Cinsauriel Red 2021

Cinsauriel Red 2021

Jean Louis Pinto

Cinsauriel is an organic and natural red wine from the Languedoc region, produced by Jean-Louis Pinto of the Es d’Aqui estate. 100% Cinsault, classified as Vin de France, it comes from the schist soils of Berlou, near Saint-Chinian.

Vinification

Cinsauriel is obtained by fermentation with indigenous yeasts and a month of maceration of the whole bunches in sandstone jars, the container where the aging also takes place.

Tasting

Beautiful bright ruby color, nose of pepper, rose and strawberry, accents of garrigue, candied black olive and prune. Lively and powerful, Cinsauriel is a robust and distinguished wine. It calls for solid foods: beef, roast pork, roast poultry such as chicken, capon or duck. He also enjoys charcuterie and cured meats.

Learn more about Jean-Louis Pinto and the Es d’Aqui estate

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 (“He is from here”) that he gave to his wine merchant estate, located in Moulin-Neuf, a town near the Aude, between Mirepoix and Limoux. A region where vines once abounded, until the major mildew attacks at the beginning of the 20th century.

Winemaker and merchant

Jean-Louis buys grapes grown organically by winegrower friends. He monitors the fruit set, the ripening, and does everything to know the grapes before harvesting them. He vinifies them at home using natural methods, practicing long macerations on whole bunches and very gentle pressings in a vertical press. He says he has "a lot of vines in common" with his friend Anthony Tortul (La Sorga).

All the terroirs of Languedoc

Jean-Louis Pinto's collection area extends throughout Languedoc, particularly in Hérault, Aude, and Tarn. "I make wines from the South," he says. "I'm mainly looking for terroirs that give freshness." The most powerful reds are made in five terracotta jars, which help him control extraction and give his wines, he says, "a very crystalline quality."