnay) is exceptional and is felt in the form of a pleasant roundness and generous fruit. Plenty of integrity, elegance, complexity, and tension.
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Through his entirely natural work, Frédéric Cossard gives voice to the terroirs and Burgundy wines, undistorted by agricultural chemicals. Having observed, during his years as a wine merchant, the existence of harmful viticultural practices, the winemaker used this counterexample to practice unadulterated viticulture. Thus, he produces vintages of purity and elegance without artifice that are among the most sought-after in Burgundy. Frédéric worked for a while as a wine broker before creating the Chassorney estate with his partner Laure in 1996: initially a few ares of vines in Saint-Romain, Auxey-Duresses and Savigny-lès-Beaune, and currently ten hectares spread across the Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard, Volnay, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune and Bourgogne appellations. In 2006, he created his own trading house and buys organic grapes to vinify, according to his style and convictions, great vintages such as Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Pommard, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée and several Beaujolais crus. The exercise is not limited to Burgundy, as vintages are made from grapes purchased in the Jura or Languedoc regions. At his place, the work of the soil and the vines is done as naturally as possible: regular ploughing by horse, no addition of chemical fertilizers or weedkillers. The vines are cared for according to the principles of biodynamics: homeopathic treatments based on essential oils, copper and sulfur in minimal doses. The harvest is entirely manual, carried out at full maturity, at the end of October. Reds or whites, classic Burgundies or more atypical or less "regional" bottles, Frédéric's vintages are rare and sought-after wines, which sometimes require waiting.
Je t'ai dans la peau White, 2018
Deep, earthy, and extremely complex, this orange wine has a beautiful old gold color and delicately oxidative notes of walnut and hazelnut, leading to an exotic fruity palette. Plenty of character and considerable promise for its evolution. As its name suggests, Je t'ai dans la peau is all about the skin. Grape skin, of course, since it's a macerated white, an experiment Nicolas has carried out with various nuances since 2009 to create wines with a strong personality. The goal is not to obtain exuberant orange wines like those from Italy or the South, but rather controlled macerations with fruit and depth. The harvest comes from the same plot as P’tit Grobis blanc: all Chardonnay of course, on stony granite soils. The 2017 vintage is made using pure maceration. This is short: five to seven days. Aging is three years in barrels. A superb balance to savor, to be classified without hesitation in the category of crazy Beaujolais.
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Nicolas Chemarin, nicknamed P’tit Grobis as a resident of Marchampt (Beaujolais), is the fourth generation of winemaker on his family vineyard in the Beaujolais-Villages appellation, on stony land where he crafts wines of surprising depth and sincerity. In 2005, he took over two hectares of his father's vines and in 2006, he produced his first vintages. In 2008, he acquired other vines and decided to devote himself solely to his estate, whose very steep terroir consists of poor, rocky soils on gray granite rock. The vines rest on the bedrock through very thin soil, and their roots plunge deep into the rock. Depending on the configuration of the soil, the vines are pruned in goblet form or raised on stakes. Their average age is eighty years. The grape varieties, Gamay and Chardonnay, are classically Beaujolais. Nicolas also cultivates two other terroirs in the Régnié appellation: Les Bullats, with light, filtering sandy soils, and La Haute Ronze, very close to Morgon, whose deeper, clayey soils produce full-bodied wines. The wines undergo long macerations (from 18 to 30 days) with punching down and temperature control (Nicolas works cold, around 20 °C). The aging is partially done in thermoregulated concrete vats for a third, the remaining two thirds being spent in barrels of four to ten wines in order to provide oxygenation but little or no woody sensation. Nicolas Chemarin is already well known in the natural world for his sweet and fruity vintages, wines for pleasure, and for vintages from difficult and magnificent terroirs, endowed with admirable and complex mineral, aromatic and spicy notes.
Danslezetoiles Rouge 2019
Es d'aqui Jean Louis Pinto
This blend of Braucol, Carignan, and Muscat grown on clay-limestone soils was vinified in amphorae. Notes of candied black fruit and leather complement the fruity and herbaceous notes, much to the delight of natural wine enthusiasts. Lots of aromatic presence, character and originality.
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A child of Ariège, Jean-Louis Pinto chose to stay in the country and make wines that resemble their terroir, hence the name Es d’Aqui (“It’s, it’s from here”) that he gave to his winemaking business, located in Moulin-Neuf, a town near Aude, between Mirepoix and Limoux. A region where vines once abounded, until the major mildew attacks at the beginning of the 20th century. Jean-Louis buys grapes grown organically by other winegrowers, his friends, in whom he has complete confidence. He doesn’t just buy the product, he monitors the fruit set, the ripening, and makes regular visits until August, in order to know the grapes before harvesting them. He vinifies it at home using natural methods, practicing long macerations with whole bunches. A three-week maceration is common for him, as are very gentle pressings in a vertical press. He says he has "a lot of vines in common" with his friend Anthony Tortul (La Sorga, see link). His collection area extends throughout the Languedoc, particularly in the Hérault, around Adissan, Faugères and Saint-Chinian, as well as in the Aude (Limoux) and Tarn (Gaillac), two terroirs that are dear to him. It turns out that the typical Languedoc soils – schist, basalt, pebbles, clay-siliceous – particularly appeal to him for the freshness they give to the wines. "I make wines from the South," he says. "I especially look for terroirs that give freshness, even if the wines have an alcohol content of 14%." » The grape varieties are, of course, typically Languedoc: Grenache, Carignan, Mauzac, Cinsault, Braucol, Duras and Sauvignon. The most powerful reds are made in five terracotta jars, which help him control the extraction and give his wines, he says, "a very crystalline side." The soil, the location, as we understand it, are of the utmost importance to him: once again, the name of his estate Es d'Aqui was not chosen by chance.
Magnum Nuria Muscat of Alexandria White 2017,
In Penedès (Catalonia), in Sitges, in the heart of the Garraf Natural Park, Manel Avinyo and his brother Joan have taken over the family estate, which Manel has renamed Clos Lentiscus. Even though Barcelona is only a half-hour drive away, the beauty of the landscape is striking and the immersion in nature is total: Mediterranean forests rub shoulders with Catalan scrubland (thyme, rosemary, rockrose, mastic tree which gave its name to the estate, etc.). The Penedès region also has a long winemaking history. Nestled in its gentle hills is Clos Lentiscus, in the Penedés appellation, on twenty hectares of sandy and clay-limestone soils facing due south at an altitude of 225 meters. According to historical documents, the family of Manel and Joan Avinyo has been established there since at least the 14th century. For a long time, the grapes were sold to local cooperatives, but since the two brothers took over the estate, organic and biodynamic farming has replaced conventional practices, the entire harvest goes into the house vintages, and organic and biodynamic practices have allowed this beautiful property to reconnect with its former prestige: in the 19th century, its wines were sold in France and as far away as the Americas. Very quickly, Manel received a nickname: The Bubbleman, a tribute to his talent for vinifying cavas, these sparkling whites characteristic of the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, from native varieties for which Catalonia holds the secret: sumoll, ull de llebre, xarel·lo, malvasia of Sitges, cartoixà vermell, cariñena (carignan), accompanied by tempranillo and muscat of Alexandria. The vines are old, sometimes centuries old. No synthetic additives are used in the vineyard, and operations such as planting, pruning, de-budding and harvesting are dictated by the lunar phases. Pollination is facilitated by the presence of beehives; sheep contribute to fertilization and control of the plant cover. Ringo, the white horse, is responsible for working the soil.
Purity, elegance and a crisp minerality due to limestone characterize the productions of Clos Lentiscus. The note of controlled oxidation, when it is felt, does not dominate the tasting and the wines are never deviant. Cavas are known for being exuberant, but those of Clos Lentiscus never have more than two grams of residual sugar per liter. The estate also produces still wines, red, white and rosé.
Núria is the name of Manel's daughter, who assisted her father in the creation of this beautiful aperitif wine that will go wonderfully with all Mediterranean cuisines, with the added pleasure and conviviality that the magnum format allows. 100% Muscat of Alexandria, a sweet, large-berry grape, this is a fresh and aromatic sparkling white wine from direct pressing. The first fermentation using indigenous yeasts takes place in 55-liter demijohns and the second fermentation takes place in bottles. Twenty-four months of aging on fine lees and manual disgorgement.
Nuria Muscat of Alexandria White 2018
This winery is located in Sitges, Catalonia, in the heart of the Garraf Natural Park. Manel Avinyo and his brother Joan took over the family estate, which Manel renamed Clos Lentiscus. Even though Barcelona is only a half-hour drive away, the beauty of the landscape is striking and the immersion in nature is complete: Mediterranean forests rub shoulders with Catalan scrubland (thyme, rosemary, rockrose, and the mastic tree, which gave the estate its name, etc.). The Penedès region also has a long winemaking history. Nestled in its gentle hills is Clos Lentiscus, in the Penedés appellation, on twenty hectares of sandy and clay-limestone soils facing due south at an altitude of 225 meters. According to historical documents, the family of Manel and Joan Avinyo has been established there since at least the 14th century. For a long time, the grapes were sold to local cooperatives, but since the two brothers took over the estate, organic and biodynamic farming has replaced conventional practices, the entire harvest goes into the house vintages, and organic and biodynamic practices have allowed this beautiful property to reconnect with its former prestige: in the 19th century, its wines were sold in France and as far away as the Americas. Very quickly, Manel received a nickname: The Bubbleman, a tribute to his talent for vinifying cavas, these sparkling whites characteristic of the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, from native varieties for which Catalonia holds the secret: sumoll, ull de llebre, xarel·lo, malvasia of Sitges, cartoixà vermell, cariñena (carignan), accompanied by tempranillo and muscat of Alexandria. The vines are old, sometimes centuries old. No synthetic additives are used in the vineyard, and operations such as planting, pruning, de-budding and harvesting are dictated by the lunar phases. Pollination is facilitated by the presence of beehives; sheep contribute to fertilization and control of the plant cover. Ringo, the white horse, is responsible for working the soil.
Elegance, purity and a crisp minerality due to limestone characterize the productions of Clos Lentiscus. The note of controlled oxidation, when it is felt, does not dominate the tasting and the wines are never deviant. Cavas are known for being exuberant, but those of Clos Lentiscus never have more than two grams of residual sugar per liter. The estate also produces still wines, red, white and rosé.
Núria is the name of Manel's daughter, who assisted her father in the creation of this beautiful aperitif wine that will be a marvel with all Mediterranean cuisines. 100% Muscat of Alexandria, a sweet, large-berry grape, this is a fresh and aromatic sparkling white wine from direct pressing. The first fermentation using indigenous yeasts takes place in 55-liter demijohns and the second fermentation takes place in bottles. Twenty-four months of aging on fine lees and manual disgorgement.
Perill Noir Rouge 2012
Clos Lentiscus
Elegance, purity, and a crisp minerality due to the limestone characterize the productions of Clos Lentiscus. The note of controlled oxidation, when present, does not dominate the tasting, and the wines are never deviant. The cavas are renowned for their exuberance, but those from Clos Lentiscus never have more than two grams of residual sugar per liter. The estate also produces still wines, red, white, and rosé.
This is a family estate that Manel Avinyo and his brother Joan inherited from their parents, in Penedès (Catalonia), in the heart of the Garraf Natural Park. It is Manel who owes its name, Clos Lentiscus. Even though Barcelona is only a half-hour drive away, the beauty of the landscape is striking and the immersion in nature is total: Mediterranean forests rub shoulders with Catalan scrubland (thyme, rosemary, rockrose, mastic tree which gave its name to the estate, etc.). The Penedès region also has a long winemaking history. Nestled in its gentle hills is Clos Lentiscus, in the Penedés appellation, on twenty hectares of sandy and clay-limestone soils facing due south at an altitude of 225 meters. According to historical documents, the family of Manel and Joan Avinyo has been established there since at least the 14th century. For a long time, the grapes were sold to local cooperatives, but as soon as the two brothers took over the estate, organic and biodynamic farming replaced conventional practices, the entire harvest goes into the house vintages, and organic and biodynamic practices have allowed this beautiful property to regain its former prestige: in the 19th century, its wines were sold in France and as far away as the Americas. Very quickly, Manel received a nickname: The Bubbleman, a tribute to his talent for vinifying cavas, these sparkling whites characteristic of the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, from indigenous varieties for which Catalonia holds the secret: sumoll, ull de llebre, xarel·lo, malvasia of Sitges, cartoixà vermell, cariñena (carignan), accompanied by tempranillo and muscat of Alexandria. The vines are old, some of them centuries old. No synthetic additives are used in the vineyard, and operations such as planting, pruning, de-budding, and harvesting are dictated by the lunar phases. Pollination is facilitated by the presence of beehives; sheep contribute to fertilization and control of the plant cover. Ringo, the white horse, is responsible for working the soil.
Made entirely from the traditional Catalan Sumoll grape variety, this is a natural red whose freshness owes much to the local limestone soil. The harvest is destemmed and macerated for two weeks. Aging, in French oak barrels, lasts thirty months. Calm, deep, intense, and structured, this magnificent and chiseled wine will accompany all that is best.
UL Red 2019
Partida Creus is a winery located in Catalonia, founded by two Piedmontese natives from the Langhe (where wine is well-known), Antonella Gerosa and Massimo Marchiori. They initially pursued careers as architects in Barcelona, but the wine bug bit them, and they soon abandoned the big city and its sophistication for the vineyards of southern Catalonia, in Bonastre in Baix-Penedés. There, they found a wealth of abandoned vineyards planted with a dizzying diversity of traditional Catalan grape varieties, which they passionately revived to save these varieties—and their wines—from oblivion. For them, it's not just a matter of heritage rescue, no: it's a matter of taste and nature. Of natural wines, which they will continue to make from now on on these sandy, poor, clay-limestone or clay-gravel soils, poor and poorly irrigated, where the vines suffer to give their best juice. This is why their estate is as important from a winemaking perspective as it is from a historical perspective - we are talking here about the history of the vine in Catalonia.
Massimo and Antonella practice organic, biodynamic viticulture, entirely manual and natural in order to give new life to these wines. Vinyater, sumoll, garrut, monastrell, ull de perdiu, ull de llebre, sumoll, queixal de llop, cariñena, trepat, subirat parent, maccabeu, parellada, pansé, vinel.lo, bobal, cartoixà vermell or xarel.lo: Partida Creus is a veritable conservatory of native Catalan grape varieties. It also grows moscatel, grenache, merlot and cabernet (among others). Few wineries can boast growing so many different grape varieties. The wines reflect this diversity, with the winemakers striving to best convey the signature of the soil and the grape variety: single-variety wines are common among them, alongside extensive blends, all in the styles dear to Catalonia: still wine, "ancestral" sparkling wine, and even vermouth. The bottles themselves are works of art: bare glass, simply marked with two large stenciled initials that denote the vintage. The wines, fresh, vibrant, lush but always straightforward and impeccably juicy and fruity, breathe life. The arrival of a Partida Creus at the table always elicits exclamations of joy. This new red from Partida Creus is based on the ancient and indigenous grape variety called ull de llebre, which, you guessed it, means “hare’s eye.” What you might not guess is that this is the Catalan name for Tempranillo. It’s actually an old local version of this very Iberian grape, which Massimo and Antonella have nurtured in their own way. The wine is highly original: behind the minerality, the (black) fruit, the blueberry, and the freshness, we notice very fine tannins and aromatic herbs. A serious wine, a little grave, but did you know that serious wines make you joyful? Its length on the palate is astonishing. Decanting is highly recommended so that this wine can play its own unique music, down to the finest notes.
BB "Hondos" Red 2019,
Partida Creus
Antonella Gerosa and Massimo Marchiori, originally from Piedmont—and even from the Langhe region, where wine is well-known—first pursued careers as architects in Barcelona. But the wine bug bit them, and they soon abandoned the big city and its sophistication for the vineyards of southern Catalonia, in Bonastre in Baix-Penedés. There, they found a wealth of abandoned vineyards planted with a dizzying diversity of traditional Catalan grape varieties, which they passionately revived to save these varieties—and their wines—from oblivion. For them, it's not just a matter of heritage rescue, no: it's a matter of taste and nature. Of natural wines, which they will continue to make from now on on these sandy, poor, clay-limestone or clay-gravel soils, poor and poorly irrigated, where the vines suffer to give their best juice. This is why their estate is as important from a winemaking perspective as it is from a historical perspective - we are talking here about the history of the vine in Catalonia.
Massimo and Antonella practice organic, biodynamic viticulture, entirely manual and natural in order to give new life to these wines. Vinyater, sumoll, garrut, monastrell, ull de perdiu, ull de llebre, sumoll, queixal de llop, cariñena, trepat, subirat parent, maccabeu, parellada, pansé, vinel.lo, bobal, cartoixà vermell or xarel.lo: Partida Creus is a veritable conservatory of native Catalan grape varieties. It also grows moscatel, grenache, merlot and cabernet (among others). Few wineries can boast growing so many different grape varieties. The wines reflect this diversity, with the winemakers striving to best convey the signature of the soil and the grape variety: single-variety wines are common among them, alongside extensive blends, all in the styles dear to Catalonia: still wine, "ancestral" sparkling wine, and even vermouth. The bottles themselves are works of art: bare glass, simply marked with two large stenciled initials that denote the vintage. The wines, fresh, vibrant, lush but always straightforward and impeccably juicy and fruity, breathe life. The arrival of a Partida Creus at the table always elicits exclamations of joy. This 100% Bobal is a racy and finely wild red from the Hondos plot, built on a grape variety common in Spain but whose expression is very original here. Dark cherry red color; on the nose, candy, sweet flowers, fresh fruits, violet, thyme. On the palate, a lot of distinction: a straight acidity and morello cherry, ripe plum, black pepper, a small saline touch on the finish. Serve well chilled.
La Barbacana Red 2019,
La Senda
La Bodega La Senda is the creation of Diego Losada, a native of Bierzo, a region northwest of the province of León, bordered to the north by Asturias and to the west by Galicia. Pilgrims traveling to Santiago de Compostela via the Camino Francés or the Camino de Invierno can admire its magnificent landscapes, where ancient vineyards cover the hilltops. Viticulture dates back to Roman times, but the region was so traumatized by the phylloxera crisis that vines were not replanted until the mid-20th century, without massive uprooting, giving these vines an average age of forty to seventy years. Born in Ponferrada, in the northern Bierzo, Diego was never one for compromise. Resolutely radical, with a love of freedom and rigor, he first applied this disposition to music in the heavy metal band he formed with his high school friends. It was to wine, later, that he would devote this same passion, studying organic chemistry at university and learning the scientific aspects of viticulture. But the scientific rigidity and conventional methods, discovered on some of the estates where he worked, did not satisfy him. Attracted by a viticulture closer to the land, Diego recovered a few plots to showcase, as naturally as possible, the terroir of Bierzo. In 2012, he created the La Senda estate on the outskirts of his hometown, whose name means "the path." His wines will be like him: honest, frank, natural and expressive. Without the appellation of origin, they are the pure reflection of their soils and climate, of the personality and energy of their creator. La Barbacana is named after the plot that produced the grapes, a vineyard more than a century old planted on schist, ferrous and quartz soils at an altitude of 650 meters. The grape varieties are mainly Garnacha Tintorera (90%), with ten percent Mencia. The harvest is macerated in chestnut barrels and pressed before the end of fermentation, after which the must rests for eleven months in 650-liter chestnut barrels. Pure, deep, complex, this wine has a beautiful acidity and an equally beautiful length. It is a fruity and juicy red that will accompany the most rustic specialties of the Spanish terroir.
Natural wine without added sulfites.
Esprit Attila Red 2018
Anthony Tortul loves old vineyards: he devotes his life to finding and vinifying them. Just as there are landless shepherds, he can be defined as a landless winegrower, in other words, a wine merchant whose scope extends throughout Languedoc and, eastward, as far as Châteauneuf-du-Pape, in search of the best terroirs. Born in Foix, with six years of experience as a wine technician and oenologist in various vineyards in the south of France, he created La Sorga in 2008. His enthusiasm leads him on a path of love at first sight, and each of these loves is a vineyard. The result is a dizzying mosaic of natural, lively and spirited wines, which reinvents itself each year with around thirty cuvées per vintage. Few winemakers can include such a variety of grape varieties: the whole of southern France is there with muscat, grenache, picpoul, mauzac, carignan, cinsault, marsanne, alicante, braucol, duras, viognier, len-de-l’el, and tutti quanti.
Esprit Attila is made up of sixty percent carignan (one hundred and thirteen year old vines) and forty percent syrah. These two grape varieties are harvested on the ferruginous clay-limestone soils of Lagrasse, in the Corbières. Vinification, in whole bunches, is done in separate grape varieties for ninety days in quasi-infusion before blending, followed by aging in concrete vats for a year and a second aging of one year in bottles, like a great Spanish red. The nose is immediately very aromatic and we find in abundance the characters of the two grape varieties: blueberry, blackcurrant, black olive… The palate is full, delicious, extremely fresh and typical of its vintage, with notes of violet.
Natural wine without added sulfites.
Funambule Sparkling White 2019,
Château Lafitte
A 100% natural sparkling wine made from Gros Manseng, straight from the extraordinary Jurançon vineyard, Funambule holds its own. The nose is immediately captivated by a great aromatic freshness that continues on the palate with euphoric notes of lemon and mandarin. A perfect balance of solidity and delicacy, it accompanies any meal from aperitif to dessert.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.
Pairs with: Charcuterie, Hard cheeses