France

La Tour Sarazine Blanc 2019,

Jean-Yves Peron
Savoyard wine has long suffered from a somewhat flimsy image, not taken seriously enough. Yet, what treasures its varied soils and numerous ancient grape varieties produce! Jean-Yves Péron embodies the renaissance of this beautiful vineyard. In Chevaline, in Savoie, near Lake Annecy, he skillfully combines committed viticulture and merchant winemaking, both with a focus on nature. His Mondeuse reds are magnificent, as are his whites made from ancient local grape varieties—Jacquère, Altesse, Bergeron, and Persan—no less so.
Initially destined for a career in biochemistry, he quickly became drawn to the vine and trained as an oenologist in Bordeaux. His current vineyard, three hectares of which have been biodynamic since the beginning, is divided between Conflans, near Albertville, and Fréterive, a little further down in the Isère Valley. 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. His trading business, which he began in 2011, allows him to buy the harvest from organic winemakers near his home, but also in Northern Italy: for him, it is a new dimension to his work as a winemaker, allowing him to multiply the terroirs and deepen his experiences in winemaking and aging.
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. Jean-Yves Péron's winemaking adheres to the principles of minimal intervention. On narrow, steep surfaces, his mountain vines are not treated with any synthetic products; Jean-Yves prefers horsetail and nettle manure. The surrounding vegetation is very rich: it protects the vines and helps 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 process that extracts 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 transferred 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 the vat. No sulfites are added, or as little as possible, and the wines are not fined or filtered.
This Tour Sarazine is a wine from a schistose micro-plot planted with Muscat à petits grains. Jean-Yves sometimes blends it with Jacquère when the vintage is low-yielding. In 2017, for example, the Muscat produced one bunch every three vines... Maceration varies depending on the vintage: between three weeks and two months. Aging is one year in barrels. The wine has an obviously very Muscat profile – musky, floral, aromatic, exotic – reinforced by the mineral clarity of the schist. For the pairings, it’s a call to the imagination, between cheeses and cuisines from elsewhere.

Cotillon des Dames Amphore Blanc 2018,

Jean-Yves Peron
Initially destined for a career in biochemistry, Jean-Yves Péron quickly fell in love with the vine and trained as an oenologist in Bordeaux. He lives in Chevaline, in Savoie, near Lake Annecy, skillfully combining committed viticulture and merchant winemaking, both with a focus on nature. His Mondeuse reds are magnificent, as are his whites made from ancient local grape varieties—Jacquère, Altesse, Bergeron, and Persan—no less so.
His current vineyard, three hectares biodynamic since its inception, is divided between Conflans, near Albertville, and Fréterive, a little further downstream in the Isère Valley. 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. His trading business, which he began in 2011, allows him to buy the harvest from organic winemakers close to home, but also in Northern Italy: for him, it is a new dimension given to his work as a winemaker, allowing him to multiply the terroirs and to deepen his experiences in winemaking and aging.
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. Jean-Yves Péron's winemaking adheres to the principles of minimal intervention. On narrow, steep slopes, his mountain vines are not treated with any synthetic products, Jean-Yves preferring horsetail and nettle manure. The surrounding vegetation is extremely rich: it protects the vines and helps 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 process that extracts 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 woody 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. Savoyard wine has long suffered from a somewhat flimsy image, not taken seriously enough. Yet, what treasures its soils with varied pedology and its many ancient grape varieties produce! Jean-Yves Péron embodies the renaissance of this beautiful vineyard. This cuvée is built around Jacquère grown on limestone soils, with the addition of Altesse from schistose terrain. The winemaker sometimes adds Roussanne and Mondeuse through direct pressing. The idea is to be able to precisely control the evolution of the juice and balance the wine according to the behavior of each grape variety. The grapes are vinified separately and aged in terracotta before bottling. This is a complex, elegant, velvety, and fruity white wine—a terracotta-aged variation of one of the winemaker's flagship vintages.

In Carran La Croix de Bernard Rouge - 2019,

Domaine de Chassorney
Through his entirely natural work, Frédéric Cossard gives voice to the terroirs and Burgundy wines, undistorted by agricultural chemicals. Having observed, during his years of trading, 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 for some time 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 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 exercise is not limited to Burgundy, as 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 sought-after wines, which sometimes require waiting.
This Pinot Noir comes from a plot whose steep terroir, facing south-southeast, is located between 280 and 400 meters above sea level in the Saint-Romain appellation. The soils there are mainly marl, limestone and clay. The grapes macerate in whole bunches. Aging takes place for about a year in barrels. The soils and the work in the vineyard reveal the full potential of the grape variety: a deep, complex, fleshy and silky wine, packaged only in magnum format.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Auxey Duresses Les Crais Blanc 2019,

Domaine de Chassorney
Through his entirely natural work, Frédéric Cossard gives voice to the terroirs and Burgundy wines, undistorted by agricultural chemicals. Having observed, during his years of trading, 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 some time 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 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 exercise is not limited to Burgundy, as 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. Red or white, classic Burgundies or more atypical or less "regional" bottles, Frédéric's vintages are rare and sought-after wines, which sometimes require waiting.
This white Auxey-Duresses produced on the Crais plot is remarkably pure in expression. The maturity of the grapes is exceptional and is felt in the form of a pleasant roundness and generous fruit. Lots of straightness, elegance, complexity and tension.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Bedeau 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.
A beautiful Pinot Noir full of finesse. The harvest comes from plots of forty-year-old vines in Volnay and the surrounding area, and from a plot of fifty-year-old vines in Nuits-Saint-Georges. Bedeau presents a sumptuous and satiny fruit and a touch of insolence to enhance the whole.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Saint Romain Sous Roche Qvevris Rouge 2019,

Domaine de Chassornay
Through his entirely natural work, Frédéric Cossard gives voice to the terroirs and Burgundy wines, undistorted by agricultural chemicals. Having observed, during his years of trading, 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 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 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 sought-after wines, which sometimes need to be waited for.
This Pinot Noir from the Qvevris series (aged in Georgian-style terracotta jars) comes from a plot whose sloping terroir, facing south-southeast, is located between 280 and 400 meters above sea level in the Saint-Romain appellation. The soils there are mainly marl, limestone and clay. The grapes macerate in whole bunches. Plenty of fruit and roundness are supported by a sumptuous minerality. The Pinot Noir benefits greatly from the velvety texture provided by aging in qvevri.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Maître Splinter Blanc 2019,

La Sorga
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 viticultural technician and oenologist in various vineyards in the south of France, he founded La Sorga in 2008. His enthusiasm leads him on a path filled with love at first sight, and each of these loves is a vineyard. The result is a stunning 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 on their menu: 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.
It was in Marseillan (Hérault), on clay-limestone soils, not far from the Thau basin, that the grapes for this Maître Splinter were harvested: ninety percent picpoul (five-year-old vines), a typical grape variety of this coastal commune in Languedoc; ten percent grenache gris (twenty-year-old vines). The vinification is done using a "dip" method that Anthony Tortul likes for the whites: the Picpoul is processed by direct pressing and the whole-bunch Grenache macerates for fifteen days in vats in the Picpoul must. The nose is very marked by citrus, iodine and white fruits, a characteristic quite common in the wines of this sunny maritime terroir. The palate is long, lemony, saline, and straightforward. A superb wine to drink very chilled on any occasion.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.

La Montagne Sacrée Blanc 2018,

La Sorga
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 viticultural technician and oenologist in various vineyards in the south of France, he founded La Sorga in 2008. His enthusiasm leads him on a path filled with love at first sight, and each of these loves is a vineyard. The result is a stunning mosaic of natural, lively, and spirited wines, reinvented each year with around thirty cuvées per vintage. Few winemakers can include such a variety of grape varieties on their menu: the whole of southern France is included, with muscats, grenaches, picpoul, mauzac, carignan, cinsault, marsanne, alicante, braucol, duras, viognier, len-de-l’el, and all the rest.
La Montagne sacrée alludes, among other things, to the eponymous film with esoteric connotations directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky in 1974. He was, of course, inspired by the dramatic and spiritual landscapes of the Cabrières mountains (Hérault), from which the grapes come. These basalt peaks and deep valleys express a very special magic. The wine is a white from schist terroir. The grape varieties are eighty percent Grenache Blanc (fifty-year-old vines) and twenty percent Muscat d'Alexandrie (twenty-year-old vines). Vinification is done by maceration ("dip") of whole bunches of Muscat in the Grenache must obtained by direct pressing. The wine is aged on lees in sandstone eggs for eleven months. The nose expresses bergamot, lemon preserved in brine, and candied melon. The complex mineral structure of Grenache appears on the palate, very marked by these exceptional terroirs of high-altitude schists. Very good air resistance.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Pécharmant Rouge 2018,

Domaine Le Barouillet
Pécharmant is the emblematic red wine of Bergerac, already drunk in the time of Cyrano and long before. Produced from clay-siliceous soils, it typically offers a dense, fruity profile, with notes of pepper and blackcurrant. Here, we have 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Cabernet Franc, a traditional blend for the appellation. Vinification begins with a gentle whole-bunch maceration for twenty to thirty days. Half of the wine is aged in old oak barrels, the other half in stainless steel vats. After twelve months, the final blend is made, after which the wine is left undisturbed all winter in concrete vats. Bottling is done without fining or filtration. Everything is done to keep this wine supple and round in tannins, as well as its freshness. It is a textured, versatile wine. Serve at 17-18 °C.

Pairs with: Strong cheeses, Game birds, Game animals, Red meats, Roasted meats, Desserts, Grilled meats

Proud Heretic Rosé 2019, La Sorga
"Antony Tortul loves old vineyards: he devotes his life to finding them and vinifying them. Just as there are shepherds without land, he can be defined as a landless winegrower, in other words a wine merchant whose area of ​​operation extends throughout the 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 viticultural technician and oenologist in various vineyards in the south of France, he created La Sorga in 2008. His enthusiasm leads him on a trajectory made up 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 list such a variety of grape varieties on their menu: the whole of southern France is there with muscats, grenaches, picpoul, mauzac, carignan, cinsault, marsanne, alicante, braucol, duras, viognier, len-de-l’el, and all the rest.
A dense blend: nielluccio (sixty percent), listan (forty percent), muscat of Alexandria, muscat à petits grains, muscat of Hamburg, cardinal, chasselas. The nielluccio is directly pressed, the rest macerates, in whole bunches for some, in berries destemmed by hand for others, in the nielluccio must for forty-five days (the “dip” method). Aging is seven months, followed by eight months in bottles. The very fresh, very floral nose welcomes us: white-fleshed fruits, fresh almond. It announces a great complexity, confirmed by the straight mouth, long and fresh, mineral, and with this crazy finish on vine peach! White fruits, citrus fruits, hot stones: perfect for a barbecue where red meats, white meats, poultry and fish come together. Aging potential: ten years
Natural wine without added sulfites.

Goes with: Charcuterie, Grilled meats

Saint-Romain Sous Roche Qvevris Red 2018

Frederic Cossard

This Pinot Noir from the Qvevris series (aged in Georgian-style terracotta jars) comes from a plot whose sloping terroir, facing south-southeast, is 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. Plenty of fruit and roundness supported by a sumptuous minerality. The Pinot Noir benefits greatly from the velvety texture brought by aging in qvevri.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Conciliabulle Sparkling Rosé 2018

Es d'aqui Jean Louis Pinto
This beautiful sparkling natural rosé is a maceration of Muscat and Mourvèdre in separate vats, with the addition of pressed juice. A joyful, lively wine that will be wonderful as an aperitif.

Natural wine with no added sulfites.