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Vin de Lies White 2021/22 Magnum

Jean-Yves Péron

Vin de Lies is an organic, biodynamic, and natural dry white wine that Jean-Yves Péron makes every two vintages in his Savoyard cellars. It is based on a winemaking practice that is little known outside the industry, but which produces a highly regarded wine. It is not usually sold commercially but reserved for the cellar team. Classified as a Vin de France, it is a treat that the winemaker bestows upon us, in magnum format no less.

Vinification

The grape varieties include Jacquère, Muscat, Altesse, Mondeuse, Favorita, Muscat à Petit Grain, Roussanne… After racking the barrels and aging vats from all his terroirs (Savoyard and Italian), Jean-Yves gathers all the lees in a single vat to obtain Vin de lies. These lees are suspended in a small quantity of wine, again decanted and recovered once or twice. Nourished by the lees, the red becomes smoother, sweeter, and the white is less tense, rounder. Jean-Yves Péron has gathered here the lees from all his 2021 whites and some from 2022.

Tasting

“It’s a wine for pleasure,” says Jean-Yves Péron of this Vin de lies. “It can be drunk anytime, from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.!” This is the true “house cuvée,” generally very popular. Pairings: goes with everything.

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 Chevaline winery in the Bauges region, he vinifies 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 slopes, his hand-worked mountain vines in micro-plots 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.

Italo-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 from Northern Italy: this is the I Vicini series, which allows him to diversify the terroirs and deepen his experiences in winemaking and aging.

Crac Rosé 2021

Belly Wine Experiment
Fresh, fruity, and pleasant, Crac is a vin gris, a still rosé wine made entirely or partially from black grapes. It generally undergoes a very short maceration, hence its light color. This is obtained by slow direct pressing (forty-eight hours) of Auvergne Gamays "sur limagne," or on the dark-colored sedimentary and volcanic soils that make up the Auvergne plain. This slow pressing, replacing a short maceration, allows for a gentle extraction of the grape's constituents and gives the wine its color. To these Auvergne Gamays are added a proportion of Pinot Gris from Alsace. Categorized as Vin de France, free from any chemical or sulfite additives in the vineyard or in the cellar, Crac spends a year aging on lees before bottling. This wine is produced using organic farming methods and has received no chemical or sulfite additives, in the vineyard or in the cellar. It will go very well with charcuterie, cured meats, and tapas of all kinds.

To find out more
Founded and run by Claire Sage and Aimé Duveau, located in Chanteuges (Haute-Loire), Belly Wine Experiment is as much an experiment as it is a winemaking business. The creative duo has a lot to offer: Claire is the sister of Daniel Sage, a fan of underwater wine aging but above all an importer of Catalan wines. Hence the presence of Catalan grape varieties in Belly Wine Experiment's blends, alongside Burgundy, Auvergne and Jura grape varieties, readily found in the same bottle. Aimé is the son of Manu Duveau, a poet-winemaker from Auvergne, a former stonemason and a great winemaker of local Gamays at his Domaine de l'Égrappille. The specificity of Belly Wine Experiment is the exoticism (in the literal sense) of the blends, with Xarel lo from Catalonia being able to rub shoulders, for example, with Gamay from Puy-de-Dôme with the utmost naturalness. The wines are made using semicarbonic maceration, without the addition of chemical additives or excessive manipulation in the cellar. The house is also known for its very high-quality, vinous perries.

GT Garrut Ancestral Sparkling Red 2019

Partida Creus


With its liveliness and deep notes of black fruit, GT Garrut Ancestral recalls the best of Lambrusco, but it is something else entirely. It is an atypical but oh-so-delightful single-varietal wine that deserves a closer look at its original character. Its purplish color with an exuberant pink foam, already expressing notes of blackberry on the nose, is already quite a program. GT Garrut displays beautiful earthy, juicy, and intense qualities; it is very characteristic of black fruits, particularly blackberry (blackberry or tree blackberry). Beautiful notes of red fruits too, and a delicious acidity. It is made entirely from Garrut, also called Monastrell, a Catalan grape variety related to Mourvèdre. This bright, summer-perfect wine is hand-harvested. Entirely destemmed, the grapes macerate for three days with punching down every three hours, and alcoholic fermentation with indigenous yeasts takes place for four months in stainless steel vats, followed by twenty months in oak barrels. Unfiltered, unfined, no sulfites added. GT Garrut smells of family vines, artisanal, unconstrained wine.

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Partida Creus is an important estate, both in terms of winemaking and history—we're talking 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-versed—first pursued careers as architects in Barcelona. But the wine bug tickled 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 number 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 saving their heritage, 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, 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. There is also Moscatel, Grenache, Merlot and Cabernet (among others). Few wineries can boast of 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 varietals are common among them, alongside very rich 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 indicate 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.

Coteau Libre Red 2016

Domaine Le Temps retrouvé

A beautiful macabeu with a strong personality, vinified by Michaël Georget in the Albères region. This grape variety has often been used as a blending ingredient; it deserves to shine on its own. The nose already announces the wine's structure and velvety texture, and the palate appreciates the clarity and tension, which doesn't prevent it from being very delicious.
A natural wine with no added sulfites.

Magnum GT Garrut Ancestral Sparkling Red 2015

Partida Creus
A Catalan cousin of Mourvèdre, the Garrut grape variety forms the basis of this dazzling wine, which revisits the classic sparkling wine in a black fruit way: intense, bright, earthy, completely atypical, even a little cracked, reminiscent of the best of Lambrusco. A perfect companion for Ibérico bellota ham, fine chorizos, and all high-end cured meats, as well as pâtés, terrines, and spicy dishes... It evokes the family vine, artisanal production, and free wine.

Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2015, Clot de Les Soleres
This Cabernet Sauvignon rosé comes to us from an old family estate located in the Piera region, at the foot of Montserran, in southern Catalonia. The cuvée has been produced since 2012, but not for every vintage. The harvest is manual and directly pressed, without skin maceration. After resting for twenty-four hours in a cool place, the must is transferred to stainless steel vats for spontaneous fermentation, which begins after four or five days, without temperature control. The wine is then aged throughout the winter and bottled in the spring without filtration, on fruit days, according to the lunar calendar. These processes preserve the natural taste of the grape variety, which expresses its integrity, intensity, and slight bitterness.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Magnum GT Garrut Ancestral Sparkling Red 2016

Partida Creus
A Catalan cousin of Mourvèdre, the Garrut grape variety forms the basis of this dazzling wine, which revisits the classic sparkling wine in a black fruit way: intense, bright, earthy, completely atypical, even a little cracked, reminiscent of the best of Lambrusco. A perfect companion for Ibérico bellota ham, fine chorizos, and all high-end cured meats, as well as pâtés, terrines, and spicy dishes... It evokes the family vine, artisanal production, and free wine.
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.

Magnum XL Ancestral Sparkling White 2015

Partida Creus
This beautiful magnum elegantly bears its eight years of age: that's called age, and the notes of evolution that can be discerned add to its charm. These few years further strengthen its character while polishing the edges. Xarel·lo Ancestral, a smoky, deep, full-bodied, mineral, and explosive sparkling wine, is a true invitation to celebrate. The nose offers aromas of ripe white fruits—apple, pear, white peach—followed by mineral notes on the palate that form a framework for yeasty touches reminiscent of buttery pastries and fresh bread. Beautiful, straightforward, saline acidity. Very elegant, XL Xarel·lo Ancestral is a Vino de Mesa (table wine) that is highly drinkable and enjoyable. Made entirely from the native Catalan grape variety Xarel·lo, it is the result of hand-picking and direct pressing. The must is fermented in stainless steel vats using indigenous yeasts and finishes fermenting in bottles on fine lees for a minimum of ten months, without the slightest addition of sulfites.

Find out more

Partida Creus is an important estate, both in terms of winemaking 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 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 find a quantity of abandoned vineyards planted with a dizzying diversity of traditional Catalan grape varieties that they passionately revive to save these varieties – and their wines – from oblivion. For them, it is not just a matter of heritage rescue, no: it is 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 give their best juice. 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 cries of satisfaction."