Gift Ideas for Rookies

Dolce et Cabanon Rosé 2023

La Tribu Alonso
Dolce et Cabanon is an organic and natural rosé/red wine from Beaujolais, vinified without additives by Cyril Alonso in Marchampt and classified as a Vin de France. Like all of this winemaker's creations, it is a highly original wine, produced from his Conservatoire des vignes anciennes in the Rhône-Alpes region.

Vinification
Among Cyril Alonso's 140 grape varieties is Muscat Bleu, a cross between Muscat Garnier and dark blue skin. Each year, this grape variety is included in the blend of the Art Brut cuvée, but in 2023 its overabundant production prompted the winemaker to use it separately, as it risked overly influencing the cuvée. Cyril therefore used it as the main grape variety in Dolce et Cabanon, combining it with Gamay Vialla, a fruity and muscatel grape variety with a strong raspberry flavor. To complete the blend, he chose Red Globe, a pink American hybrid with pink juice, also very characteristic of raspberry and strawberry.

Tasting
All this makes Dolce et Cabanon a light red or a dark rosé, as desired, and a pure delicacy. A fruit bomb in the noble sense, an unconditional pleasure. Muscat, raspberry, delectable and refreshing, with exotic notes of guava, it is an aperitif wine to be enjoyed on its own, chilled, or with plump oysters, raw blue fish (sardines, tuna, mackerel), summer tapas or Japanese cuisine.

Learn more about Tribu Alonso
This tribal name refers to Cyril Alonso, winemaker, his wife, a naturopath, and their family. They take care, using organic farming, of a conservatory of traditional grape varieties from the Rhône-Alpes region located in Marchampt (Rhône), in the heart of Beaujolais Vert. This two and a half hectare ampelothèque, which existed since 1952, then had 40 grape varieties. It currently contains 140. This unique location gives their particular style to Tribu Alonso wines. Instead of being single-varietal microcuvées, they are quite the opposite: wines by grape family, either a Chardonnay containing all the Chardonnays of the house or a multi-Gamay Gamay.

A biotope classified in 2008
The estate enjoys a unique ecological location: the house and the vineyard are surrounded by intact forests, on the steep terrain of northern Beaujolais. Three rivers cross it, and the vines, close to the bedrock, capture all the minerality of the soil. Organic farming is practiced and the work, in the vineyard as well as in the cellar, is entirely manual, without the use of any chemical additives or sulfites in the vinification.

The wines
Complantation cuvées (and for good reason), the wines of Tribu Alonso embrace all the complexity of their grape varieties and the viticultural history of Beaujolais. These are carefully crafted wines, fermented and aged to the sound of Tibetan bowls, whose alpha waves are beneficial to the liquids. The fermentation periods are short to preserve the freshness and fruit, as well as the signature of the soil and grape varieties.

Sans Pression White Sparkling 2022,

Domaine Bois Moisset
Sans Pression is a little gem of a natural sparkling wine that ticks all the right boxes. Entirely organic and natural, classified as a Vin de France, it is made in Gaillac by the Bois-Moisset estate from 80% Mauzac, with Sauvignon Blanc and Loin-de-l'Oeil making up the remaining 20%.

A Complete Natural Sparkling Wine
No pressure, no constraints, no stress, but always vinified to perfection and with precision. This is the lesson that Bois-Moisset offers us through this very successful natural sparkling white. The color is cloudy with straw nuances. On the palate, a touch of yeast and vanilla adds to its lightness, with notes of white fruits (apple, pear, white peach), heated grass, and red fruits in palatal notes (strawberry, raspberry). The wine is a touch cider-like, it is a pure delight.

Pairings and occasions
Sans pression is an aromatic and tasty sparkling white wine, a sparkling pleasure that will be suitable for festive occasions but which also deserves to be savored without occasion, pretext or excuse. For example with smoked fish, canned seafood, grilled poultry, fish or white meats. It’s the perfect companion for luxury (or more modest) tapas.

Learn more about the Bois-Moisset estate
In the heart of France’s oldest vineyard—Gaillac, in the Tarn region—Sylvie Ledran, Philippe Maffre, and their son Hippolyte oversee their Bois-Moisset estate, a wine-growing property associated with mixed crop-livestock farming, all organic. Gaillac is famous for its many ancient native grape varieties, and its wine-growing heritage is uniquely rich.

Cows and vines
The Bois-Moisset estate is also home to a herd of old local breed cows, and bed and breakfast accommodation is available during the summer months. It is in this small rural paradise that natural wines typical of their origin and their terroir are born, on fifteen hectares of boulbènes, gravelly and sandy-loam soils carried by the Tarn for thousands of years.

Native grape varieties
The grape varieties are dominated by Syrah and Duras, but the wines of the Bois-Moisset estate reflect the ampelographic richness of the Gaillac region (braucol, prunelart, loin-de-l’œil, mauzac, braucol, ondenc, etc.). The red wines are crisply fruity, concentrated but with smooth and delicate tannins, the whites have character and the pet’nat’s are particularly tasty.

Cuvée Yard Melon de Bourgogne (exclusive cuvée) White 2021

De Vini
This Yard-Melon de Bourgogne is an exclusive, organic, and natural cuvée, created by Christophe Bosque (De Vini) for Culinaries/Yard. It comes from the terroir of the Loire estuary, in Gorges (Loire-Atlantique), in the heart of Nantes, the kingdom of Muscadet, which the De Vini estate worthily represents without having the appellation.

Vinification
Classified as Vin de France, this 100% Melon de Bourgogne (Muscadet) grown on gabbro soils is vinified by direct pressing and aged in buried vats in the Nantes style.

Tasting
A pure, fresh and joyful expression of Melon de Bourgogne, this Yard cuvée does not detract from its terroir. The notes diffuse with clarity: lemon, melon, white flowers, with a delicious minerality typical of this Nantes region. A wine for pleasure that will love to accompany oysters, seafood, smoked fish and any seafood.

Learn more about Christophe Bosque and De Vini
De Vini, along with the Vinilibre business, is the multi-faceted business of Christophe Bosque, originally from Saint-Nazaire. He has always been passionate about wine. We are particularly interested in his local creations, produced from his vineyard of some two hectares and fermented in buried vats in the Nantes style - a true reinvention of Muscadet (outside the appellation) in natural mode.

Gabbro Fondu
After spending years as a merchant, importer, then wine merchant, this former cameraman with a BTS in oenology-viticulture acquired a few plots (two hectares) of Melon de Bourgogne vines in Gorges, in Loire-Atlantique, near Clisson in 2017. The soils there are made up of gabbro on a granite substrate, a pedological configuration specific to the Nantes region and particularly to Clisson. Christophe is full of praise for this type of soil.

Muscadet for the better
Christophe's vintages may come from grapes purchased from the best French terroirs, particularly in Languedoc, but the winemaker retains a special affection for his vines, which he maintains with passion and attention to the terroir. A touch of humor and a sense of pun can be seen on his labels and in his appellations, but in the bottle, they are serious, off-the-beaten-track wines, just the way he likes them.

Zapoï Rouge 2020

Les En Hauts
Rather gurgling but with substance, silky and velvety, dry and tangy, this delicious and indulgent wine offers a rather animal nose with notes of hay. On the palate, cherry, a lovely length, and a nice acidity. Zapoï, a cuvée from the Les En-Hauts project, is the result of the joint effort of winemakers Damien Coquelet and Frédéric Cossard. It comes from fifty-year-old Gamay vines growing in Beaujolais. It is the result of whole-bunch semicarbonic maceration, and is aged for ten months in concrete eggs.

The word "Zapoï" makes you think of Groland, obviously, but do you know the origin of the term? Zapoï is a Russian practice consisting of a binge lasting several days, the result of prolonged alcohol consumption. A proper zapoï should lead to a blackout (you don't remember anything), and regular awakenings where you get drunk again to avoid a hangover. In some cases, you wake up far from home in the snow. This scourge on life expectancy, fortunately, has only a very distant logical connection with the wine we are concerned with here. Let's just say that, presumably, the sound of the name appealed to the two winemakers.

Find out more
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 create colorful and flavorful vintages together.

Frédéric Cossard is a biodynamic and natural star of Burgundy winemaking, who gives voice to Burgundy's terroirs and 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 some vintages are made from grapes purchased in other regions. His 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.

Damien Coquelet, for his part, is the worthy successor of the great organic winegrowers 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, continuators of 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 that Morgonnent and Chiroubles that Chiroublent, he embodies the true nature of Beaujolais.

Une Autre Histoire Du Vin - Book

Tout Le Monde Sait Déguster - Book

Le Vin Nature Au-Delà Des Modes - Book

Riesling Origin Blanc 2020

Jean-Marc Dreyer
Green fruits, balanced acidity, elegance, complexity: a wine for meditation. Jean-Marc Dreyer's Origin range is dedicated to single-varietal cuvées based on Alsatian varieties. Here, whole-bunch maceration exposes Riesling in a completely new light: ignoring the petrol notes (which are present, but politely wait until the finish to manifest themselves), the wine expresses a structured verticality balanced by a gentle roundness. Very mineral, but this time it's the soil that we sense, not the gas can. This wine was aged for eleven months in the Alsatian style, that is, in foudres and demi-muids. Taste pairings? Don't look, it goes with everything. Biodynamic method, fermentation with indigenous yeasts, unfiltered, unclarified, no sulfites added in the vineyard or cellar.

Find out more
"Maceration in Alsace is a tradition!" says Jean-Marc Dreyer, adding that direct pressing in this region is a modern invention, linked to the advent of electricity. In the past, we worked by hand and let the grapes macerate before sending the marc to the press." Whole-bunch maceration is Jean-Marc Dreyer's signature and represents 85% of the estate's production, the rest consisting of direct-pressed whites, often aged using gentle oxidation. Jean-Marc succeeds several generations of his family at the Dreyer & Fils estate, established in 1830 between Obernai and Molsheim. Upon taking over the estate, he immediately opted for biodynamics, but he hesitated for a while between several methods: at first, his wines were more oaky, aged in new barrels with stirring. Then, a sweet period: all his wines contained residual sugar. In 2008, he tried vinifying without any sulfur and found his direction: the following winter, upon returning from the pilgrimage to Compostela, he swore never to add sulfur to any wine again. Having made this decision, he affirmed his style around skin maceration, quite extensive, chiseled, always surprising on Alsatian grape varieties, whose structure it brings out without sacrificing delicacy. Jean-Marc works in single-varietal or blended vintages and also produces Pinot Noir reds of surprising depth.

A Rose of Whites Rosé 2019

La Senda

Two white grape varieties in equal parts: Doña Blanca and Palomino, from old plots whose vines are seventy to ninety years old. The vineyard is located in the north of Bierzo, planted on quartz-clayey limestone soils, at an altitude of 550 meters. The 2019 harvest of these whites is magnificent, but the winemaker lacked vats for their fermentation. He therefore macerated the entire harvest for three days in barrels that had previously contained red wine, hence the particular color of this wine, which is aged four months in the same barrels. No filtration or added sulfites. Reserve it for slightly mature cheeses, roasted white meats, and lacquered poultry (a Peking duck, what a great idea!).
Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Sans Pression Sparkling White 2023,

Domaine Bois Moisset

Domaine Bois Moisset, steeped in Gaillac's winemaking tradition, offers us its Sans Pression 2023, an invigorating and delicious Pet Nat' (natural sparkling wine). A blend of Mauzac (80%), Sauvignon, and Len de l'Œil (20%), this cuvée expresses all the freshness and authenticity of the local grape varieties, in a minimalist and natural approach.

A pure and vibrant natural sparkling wine

Produced by direct pressing, this wine is produced using the ancestral method, where fermentation continues naturally in the bottle, without the addition of yeast or sulfites. This technique preserves all the aromatic intensity of the grapes and creates fine, refreshing bubbles.

An aromatic nose and an invigorating palate

Upon opening, Sans Pression 2023 reveals an expressive nose with notes of green apple, pear, and citrus, characteristic of Mauzac. The palate, lively and slightly sparkling, seduces with its balance between freshness and roundness, with a thirst-quenching finish that invites conviviality.

Tasting moments

Ideally served at 10-12°C, this natural sparkling wine is perfect for a festive aperitif, accompanied by fresh cheeses, seafood, or light tapas. With an aging potential of 5 years, it will retain its brightness and freshness for wonderful sharing occasions.

Retour des Hirondelles Red 2023

La Tribu Alonso
Retour des Hirondelles is an organic and natural red wine with no added sulfites, 100% Gamay, produced by Cyril Alonso in Marchampt, in the terroirs of Beaujolais Vert. Classified as a Vin de France, its name celebrates the return in 2023 of the swallows that had disappeared in 2015. The forest surrounding the estate is classified as a LPP refuge (bird protection), so the cultural precautions and concern for the environment of the Alonso Tribe have borne fruit.

Vinification
Thirty-one different Gamay varieties grow on a half-hectare plot on granite soils, and this Return of the Swallows contains them all. The grass cover is wild and the vines, aged from four to fifty years, are pruned in goblet form, cultivated using organic farming and agroforestry. The harvest, which is manual, is processed in free-run juice (the grapes give their juice under their own weight), without pressing, and ferments with indigenous yeasts without a starter culture. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation takes place in fiberglass vats. No chemical inputs are added to the vineyard or the winery.

Tasting
Made solely from free-run juice, Le Retour des Hirondelles is an organic and natural wine of great clarity, very refreshing, very clear, with a beautiful acidity marked by citrus flavors. There are no phenolic traces and the tannins are very soft. Notes of kirsch cherry, clementine, candied orange peel. This wine will be perfect for an aperitif and to accompany all meals. Charcuterie, cured meats (especially Lyonnaise), lamb, everything suits it, and especially good times with friends.

Learn more about the Alonso Tribe
This tribal name refers to Cyril Alonso, winemaker, his wife, naturopath, and their family. They take care, using organic farming methods, of a conservatory of traditional grape varieties from the Rhône-Alpes region located in Marchampt (Rhône), in the heart of the Beaujolais Vert region. This two-and-a-half-hectare ampel library, which has existed since 1952, contained forty grape varieties. It currently contains one hundred and forty. This unique location gives the Tribu Alonso wines their particular style. Instead of being single-varietal microcuvées, they are quite the opposite: wines by grape variety family, either a Chardonnay containing all the Chardonnays of the house or a multi-Gamay Gamay.

A biotope classified in 2008
The estate enjoys a unique ecological location: the house and the vineyard are surrounded by untouched forests, on the steep terrain of northern Beaujolais. Three rivers cross it, and the vines, close to the bedrock, capture all the minerality of the soil. Organic farming is practiced and the work, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, is entirely manual, without the use of any chemical additives or sulfites in the winemaking process.

The wines
Cuvées of co-plantation (and for good reason), the wines of the Tribu Alonso embrace all the complexity of their grape varieties and the viticultural history of Beaujolais. These are carefully crafted wines, made with great care, fermented and aged to the sound of Tibetan bowls, whose alpha waves are beneficial to the liquids. The vatting periods are short, to preserve the freshness and fruit, as well as the signature of the soil and grape varieties.

Antenet Rosé, Rosé 2022,

Danis dans la vigne
Antenet rosé is an organic and natural Cahors wine, made by Danis Bessières of Danis dans la vigne. Classified as a Vin de France, it is composed of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Egiodola.

Vinification
The technique used here is saignée rosé, which produces wines with a deep color. The Egiodola grape variety, which makes up half of this Antenet rosé, was created in 1954 at the INRA in Bordeaux by Basque agronomist Marcel Durquety. It produces fairly tannic, floral and intense wines, and makes it possible to obtain excellent rosés.

Tasting
Antenet rosé is atypical: it is not a poolside rosé but a table and gastronomy rosé, in addition to being a good aperitif wine. Its very dark color testifies to this. Rich in substance, it coats the mouth well and emits notes of citrus rather than flowers. It evokes blackcurrant, redcurrant, grapefruit pulp and orange peel. Rich and quite alcoholic, with great acidity. Pairs well with many dishes, not just summer salads.

Learn more about Danis dans la vigne
Under the name Danis dans la vigne, Danis Bessières vinifies organic grapes from the family estate, Domaine de l'Antenet, which was the first organic vineyard in Cahors in the early 1980s.

Organic and natural since 1983
Danis respects the principles established in the vineyard and winery by his grandfather and then his father: making wines without additives, organic and natural, from local grape varieties while respecting the environment. It was in 1983 that his grandfather obtained the Lemaire-Boucher organic label, followed by Nature & Progrès and then the AB and Eurofeuille organic labels. Danis Bessières continues in this vein.

Malbec, but not only
Malbec reigns supreme in the Cadurcian region, but Danis also uses Cabernets, Jurançon Noir, Merlot, and recently created grape varieties, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Colombard as single-varietals. These experiments allow him to moderate the density and opacity of the main grape variety.

P'tit Grobis Blanc 2022,

Nicolas Chemarin
P’tit Grobis blanc is a traditional 100% Chardonnay white wine made by Nicolas Chemarin on his Beaujolais terroir, without additives or added sulfites.

Vinification
Vinified entirely from Chardonnay on granite soils, Nicolas Chemarin's P’tit Grobis blanc is harvested by hand and goes through direct pressing. The operation is followed by settling, which does not eliminate all the fine lees, hence a slightly cloudy color.

White flowers and acidity
The sensations offered by this P’tit Grobis white are complex: on the nose as well as in the mouth, a lactic, buttery, yeasty note. The fresh acidity is accompanied by flint, white flowers and a youthful expressiveness. The minerality of this wine is remarkable. A little age will reveal white fruits, a slight fat and sweet notes. It will pair with many dishes; it is also one of the rare wines that we can recommend with vegetarian cuisine. Try it also with pasta, whatever the recipe, but a seafood base will be the best (pasta with clams, bottarga, smoked fish, etc.). One last tip: P’tit Grobis white will be perfect with a Camembert.

Learn more about Nicolas Chemarin
Nicknamed “P’tit Grobis” as a resident of Marchampt (Beaujolais), Nicolas Chemarin is the fourth generation of winemakers on his family estate in the Beaujolais-Villages appellation, on stony land where he biodynamically chisels natural wines of surprising depth and sincerity.

From the granite
In 2005, Nicolas took over two hectares of his father’s vines and, in 2006, produced his first vintages. In 2008, he acquired other vines. His terroir, very steep, consists of poor, rocky soils on gray granite rock. The vines, averaging eighty years old, rest through very thin soil on the bedrock where their roots plunge deep. The grape varieties, Gamay and Chardonnay, are classically Beaujolais. Nicolas also cultivates two other terroirs in the Régnié appellation: Les Bullats and La Haute Ronze. While organic certification is impossible on such steep soil, Nicolas "follows the moon" and cares for his terroir as a traditional winemaker with respect for nature.

Vinification
Nicolas Chemarin's wines are macerated for a long time (18 to 30 days) with punching down and temperature control. A third of the aging takes place in temperature-controlled concrete vats and the rest in barrels of four to ten wines. Nicolas Chemarin is already well-known in the natural world for his sweet and fruity vintages, alongside more complex vintages with mineral, aromatic and spicy notes.

La Barbacana Red 2018,

La Senda
La Barbacane is an organic and natural red wine from Castile and León (Spain) produced by Diego Losada of the La Senda estate in El Bierzo. It is made entirely from the Alicante Bouschet grape variety. The vines, aged between seventy and ninety years old, are located at an altitude of 680 metres in the southwest of Bierzo, on clay-limestone soil mixed with numerous minerals: iron, quartz, slate, etc.

Vinification
The grapes macerate on the skins for three to four days in old open chestnut barrels, then the wine is aged for eleven months in chestnut barrels. No filtration, no added sulfites.

Tasting
This is a fruity and juicy red, very representative of its grape variety, which can be paired with grilled sardines, fresh or smoked tuna or mackerel, and mixed dishes such as couscous, paella or risotto.

Learn more about La Senda
Bodega La Senda is the creation of Diego Losada, a child of Bierzo, a region in the northwest of the province of León, bordered to the north by Asturias and to the west by Galicia. Viticulture dates back to Roman times, but most of the vines were replanted in the mid-20th century.

From heavy metal to the Bierzo vineyards
Born in Ponferrada, in the northern Bierzo, Diego devoted himself to wine after a period devoted to heavy metal. Scientific rigidity and conventional methods did not satisfy him. Attracted to viticulture close to the earth, Diego recovered a few plots to showcase the Bierzo terroir as naturally as possible. In 2012, he created the La Senda estate. His wines are like him: honest, frank, natural, and expressive.

Fontana Blanc 2022,

La Vinicola di Antonio Gismondi
Fontana is a rare, organic, biodynamic, and natural white wine made by Antonio Gismondi in his Benevento terroir (Campania, Southern Italy). Classified as Vino da Tavola (the equivalent of our Vin de France), it is made entirely from the local falanghina grape variety. It is, in short, a falanghina beneventano, or a falanghina wine from Benevento. Falanghina is a very old variety that, in ancient times, formed the basis of the famous Falerna cru (falernum).

In the vineyard and in the cellar
The thirty-year-old falanghina vines grow on stony (limestone) and clayey soil at an altitude of around 350 meters, facing southwest. The harvest is directly pressed and all vinification is done in stainless steel vats. No sulfites are added, no filtration.

Tasting
On the nose, white flowers, exotic fruits, Mediterranean plants, garrigue, maquis: Fontana is a fragrant, sapid and generous white wine. The retro-olfaction is very fruity. Opulent and powerful, round, slightly acidic, very aromatic: the quintessence of Campania white wines, through the talent of Antonio Gismondi. With a very smooth and opulent finish, Fontana offers good aging qualities. It can be drunk now, but it will also age well. Pair it with fish, seafood, and oysters. It will also pair well with Asian and lightly spiced dishes, as well as canned fish, as well as sardines in oil and smoked fish. In fact, anything goes when it comes to pairings.

Learn more about La Vinicola di Antonio Gismondi
Antonio and Anabel Gismondi's winery is located in Campania, in Cerreto Sanita, in the Benevento region. A microclimate cools the land in this area: humid winds from the Tyrrhenian Sea collide with the first ramparts of the Apennine mountain range, causing condensation in the air. Add to this a thermal inversion phenomenon between day and night, and the freshness of the Antonio Gismondi wines is easily explained.

A family estate
For generations, the Gismondi family has cultivated vines here and made wine using the most traditional and natural methods, to which are added those of biodynamics. For a long time, of the fifteen tons of grapes produced each year, one ton was reserved for on-site winemaking for family consumption, the rest going to the local wine cooperative. It was the meeting with Massimo Marchiori and Antonella de Partida Creus that decided Antonio and his wife Anabel to start producing natural wines on site for the entire harvest.

Clay, pebbles and local grape varieties
The vineyard, two hectares, is located between 350 and 380 meters above sea level, on clay, loam and pebbly soils, with two-thirds facing due south, planted with vines around six years old. The rest faces southwest and corresponds to the Pietre and Cerreto cuvées, with vines thirty years old. The grape varieties are Merlot, Freisa and Sangiovese for the reds, and Falanghina and Malvasia di Candia for the whites.

Cyprès de Toi Blanc 2022

Fond Cyprès
Cyprès de Toi Blanc represents—in our opinion—the classicism of Languedoc white wine, a pure expression of Chardonnay grown on marl-limestone soils using natural and traditional vinification. Fresh, crisp, and aromatic, it offers a fruity yet dry balance, revealing itself as an excellent all-terrain white wine for all occasions. The apple and pear notes of previous vintages are now followed by citrus notes, yellow fruits (mango, apricot, peach), and the same southern herbaceous signature typical of the estate's whites: garrigue, thyme, fig leaf, and fresh lemon peel. The grapes are directly pressed, and the must settles in the cold. Fermentation, using indigenous yeasts, and aging take place in stainless steel vats. A very light filtration is carried out before bottling, and no inputs or additives are reported.

Find out more
This Corbières 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 heart of 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.

Pietre Blanc 2021

La Vinicola di Antonio Gismondi
What a wine! A pure pleasure in the glass, heralded by a beautiful, pure, innocent yellow color. The nose offers a gentle whiff of yellow flowers, a hint of blooming dandelion, and sun-warmed spring nature. These lovely sensations are confirmed on the palate, with one of the loveliest mineral nuances one could dream of: heated limestone, clay, wild herbs, and white fruits. Pietre is remarkable for its balance, its ease on the border between freshness and Mediterranean warmth. The freshness of the Apennine climate and the clay soil, elegantly carried by all the wines of this estate, certainly has something to do with it. Made from a blend of Malvasia di Candia and Falanghina directly pressed, Pietre Blanc evokes by its name the pebbles of its native province. The skin maceration is one or two days depending on the vintage, in stainless steel vats, as is the aging of six to ten months. Unfiltered, no sulfites at bottling. This well-balanced, floral and fruity white will harmonize with many dishes.

Find out more

The azienda of Antonio and Anabel Gismondi is located in Cerreto Sanita, in the Benevento region of Campania. A microclimate gives this area an almost continental feel: humid winds from the Tyrrhenian Sea collide with the first ramparts of the Apennine chain, causing condensation in the air and lowering temperatures, which are significantly cooler and more humid than on the coast. If we add a thermal inversion phenomenon between day and night, common in the Apennine climate, the freshness of the wines from the Antonio Gismondi estate is nothing mysterious in this southern Italy, which is nevertheless known for its very hot climate. The estate is family-run: for generations, the Gismondi family has cultivated vines and made wine using the most traditional and natural methods, to which are added biodynamic techniques. For a long time, of the fifteen tons of grapes produced each year, one ton was reserved for vinification on site for family consumption, the rest going to the local wine cooperative. It was the meeting with Massimo Marchiori and Antonella of Partida Creus that led Antonio and his wife Anabel to start producing natural wines at home, using the entire harvest. The two-hectare vineyard is located between 350 and 380 meters above sea level, on clay, loam, and stony soils, with two-thirds facing south, planted with vines around six years old. The remainder faces southwest and corresponds to the Pietre and Cerreto cuvées, with vines thirty years old. The grape varieties are Merlot, Freisa, and Sangiovese for the reds, and Falanghina and Malvasia di Candia for the whites.

Vino Rosato Rosé 2021,

Corva Gialla
The pretty light pink color of this Vino Rosato heralds the pleasure of floral notes on the nose and palate: rose, red fruits, citrus, lovely acidity, and a touch of bitterness on the finish, reminiscent of grapefruit peel, which gives it great charm. To obtain this Rosato, a blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese, the Montepulciano harvest macerates for 48 hours on the skins before being pressed, while the Sangiovese is pressed directly at the entrance to the winery. The musts are then fermented together in fiberglass vats where they continue to refine until bottling in March. Rosato will suit everything you want from a rosé, and more: its purity and balance raise it above the standard image of summer rosés.

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Azienda Corva Gialla ("yellow crow") is a winery in Lazio, Italy, located on the edge of Umbria in the Alta Tuscia Viterbese. A volcanic region considered one of the most beautiful in Italy and characterized by its calanches, tall tuff rock formations delineating deep valleys carved by numerous streams and torrents. Corva Gialla is located in Lubriano, opposite Civita di Bagnoregio. Alta Tuscia is proving to be a breeding ground for young winemaking talents devoted to nature who are enhancing these lands deprived throughout history. Founded in 2017, the estate comprises four hectares cultivated by Beatrice Arweiler, originally from another wine-growing region, between the Rhine and the Moselle. The new owner also planted an olive grove (Frantoio and Leccino varieties) and developed the estate into a mixed crop and livestock system. The vines were planted with the help of Gian Marco Antonuzzi of the Le Coste estate. The friable volcanic soil lends itself beautifully to viticulture and the planting of grape varieties such as Grechetto d'Umbria, Trebbiano, Vermentino, Sangiovese, and Ciliegiolo. The estate's wines are quintessentially Italian, meaning they are crafted primarily for enjoyment. They are straightforward, deep, and easy to drink, expressing the strong minerality of their soils.

P'tit Grobis Blanc 2020,

Nicolas Chemarin
As expected, all-granitic Chardonnay, the white counterpart to the P'tit Grobis cuvée, classified as a Vin de France, offers a pale, opalescent yellow color. The sensations of this white Beaujolais-Villages are complex and difficult to summarize: first, on the nose and palate, the lactic, yeasty note is present. The fresh acidity is accompanied by flint, notes of white flowers, and a youthful expressiveness. Drinking young, it expresses its youthfulness well, and a little age reveals white fruits, a slight richness, and sweet notes. The harvest is directly pressed, followed by settling during which the winemaker takes care not to steal all the fine lees from the wine.

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Nicolas Chemarin, nicknamed "P'tit Grobis" as a resident of Marchampt (Beaujolais), is the fourth generation of winemaker on his family wine estate in the Beaujolais-Villages appellation, on stony land where he crafts wines of surprising depth and sincerity. In 2005, he took over two hectares of vines from his father and in 2006 he produced his first vintages. In 2008, he acquired other vines and decided to devote himself solely to his estate, whose very steep terroir consists of poor, rocky soils on gray granite rock. The vines rest on the bedrock through very thin soil, and their roots plunge deep into the rock. Depending on the configuration of the soil, the vines are pruned in goblet or raised on stakes. Their average age is eighty years. The grape varieties, Gamay and Chardonnay, are classically Beaujolais. Nicolas also cultivates two other terroirs in the Régnié appellation: Les Bullats, with light, filtering sandy soils, and La Haute Ronze, very close to Morgon, whose deeper, clayey soils produce full-bodied wines. The vintages undergo long macerations (from 18 to 30 days) with punching down and temperature control (Nicolas works cold, around 20°C). The aging is done partially in thermoregulated concrete vats for a third, the remaining two thirds passing into barrels of four to ten wines in order to provide oxygenation but little or no woody sensation. Nicolas Chemarin is already very well known in the natural world for his sweet and fruity vintages, wines of pleasure, and for vintages from difficult and magnificent terroirs, provided with admirable and complex mineral, aromatic and spicy notes.