Dry

Magnum BB "Hondos" Red 2018

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.

Skin Contact Combe Bazin White 2016

Domaine de Chassorney

This Chardonnay comes from a steep, east-facing plot between 280 and 400 meters above sea level. The soils are mainly marl, limestone, and clay. After skin maceration, the wine is aged for about a year in barrels. This climate is known for producing mineral, lively, sapid, and persistent wines, with the added bonus of Burgundian smoothness.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Le Vigne Piu Vecchie White 2010

Le Coste

A great deal of wisdom goes into this 100% Procanico Italian white wine, produced from vines around sixty years old. A precious plot, located on the volcanic soils of the Le Coste estate, to which it owes its name: the vigne più vecchie, literally "the oldest vines." After direct pressing and a short maceration, this cuvée is aged for many months in 500-liter oak barrels before being bottled, where it will wait another thirty-six months. Despite its venerable age, one cannot help but be charmed by the beautiful minerality that it manages to retain in the mouth, and by its formidable balance.
Natural wine without added sulfites.

Les Nouvelles Blanc 2022

Philippe Chatillon

With his "Les Nouvelles 2022" cuvée, Philippe Chatillon, former director of Domaine de la Pinte and now an independent winemaker, continues to precisely and sincerely express the great terroirs of the Jura, which he has cultivated organically since his beginnings. This 100% Savagnin, from the Arbois appellation, offers a refined interpretation of a grape variety often characterized by oxidative notes, here vinified "ouillé" (fully topped up).

The grapes, grown on Jurassic marl, are directly pressed and then ferment naturally, without the addition of yeasts or other inputs. Two years of aging in old barrels, under "ouillage" (keeping the barrels topped up), allows the wine to develop beautiful complexity without any oxidative notes, in a taut and digestible style. No corrections, no masking: this Savagnin is a pure expression of its place and its vintage.

Upon tasting, the color is clear, golden with green reflections. The nose entices with its floral finesse (white flower, lime blossom), discreet brioche notes, and clear aromas of white peach and chalky minerality. On the palate, it is taut, straight, dry, with a superb length and a saline, almost vibrant finish that calls for food.

A gastronomic wine, it will pair perfectly with freshwater fish, Jura cheeses (aged Comté, Morbier), or exotic and spicy dishes. Serve slightly decanted to allow it to fully open up. Guaranteed to age for 5 to 10 years.

Odyssea Ansonica White 2017,

Macchion Dei Lupi

Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Casa Rossa Red 2022

Jean-Yves Péron

Casa Rossa, a red or rather rosé wine leaning towards red, is none other than the Italian version of Vers la Maison rouge, a Savoyard cuvée by Jean-Yves Péron. It is an organic, biodynamic, and natural wine made from three grape varieties: Grignolino, Freisa, and Barbera.

Vinification

The organic grapes that make up Casa Rossa are harvested in Casale Monferrato, in Piedmont. The Barbera and Freisa undergo direct pressing, and the Grignolino undergoes carbonic maceration with a two-month cap-punching. The three grape varieties are blended before a year of aging in 300-liter barrels. This period is followed by a year of bottle aging.

Tasting

Jean-Yves Péron's Casa Rossa is a rosé that's not far from a red. The tangy Barbera grape brings liveliness; the Grignolino and Freisa (so named for their strong strawberry aromas) give a vinous side that makes Casa Rossa a beautiful winter wine, not a summer rosé. The wine is fruity, tangy, aromatic, and very delicious. It goes well on its own and with accompaniments (pasta, Italian dishes, etc.).

Learn more about Jean-Yves Péron

Jean-Yves Péron is a talented embodiment of the organic, biodynamic, and natural renaissance of the Savoyard vineyard, which is based on varied soils and numerous indigenous grape varieties (Jacquère, Altesse, Mondeuse, etc.). At his winery in Chevaline, in the Bauges region, he vinifies the grapes from his plots in Conflans, near Albertville, and Fréterive, in the Isère valley.

High-altitude biodynamics

Jean-Yves Péron's work follows the principles of minimal intervention. On narrow, steep surfaces, his mountain vines in micro-plots, worked by hand, receive no synthetic products, Jean-Yves preferring horsetail and nettle manure. All of Jean-Yves Péron's wines are sulfite-free, made from hand-harvested grapes, vinified in whole bunches and foot-trodden in the vat. For all vintages, the free-run and press are blended, then aged on lees for at least one year, in two- or three-wine barrels, amphorae or tuns, before final blending. They must be stored at a temperature below 18°C. No sulfites are added, or as little as possible, and the wines are not fined or filtered.

Italian-Savoyard trade

Since 2011, a trading activity has allowed Jean-Yves Péron to buy the harvest from neighboring organic winegrowers and to collaborate with winegrowers in Northern Italy: this is the I Vicini series, which allows him to diversify the terroirs and deepen his winemaking and aging experiences.

BS Ancestral Sparkling White 2015

Partida Creus

BS Blanc de Sumoll is an organic and natural sparkling white wine (method ancestral) produced by Partida Creus in Catalonia, and bottled in magnum format. This sunny white, made from 100% white sumoll (a grape variety that has become extremely rare in Catalonia), is a historic cuvée, the first produced by Massimo and Antonella. Categorized as Vino de Mesa (table wine), this is a very rare vintage that should not be missed when a few bottles appear.

Vinification

The Sumoll grapes (a native Catalan variety) are hand-harvested, directly pressed, and a fine maceration completes their delicacy. Packaged in magnums (guaranteeing breadth and depth) and an old vintage, what more could you ask for?

Tasting

With a superb golden tone tending towards orange, BS Ancestral is made for the table and refined dishes. Vibrant and aromatic, it offers notes of citrus (grapefruit, orange, lemon), rose, peach, apple, quince, garrigue (thyme, rosemary), and quince, with a rather saline finish. It is also mineral with notes of honey, leather, and stone. It’s an all-terrain wine that will go well with any dish and in a festive atmosphere. Celebrate its opening with bellota ham, oysters, and smoked seafood.

Learn more about Partida Creus

Partida Creus is an organic, biodynamic, and natural winery in southern Catalonia (Bonastre, Baix-Penedés) cultivated by Massimo Marchiori and Antonella Gerosa, former architects in Barcelona. By recovering abandoned vineyards, they have saved a stunning diversity of traditional Catalan grape varieties from oblivion. On these sandy, clay-limestone or clay-gravelly soils, they produce natural wines without added sulphites.

A Catalan ampelothèque

Vinyater, sumoll, garrut, monastrell, ull de perdiu, ull de llebre, sumoll, queixal de llop, cariñena, trepat, ceciat parent, maccabeu, parellada, pansé, vinel·lo, bobal, cartoixà vermell or xarel·lo (among others): it is a true conservatory of native Catalan grape varieties that Partida Creus takes care of in natural mode. The wines reflect this diversity, with the winegrowers striving to best convey the signature of the soil and the grape variety. The wines, fresh, vibrant, lush, and straightforward, breathe life.

The Partida Creus look

Single varietals are common at Partida Creus, alongside blends, all in the styles dear to Catalonia: still wine, sparkling wine (cava), or even vermouth. The bottles are instantly recognizable: plain glass or covered with ivory labels, the vintage being indicated by two large stenciled initials.

BS Blanc de Sumoll White 2017

Partida Creus
Finely macerated, with a superb golden hue vering with orange, BS Blanc de Sumoll is made for the table and refined dishes. Vibrant and aromatic, it offers notes of citrus (grapefruit, orange, lemon), rose, peach, apple, quince, garrigue (thyme, rosemary), and quince, with a rather saline finish. It is also mineral with notes of honey, leather, and stone. This still, sunny Blanc de Noirs, made from 100% white Sumoll (a grape variety that has become extremely rare in Catalonia) and produced directly from the press, is a historic cuvée, the first produced by Massimo and Antonella. This is a very rare wine that should not be missed when a few bottles appear.

Find out more
Partida Creus is an important estate, both from a winemaking and historical perspective – 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 wine is well-known – first pursued careers as architects in Barcelona. But the wine bug bit them, and soon they abandoned the big city and its sophistication for the vineyards of southern Catalonia, in Bonastre in Baix-Penedés. There they found a quantity of abandoned vineyards planted with a dizzying diversity of traditional Catalan grape varieties that they passionately revived to save these varieties – and their wines – from oblivion. On their part, it’s not just a matter of saving heritage, no: it’s a matter of taste and nature. Natural wines, which they will continue to make from now on on these sandy, poor, clay-limestone or clay-gravelly, poor and poorly irrigated lands, where the vines suffer to give their best juice. Massimo and Antonella practice organic, biodynamic, entirely manual and natural viticulture 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, ceciat parent, maccabeu, parellada, pansé, vinel·lo, bobal, cartoixà vermell or xarel·lo: it is a true conservatory of the native Catalan grape varieties that Partida Creus cares for. Moscatel, Grenache, Merlot, and Cabernet (among others) are also grown here. Few wineries can boast growing so many different grape varieties. The wines reflect this diversity, with winemakers striving to best convey the signature of the soil and the grape variety: single-varietal 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 cuvée. 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 cries of satisfaction.

Es d’aqui Trachéo Red 2019

Jean-Louis Pinto

A superb wine, refined and fresh, beautifully fruity. A nose of raspberry, rose, licorice, and Languedoc garrigue. On the palate, very well-integrated tannins. Beautiful energy, sunshine, and plenty of structure. This is a pure Grenache, made from grapes grown in the schist soils of Cabrerolles, in the Faugères region. It has a aging potential of six or seven years, but can be enjoyed now. The harvest macerates for twenty-three days in whole bunches and the wine is aged in resin vats.

To find out more

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 Tracheo 2016

Es d'aqui Jean Louis Pinto
This pure Grenache comes from the schist soils of Faugères. It is a superb wine, refined and fresh, beautifully fruity. It has aging potential for six or seven years, but can be enjoyed now. Nose of raspberry, rose, licorice, and Languedoc garrigue. On the palate, very well-integrated tannins. Beautiful energy, sunshine, and plenty of structure.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.