France

Côtes du Rhône Red 2022

Les Grandes Serres

This Côtes-du-Rhône from Domaine des Grandes Serres is what its name implies: an organic and natural red wine from the lower Rhône Valley, in the AOC-AOP Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages. It is part of the estate's "Comics" natural series (see label).

Vinification

The Côtes-du-Rhône from Domaine des Grandes Serres is made from 80% Syrah, with 5% of each of the following grape varieties: Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault, all grown on limestone and sandstone soils. The harvest is manual, the grapes are destemmed and macerated on the skins for three weeks. After pressing, the wine rests for eight months in stainless steel vats.

Tasting

A good, dense, indulgent, and fruity Côtes-du-Rhône, without the slight bite of sulfites, does that tempt you? This Côtes-du-Rhône is part of the estate's organic and natural "Comics" series and will always be perfect when you want a warm, fruity red wine suitable for all occasions.

Learn more about Domaine des Grandes Serres

Domaine des Grandes Serres, created in 1977 with respect for the environment and the terroir, represents the excellence and vitality, in organic and natural mode, of the prestigious Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, where it covers 12 hectares. To make his estate and merchant wines, he harvests, buys grapes, vinifies, and ages them over a wide area, centered around Châteauneuf and the southern Côtes-du-Rhône, extending to areas such as Lirac and the Costières de Nîmes.

An organic commitment without ostentation

A large portion of the Domaine des Grandes Serres vintages are organic and without added sulfites, although the estate does not publicly boast about it. Modestly, Samuel Montgermont, the estate's general manager, explains that the geological and climatic conditions, particularly the mistral wind, promote the health of the vineyard and allow for the elimination of inputs. While the labels don't take themselves seriously, the wines are solid, fresh, and flavorful.

Morgon Côte du Py Red 2020,

Les En Hauts

Plum, cherry, flesh, structure: this is a Gamay that's full of Morgon, and for good reason. Juice, sap, gurgling, and pleasure: the famous Côte du Py has struck again, with all its spices, fruit, and overflowing minerality. This is the result of the combined work of winemakers Damien Coquelet and Frédéric Cossard. This wine is the result of semi-carbonic maceration of whole bunches, and is aged for ten months in concrete eggs.

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Les En-Hauts is not strictly speaking a wine estate but a project of vintages produced in partnership between Damien Coquelet and Frédéric Cossard. These two great figures of Burgundy viticulture—yes, Beaujolais is in Burgundy—had every reason to join forces to produce colorful and flavorful vintages together.
Frédéric Cossard is a biodynamic and natural star of Burgundy winemaking, who gives voice to the terroirs and Burgundy wines, undeformed by agricultural chemicals. His vintages are pure and elegant without artifice and are among the most sought-after in Burgundy. His practice is not limited to Burgundy, as vintages are made from grapes purchased in other regions. His vines are tended 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. Damien Coquelet, for his part, is the worthy successor of the great organic winemakers to whom we owe the advent of nature in the Beaujolais region: he is the son-in-law of Georges Descombes, and Jean Foillard was his mentor, who continued the pioneering work of Jules Chauvet and Marcel Lapierre. Owning nine hectares in Morgon on granite-sandy soils, he cultivates two and a half hectares plus a few leased vines: in all, four hectares on the legendary Côte du Py. A specialist in Morgons qui morgonnant and Chiroubles qui chiroublent, he embodies the true nature of Beaujolais.

Mead,

L'Arbre aux Abeilles
L'Arbre aux Abeilles' still dry mead is made from floral, Mediterranean honey from the hills of the Cévennes foothills, where Yves-Élie and Chantal have a few beehives, sedentary like the others. The subtle nose recalls the scent of beehives in summer.

Riesling Blanc 2021

Domaine Einhart
The color of this Riesling from Domaine Einhart is a beautiful orange-yellow. The initial nose is delicate, slightly musky, with notes of grapefruit and dandelion flower. The second nose is fresher and more mineral, with aromas of thyme, aromatic herbs, and flint. The palate begins with vivacity and beautiful verticality; the minerality is typical of limestone. Dried herbs return before a lingering finish with remarkable salinity. Riesling, the lord of Eastern grape varieties, finds here an expression worthy of its nobility. Light skin maceration is successful for this grape variety, and this one is no exception. The twenty-five-year-old vines grow on the muschelkalk (oolitic limestone) soils of the Kreutzweg area. The grapes are harvested by hand and then directly pressed. Maceration, using indigenous yeasts, takes between four and eight days. Aging on fine lees is ten months in century-old beer barrels (an Alsatian specialty) and precedes bottling without filtration. From the vineyard to the cellar, this wine was made without any additives or sulfites. Decanting is recommended so that it can spread its wings and express its mineral notes.

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Located in the northern part of the Alsatian vineyard, horizontally above Strasbourg, the Einhart estate is a ten-hectare family property whose vines are located on the hillsides that rise between the Alsace plain and the Vosges mountains. The soil is clay-limestone and rich in fossils (muschelkalk, i.e. shell limestone and oolitic limestone, and lettenkohle or dolomitic limestone). Since 1990, Nicolas Einhart has been at the helm, now assisted by his son Théo. Faithful to his commitments to the TIFLO association, of which he is a co-founder, Nicolas devotes his winemaking work to the protection of the land and biodiversity, winemaking without inputs, the refusal of harmful phytosanitary products and the maintenance of ecological refuge zones. His estate has been certified organic since 2011. Like Jean-Marc Dreyer [link], he is firmly focused on skin maceration and produces white maceration wines (orange wines) in addition to a Pinot Noir red. Entirely manual harvests, destemming of the grapes, light punching down and delicate pressing are characteristic of the estate, as well as the separate vinification of each terroir, aging on lees and the absence of filtration before bottling. The wines are pure grape, lively, powerful, invigorating, and transcribe the minerality of the very beautiful terroirs of the Vosges foothills.

Gentiane

La Jeannette

"Auvergne is more of a secret than a province; we never seek it as much as when we've already found it." This beautiful phrase by Alexandre Vialatte expresses, in a way, the research of the creators of La Jeannette. These pure Auvergnats had the wonderful idea of reviving gentian, this traditional Auvergne liqueur, which is mainly drunk as an aperitif and blends well with blackcurrant liqueur. You know it: it has lit up many a bar counter with its bright yellow flash, tinged slightly with green, in the clinking of ice cubes. You may have found it, from one brand to another, a little too sweet. It is precisely on its flavor that the creators of La Jeannette have worked.
Many traditional liqueurs have been dusted off in recent years. Generally, this dusting consists of a reduction in sugar content, accompanied by an intensification of flavors and a firm intention to focus on wild, organic, and natural ingredients. For La Jeannette, it's a success. The products are 100% Auvergne: first, fresh gentian roots harvested on the slopes of the Auvergne volcanoes. This is the main element. Next, lemon verbena, also known to Auvergne liqueur makers, an infusion of vine peaches, and a touch of peppermint.
One small sip and you immediately understand that this is no longer Grandpa's gentian, even if it's a grandmother laughing at you on the label. You first perceive that no excess sugar hides the freshness of the ingredients. Because the attack is fresh: the peppermint overlaps the continuous bitter note of the gentian. It's very balanced and very successful. In the mid-palate, the verbena asserts itself and adds to the overall sensation of freshness. It's a beautiful bitterness, the flavor that cures all and lifts the spirits. Needless to say, any cocktail with a hint of bitterness is allowed (negroni, americano, spritz, etc.), but we find it so delicious that we enjoy it on its own over ice, or with one of our favorite tonics, Hysope.
What's more, Jeannette is involved: she's working to save wild gentian. During an Ulule campaign, one euro per bottle sold was donated to an Auvergne association dedicated to preserving this precious root, promoting its replanting in its natural environment. If our aperitif can also be eco-friendly, who's going to complain?

Ah! Ramon!!! Red 2017

La Sorga
Antony Tortul loves old vineyards: he devotes his life to finding them and making wine in them. Just as there are landless shepherds, he can be defined as a landless winemaker, in other words, a wine merchant whose area of ​​activity 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 made of favorites, and each of these favorites 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 muscats, grenaches, picpoul, mauzac, carignan, cinsault, marsanne, alicante, braucol, duras, viognier, len-de-l’el, and tutti quanti.
Ah! Ramon!!! is a tightly packed blend: Aramon, Cinsault, Terret Bourret, Noir de La Calmette, Alicante Bouschet, but it is clearly the Aramon that dominates. The vines are approaching a century old. The grapes come from Vieussan, in the Saint-Chinian appellation area, on schist soils. All the blended grape varieties macerate for forty days in sandstone jars, almost as an infusion. The average is manually destemmed, and anything less ripe or less attractive is pressed directly. The aging continues in sandstone jars for a year. The profile is empyreumatic (meaning toasted, roasted), distinguished, camphorated, loaded with black cherry, tobacco, garrigue and sweet spices. The palate is very refined with a very Burgundian profile, also smoky and kirsch: characteristics that are ultimately quite typical of Aramon. This wine will be a lovely accompaniment to cooked pasta (lasagna) or lamb chops, but it can do anything. Aging potential: twenty years.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Sans ordonnance White 2021,

Les Vignes du Domaine du Temps

The nose of Sans ordonnance is fine, complex, exotic without being excessive: the musky notes of the Muscat à Petit Grain are initially very discreet and then develop in the glass. The aroma unfolds on the palate with very controlled notes of ripeness, wisteria, honey candy, and yellow peach on a lovely acidic base. The freshness is wonderful, tempered by a touch of richness. A rich and expressive wine, excellent with fish and seafood. Sans ordonnance is composed of 60% Muscat à petits grains and 40% Viognier, grown on the clay-limestone soils of the Carcassonne region, near the Montagne Noire. The harvest ferments naturally in stainless steel vats before aging for nine months in oak barrels. Sans ordonnance is neither fined nor filtered.

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Domaine du Temps is located in Cabardès, a small region of Languedoc that was once a subdivision of Cathar Country. Stretching from the southern slope of the Montagne Noire to the city of Carcassonne, it is bordered to the west by the Lauragais and to the east by the Minervois. Hilly, wild, rich in Mediterranean flora, it is a preserved ecosystem, especially since the Domaine du Temps, in the place called Font Juvénal, is a magical place: around a former 18th-century priory, sixty hectares of forests and scrubland protect thirteen hectares of vineyards on stony clay-limestone soils. The balance between dryness and coolness is a boon for viticulture, with a wide range of grape varieties. In addition to the Languedoc grape varieties (Syrah, Grenache, Roussanne, Viognier, Muscat), Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Sémillon and Chenin are grown. The estate has been Ecocert certified since 1998, is entirely managed biodynamically, and has dedicated itself to natural wine since 2015. The work in the vineyard and cellar is methodical, rigorous, and attentive: only the best grapes are kept, resulting in small yields, and destemming is determined based on the ripeness of the bunch. The reds are vinified using carbonic maceration of individual grape varieties, with the blending taking place before the year's aging. The whites are slowly and gently pressed to extract only the best from the grapes. These precautions result in smooth, controlled wines with great integrity and very supple tannins. They are fresh, delicious, and expressive.

Toile de Fond - Cuvée Exclusive Rouge 2021,

Fond Cyprès
Velvet, full-bodied, full-bodied, and a beautiful aromatic palette: this red has it all and will pair well with anything (moments, occasions, dishes, etc.). Toile de Fond is an exclusive cuvée from Fond Cyprès for Culinaries. It consists of eighty percent free-run juice from Carignan de la Source and twenty percent pressed juice from the Corbières blend, renamed this year Le Cordières des Andes (one-third Carignan de la Source, one-third Syrah de la Pinède, and one-third Grenache du Bois Saint-Jaume). The grapes are vinified separately before being blended in concrete vats for aging. This newcomer, which is very dear to us, is a red wine for all occasions, in the straightforward and sunny style – without excess heat – which characterizes this estate.

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This Languedoc estate is built on solid foundations: its two winemakers, Rodolphe and Laetitia, are also descendants of winemakers. Even before planting their first vine, they already had a clear objective: "to produce southern wines that reflect us, wines with character attached to our soils, with freshness and refined tannins." They want to obtain entirely natural wines, concentrates of terroir. In the old Corbières massif, they are taking over an old heart of the estate already planted with abandoned Carignan and Grenache, which have seen neither fertilizer nor pesticides for years: these clean and living soils are an ideal condition for launching into natural wine. Around this historic heart, they first planted Grenache Noir and Syrah, then a plot of white grape varieties: Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne. The estate has been Ecocert certified since 2010 and also complies with the Nature & Progrès charter. The vinification is done without the addition of sulfites or exogenous yeasts. "We make wines for pleasure," say Laetitia and Rodolphe. For them, natural wine is first assessed by taste, from the harvest. The vintages closely follow the plots, the musts are fruity, fluid, and complex. The wines of Fond Cyprès poetically evoke the estate's ecosystem and the vegetation that protects the plots: the pine forests, the shady springs, the beauty of the natural environment that brings freshness to the wines and leaves the soil's signature. Deliciously balanced between mineral imprint, vegetal environment and expression of fruit, the wines of Fond Cyprès reflect the South: the caress of its sun, but also the freshness of its shadows.

Aphrodite Blanc 2019

La Grapperie
Candied apples, spices, freshness, tension, and balance: plenty of structure and minerality. A little residual sugar adds richness and fullness without the slightest trace of heaviness. The signature of the old vines (over a hundred years old) is evident. Pure Chenin Blanc, Aphrodite is a charming wine made from vines planted in 1935 on flint-clay soils. The grapes are pressed directly at low pressure and then transferred by gravity before undergoing barrel fermentation with indigenous yeasts followed by aging for twenty-four months in tuffeau cellars. On the nose, notes of undergrowth are found on the palate with slightly caramelized and brioche aromas, balanced by some herbaceous notes at the end. A very, very great wine.

To find out more
In the Coteaux du Loir appellation, La Grapperie is the name of the estate of Renaud Guettier, who can be described as a master of Chenin, but also of Pineau d'Aunis, which is one of the oldest grape varieties in the Loire Valley. His principle, he confides, is "to produce complex, rich wines with good aging potential and imbued with the minerality of their terroir." The vines are located on hillsides, between 60 and 120 meters above sea level, protected from the north winds by the Bercé forest. Depending on the altitude, the terroirs are dominated by clay (at the bottom of the slope), flint (mid-slope), or sand (on the higher ground). The 60-hectare vineyard comprises around fifteen plots. The grape varieties are the two traditionally authorized varieties in the appellation: Chenin for the whites and Pineau d'Aunis for 90% of the reds, the remainder consisting of a few ares of Côt, Gamay, and Grolleau. The average age of the vines is seventy years, including almost two hectares of century-old vines and one and a half hectares of vines aged sixty to eighty years. Convinced of the enormous potential that these old vines can bring to his vintages, Renaud is meticulous in restoring the vineyard. The entire estate is cultivated organically. The soils are worked and all viticultural interventions are manual, including the harvests, carried out at full maturity, which is reflected in the fullness and smoothness of the wines. For the reds, the Pineaux d'Aunis are partially destemmed (depending on the plot) and the macerations are quite long, three to four weeks, with punching down, to promote aging potential. The wines are aged in barrels for between twelve and twenty-four months, then racked, blended and bottled without filtration. For the whites, the Chenins are pressed directly at low pressure and then poured into barrels by gravity. Fermentation takes place in barrels, on indigenous yeasts, with complete malolactic fermentation, for at least eighteen months and sometimes up to thirty-six months.

Les années folles Rosé Pétillant 2020,

Jean-Pierre Robinot
Here is a seductive natural sparkling rosé with an intense peach, salmon, and almost orange color. The delicate bubbles convey the finesse of the Pineau d'Aunis—very old vines growing on clay-limestone soil—and its characteristic profile: red fruits, spices, white pepper, and minerality. Produced directly after hand-harvesting and fermented in vats with indigenous yeasts, it remains in the bottle for nine months on its lees before being disgorged by hand. No filtration, no clarification, and no added sulfites. As his name suggests, he is sure to create a great atmosphere.

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Anyone interested in natural wine in France has certainly come across Jean-Pierre Robinot at some point and has never forgotten this smiling, bouncy figure. It is clear that while it has not yet been proven that all wines resemble their winemaker (a study to be undertaken), the wines produced by Jean-Pierre, warm, friendly, and bright, are a reflection of their creator. After running the L’Ange Vin wine bar on rue Richard-Lenoir in the 11th arrondissement of Paris for nearly fifteen years, Jean-Pierre returned to his native Chahaignes, a small village in the south of Sarthe, on the borders of Anjou and Touraine. His dream is to acquire his vineyard and make sulfur-free wines. He reclaims hillside wasteland on large terroirs, as well as troglodyte cellars dug into the tuffeau stone. 2002 will be his first vintage. At the same time, under the L’Opéra du vin brand, he vinifies grapes purchased from local winegrowers. Jean-Pierre Robinot practices demanding organic viticulture, without chemical weed control. The soil is worked and amended using natural composts. All harvests, carried out at maturity on healthy grapes, are done by hand. The location and climate favor noble rot.

Chestnut Mead,

L'Arbre aux Abeilles

L'Arbre aux Abeilles' chestnut mead is a unique semi-dry wine. On the palate, it's a dialogue between the sweetness and bitterness characteristic of chestnut honey: woody, forest, and caramelized notes. Serve it as an aperitif or with desserts, game, pâtés, foie gras, and other charcuterie.

Fleurie Red 2022

Frédéric Cossard

Vinified by Frédéric Cossard, this vintage is an organic and natural red wine from Beaujolais, in the AOC Fleurie, one of the ten Beaujolais appellations located in the northern part of the country. It combines the typical characteristics of the granite soils and the Gamay grape variety of Beaujolais with the Frédéric Cossard touch, with fullness and respect for the terroir.

Vinification

100% Gamay from Beaujolais growing on granite soils, harvested by hand, it first undergoes a carbonic maceration of fifteen days in whole bunches. After pressing, it is aged for a year in concrete eggs, which rounds it out and highlights the fruit.

Tasting

A superb Cossard in Beaujolais version: this Fleurie is fruity, tangy, delicious, fine and elegant, typical of its appellation. Lovely bright color, raspberry, cherry, a touch of violet. It is made to accompany the best charcuterie, but you can also accompany any kind of cooked dish, red meats, white meats or roast poultry.

Learn more about Frédéric Cossard and the domaine de Chassorney

Frédéric Cossard and the domaine de Chassorney give the floor in organic and natural mode to the wines of Burgundy (and elsewhere), undistorted by agricultural chemicals, according to the style and convictions of this winegrower and merchant. Wherever the grapes come from, its wines bear the Cossard brand, both classic and creative.

Between viticulture and trade

Frédéric Cossard created the domaine de Chassorney 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 from the greatest climates of Burgundy, but also from Jura, Languedoc and elsewhere.

A solid commitment to nature

At Frédéric Cossard, the work of the soil and the vines is done naturally: plowing by horse, biodynamics, no chemical fertilizers or weedkillers. The harvest, by hand, is carried out at full maturity. Frédéric Cossard's vintages are rare and sought-after, wines that are always highly anticipated but which sometimes require waiting.

Back to Blaye Rouge 2022

Château Frédignac
Back to Blaye, a superb organic and natural red Bordeaux, has everything to seduce you: it once again reflects the excellence of organic wines produced on Bordeaux soils. You'll first admire the beautiful deep carmine color before perceiving the Blaye-Côtes-de-Bordeaux signature on the nose: black fruits, red fruits, exemplary vinosity, a delicious roundness underpinned by tannins that are still a little rustic due to the wine's youth. Bordeaux, as you know, generally requires waiting, and the fact that the wine is organic and natural doesn't change anything. You will therefore be right if you decide to keep this bottle for a few years, it will benefit from it and acquire velvety and melted. The wine needs to patinate a little in the bottle, but you can enjoy it now and accompany it with red meats, roasts, solid dishes. Obtained from a majority of Merlot (90%) and Cabernet Sauvignon as a minority grape variety (10%), Back to Blaye is categorized as a Vin de France but has nothing to envy its congeners more gratified by their appellation. The harvest is destemmed, the maceration in vat is fifteen days. The aging after pressing and blending is six months in concrete vats. Tip: Take advantage of this vintage's youth by buying several bottles that will age with distinction in your cellar.

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Château Frédignac, a 100% organic estate (Nature & Progrès), is located in the Blaye-Côtes-de-Bordeaux appellation, very close to the small town of Blaye, practically on the banks of the Gironde. Founded in 1918 by Jean-Marie L’Amouller, a Breton sailor who found happiness on the right bank of the estuary — which is called “the River” here — it became a quality wine estate a few years later by absorbing the vineyard of a property with a centuries-old reputation, Château Saugeron. The appellation is best known for its velvety, deep red wines, in which Château Frédignac excels. But the achievements of this wine estate dedicated to respecting the terroir and virtuous agricultural practices do not end there: an organic white is produced, as well as several natural cuvées of various colors, from pet'nat'rosé to still red. The red grape varieties are typical of the appellation—the two Cabernets, Franc and Sauvignon; Merlot, Carménère and Côt (Malbec)—and the whites (Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon) are similar. The clay-limestone soils promote both soil drainage and their beneficial freshness for the vines. Combined with methods deeply respectful of the soil, plants, animals and winemaking, these pedological conditions allow the Château Frédignac team to be proud of its wines: as worthy of their local tradition as they are in keeping with the desire to work as closely as possible with nature.

Toile de Fond Rouge 2022

Fond Cyprès
Velvet, full-bodied, full-bodied, with a magnificent texture and a beautiful aromatic palette of ripe red fruits: this wine has it all and will pair well with anything (moments, occasions, dishes, etc.). The tasting of this 2022 wine revealed "a real bomb," so be warned. Toile de Fond is an exclusive cuvée from Fond Cyprès for Culinaries, classified as a Vin de France. For this vintage, it consists of 80% free-run juice from Grenache du Bois-Saint-Jaume, a magnificent expression of Grenache grown on marl surrounded by pine forests, and 20% Carignan de la Source. The grapes are vinified separately before being blended in concrete vats for aging. This newcomer, which is very dear to us, is a red wine for all occasions, in the straightforward and sunny style – without excess heat – which characterizes this estate, with a full and voluptuous sensation which seems to characterize this blended cuvée since its beginnings.

To find out more
This Languedoc estate is built on solid foundations: its two winemakers, Rodolphe and Laetitia, are also descendants of winemakers. Even before planting their first vine, they already had a clear objective: "to produce southern wines which reflect us, wines of character attached to our soils, with freshness and refined tannins." They want to obtain entirely natural wines, concentrates of terroir. In the old Corbières massif, they took over an old heart of an estate already planted with abandoned Carignan and Grenache vines, which had seen neither fertilizer nor pesticides for years: these clean and vibrant soils are ideal conditions for launching into natural wine. Around this historic heart, they first planted Grenache Noir and Syrah, then a plot of white grape varieties: Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne. The estate has been Ecocert certified since 2010 and also complies with the Nature & Progrès charter. Vinification is carried out without the addition of sulfites or exogenous yeasts. "We make wines for pleasure," say Laetitia and Rodolphe. For them, natural wine is first evaluated by taste, from the harvest. The vintages closely follow the plots, the musts are fruity, fluid, and complex. Fond Cyprès wines poetically evoke the estate's ecosystem and the vegetation that protects the plots: pine forests, shaded springs, the beauty of the natural environment that brings freshness to the wines and leaves the signature of the soil. Deliciously balanced between mineral imprint, plant environment and fruit expression, Fond Cyprès wines reflect the South: the caress of its sun, but also the freshness of its shadows.

MO Mondeuse Rouge 2020

Patrick Bouju
Patrick Bouju, from his merchant repertoire, offers us his interpretation of the Mondeuse grape variety from Savoie, used here 100%. The grapes undergo a short maceration, followed by aging in amphorae.

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Near Billom, the Limagne clermontoise rises eastward to form a hilly area with a mild climate, dominated by volcanic hills. This is the Auvergne Tuscany, so named because of its resemblance to the Italian province. This land of mixed subsistence farming was once covered in vines and was the preferred domain of Gamay d'Auvergne, a robust ancient strain, the origin of dense, deep, and fruity wines. This is where Patrick Bouju cultivates and vinifies, on these high-quality volcanic soils and mainly on old vines. The soils vary between basalt, limestone, clay-limestone, and pozzolan. Patrick collects and cares for the best terroirs of Puy-de-Dôme, often abandoned, and gives them new life. He also preserves the indigenous grape varieties, of which he cultivates a good fifty, and simultaneously works as a wine merchant using purchased organic grapes. The current renaissance of the Auvergne vineyard (which was once the third largest in France) owes much to Patrick. The fact that he enjoys lending a helping hand to his winegrowing friends from France and elsewhere only confirms his image as a model, a leader. His partnerships are famous: with Action Bronson for the series A la Natural, with Jason Ligas in Greece for Sous le Végétal… Patrick practices long macerations, and the wines rest for up to six months after bottling. Very sensitive to sulfites in wines, Patrick has found that his own do very well without them. He has also noted that if the grapes are healthy and concentrated, balance occurs on its own, regardless of the successive phases a vintage goes through. His noble, chiseled, distinguished, never bland wines are immediately recognizable in the glass. They are straight, clean, precise, often marked by floral notes and a spicy minerality. They also constitute a formidable anthology of the terroirs and ancient vines of Basse-Auvergne and its volcanic soils.

Morey Saint Denis 1er Cru Monts Luisant Red 2019,

Frédéric Cossard

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 unadulterated purity and elegance that are among the most sought-after in Burgundy. Frédéric worked as a wine broker for some time before creating the domaine de Chassorney 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 wine 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 practice is not limited to Burgundy since vintages are made from grapes purchased in the Jura or Languedoc. At his place, the work of the soil and the vines is done as naturally as possible: regular plowing 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 coveted wines, which sometimes require waiting.

Here is a very rare vintage, dense and elegant, overflowing with aromas of fresh fruit, from a small plot above the village of Morey-Saint-Denis. The Pinot Noir planted here is of the Pinot Fin variety, a very old and increasingly rare strain. The vines are around seventy years old. This bewitching wine promises to improve for a long time.

Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Orange White 2019

Château Lafitte

This Orange cuvée is made from Petit Manseng, the emblematic grape variety of Jurançon. It is macerated for 21 days in terracotta jars, which gives it its beautiful tawny color, powerful nose, and supple, melting tannins. A true treasure to keep in the cellar for up to ten years (if you can manage that).
Natural wine with no added sulfites

Pairs with: Asian cuisine, Roasted meats

Magnum Sous La Velle Rouge 2018,

Domaine de Chassorney
This Pinot Noir comes from a plot with a steep, south-southeast exposure, located between 280 and 400 meters above sea level in the Saint-Romain appellation. The soils are mainly marl, limestone, and clay. The grapes macerate in whole bunches. Aging is approximately one year in barrels.

Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Argile Blanc 2018

Chateau Lafitte


This 100% Petit Manseng, fermented and aged in terracotta jars, will surprise you with its balance and frank minerality. Fresh, long, and lively, with a continuous line between tension and fruit. A true companion to oysters and seafood, but it also tastes great on its own. Cellar it for two to five years.
Natural wine with no added sulfites