Last Chance

Morgon Côte du Py Rouge 2017

Damien Coquelet
Notes of plum and ripe cherry: this 100% Gamay, which "Morgonnes" properly, is fleshy, lively, and fresh, full of vitality and energy. It comes from high-quality plots with light, sandy soils in the northern part of the famous Côte de Py, one of Morgon's emblematic terroirs. The tannins are dense and powerful, beautifully softened, but give this wine a beautiful structure. A wine for pleasure and gastronomy, to drink now, but which can easily be drunk more than ten years after its vintage: it is a superb wine for laying down.

Bergeron Ergastoline White - 2019

Patrick Bouju

For this 100% Bergeron (another name for Roussanne) from Savoie terroirs, the vinification is by Patrick Bouju and the label by Aurélien Lefort. Skin-on maceration with finesse, great polish and complexity. A rare bottle full of character, one to be enjoyed.

GM Blanc 2021,

Patrick Bouju
GM offers a superb balance between opulence, perfume, liveliness, and acidity, as well as a definite ability to handle any situation with grace. This is a rich and complex macerated white wine, as desired, thanks to its blend, which is somewhat of a grand écart: Grenache and Muscat from Roussillon, Riesling and Auxerrois from Alsace… Whole-bunch maceration and, above all, aging in terracotta amphorae for one, and in vats for the rest, achieve the harmony of the whole.

Find out more
Near Billom, the Limagne clermontoise rises eastward to form a hilly area with a mild climate, dominated by volcanic hills. This is the Auvergne region of 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 source 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 native 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 winegrower friends in France and elsewhere only confirms his image as a role 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 observed that if the grapes are healthy and concentrated, balance occurs naturally, regardless of the successive phases a vintage goes through. His noble, chiseled, distinguished, never bland wines are immediately recognizable in the glass. They are straightforward, clean, precise, often marked by floral notes and a spicy minerality. They also constitute a formidable anthology of the terroirs and ancient vines of Lower Auvergne and its volcanic soils.

Smack Rouge 2022

Nicolas Chemarin
The SMACK cuvée is a Culinaries exclusive, produced by Nicolas Chemarin using 100% Gamay. This Beaujolais Villages red wine reveals aromas of fresh red fruits and a supple texture on the palate. It pairs perfectly with light dishes such as andouillette, white meats, and charcuterie.

The SMACK cuvée is vinified using traditional methods, including a 15-day semi-carbonic maceration in a Morgon vat with the grapes whole, followed by aging in a concrete vat for 8 months. The region's terroir is characterized by granite and clay-limestone soils, which is reflected in its character.

Munjebel Rouge 2013

Frank Cornelissen
This Munjebel is a bouquet of wild red fruits, pure classic Nerello Mascalese, rich and aromatic, carrying all the crunch of ripe fruit, with a Pinot Noir edge and a brilliant translucent color. It comes from several plots, including those from which the azienda's greatest vintages come (Zottorinoto, Feudo di Mezzo-Porcaria, Pontale Palino), and from vines specially dedicated to this vintage: Rampante, Piano Daini, and Crasà. Among Frank Cornelissen's vintages, it best represents the typicality of the northern valley of Etna.
Natural wine without added sulfites.
The right product pairing: Oven-roasted Coucou de Rennes

Le Grenache du Bois Saint Jaume Rouge 2019,

Fond Cyprès
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 our style, wines with character, rooted in our soils, with freshness and refined tannins." They aim to produce entirely natural wines, concentrated expressions of terroir. In the heart of the old Corbières massif, they took over an old estate already planted with abandoned Carignan and Grenache vines, which had not seen any fertilizer or pesticides for years: these clean and vibrant soils were 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 assessed 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, shady 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.
This Grenache comes from a sandy plot of sixty-year-old vines surrounded by a forest. It is aged between nine and twelve months in old 228-liter barrels. Fresh, very supple, balanced, it is to drink or to keep. It is another example of Fond Cyprès' "forest" wines, marked not only by their grape varieties but also by the wooded and windy environment that refreshed the growth of the grapes. Delicate and velvety, this wine offers beautifully blended tannins and a magnificent balance.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.

A Freux Blanc 2016

La Sorga
For this cuvée, Grenache Blanc from the Hérault Valley macerates whole bunches for 45 days in vats. It is also aged in vats for 12 months. Its notes of mandarin, beeswax, and white peach will pair well with hard or blue cheeses. Aging potential: 10 years.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Pairs with: Strong cheeses, Hard cheeses, Mature cheeses, Charcuterie

Narboneta Red 2019

Emilie Mutombo in collaboration with Paolo Carbonera Giani
Full of life and character, Narboneta is a 100% Bobal red, grown on sandy soils by Émilie Mutombo, a winemaker who learned her trade in Catalonia with Partida Creus. This cuvée is made in collaboration with Paolo Carbonera Giani. After a two-week maceration, the wine is aged for eight months in chestnut barrels. Fruity, with round, supple tannins, to be enjoyed with food and good company!
Natural wine with no added sulfites

Moscatell Blanc 2019,

Cyclic Beer Farm
Cyclic Beer Farm is a duo of Barcelona friends, Alberto and Joshua. Based in the Catalan capital, they have two sides to their business: beer (Cyclic Beer) and wine (Cyclic Wine). The beers, inspired by the Belgian model, come in surprising and colorful ranges where expertly blended yeast cocktails and house brews combine with varied macerations of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and grape marc from traditional Catalan varieties, the latter collected after the fermentation of their wines—because the second side is the wine, made exclusively from native Catalan grape varieties. As merchant winemakers, Alberto and Joshua personally harvest by hand from organic vineyards throughout Catalonia and bring the harvest back to their brewery-cum-winery workshop in La Sagrera (Barcelona). There, they sort the grapes, tread them by foot, and ferment the must using exclusively indigenous yeasts. Depending on the type of wine, skin maceration takes place on the skins and stems for between one and three days for whites and between six and fifteen days for reds. The free-run juice is then transferred without pressing into stainless steel tanks where fermentation continues before bottling. The skins and stems, and sometimes part of the juice, are then used for the maceration of saison beers: an interesting synergy between beer and wine. No sulfites are added during vinification; nothing is added or removed from the wine, which is never filtered. The harvest and other viticultural operations are decided according to the lunar calendar.
Moscatell is made entirely from Muscat de Frontignan (a variant of the white Muscat à petits grains) grown in Haut-Penedès, in Sant Pere de Ribes, on limestone soils. The age of the vines is not specified, but the altitude of the plot is 80 meters. The harvest is foot-trodden and macerates for a day on the skins and stems. It is then gently crushed again before finishing its fermentation in stainless steel vats. If this wine seemed to need a little time to develop when we tasted it upon arrival, it promises a lot: dry, aromatic, beautiful crisp acidity, lemon zest on the nose and palate, floral and highly drinkable. Decanting recommended.

G&M White 2022,

Patrick Bouju

G&M (Grenache-Muscat and many other things) is an organic and natural dry white wine produced in Auvergne by Patrick Bouju, a maceration cuvée without added sulfites, vinified from grapes from Languedoc and Auvergne. It demonstrates all the winemaker's expertise through organic white grape varieties from various sources. Classified as a Vin de France, this is a very complete wine, adaptable to all occasions.

In the vineyard and in the cellar

To obtain G&M, Patrick Bouju blended Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Viognier from Pézenas, Muscat d'Alexandrie from Canet-en-Roussillon, Ugni Blanc and Grenache Gris from Pinet in Languedoc, and finally Chardonnay from Auvergne from his own vineyards. This is a maceration cuvée vinified in vats and terracotta amphorae.

Tasting

G&M offers a superb balance between opulence, perfume, liveliness and acidity. It is a rich and complex orange wine in its blend which is similar to the grand écart in the variety of provenances which in no way compromise the unity of the vintage, harmonized by aging in vats and terracotta. It goes with everything, including White Meats, poultry, fish, hot starters, mature cheeses or flaky pastries.

Learn more about Patrick Bouju and the La Bohème estate

Near Billom, the Auvergne Tuscany, once covered in vines, is the privileged domain of Gamay d'Auvergne, an ancient strain of the grape variety. It is here, on these volcanic soils, that Patrick Bouju works, mainly with old vines.

Viticulture and trade

Patrick breathes new life into the often abandoned terroirs of Puy-de-Dôme and its indigenous grape varieties. Under the La Bohème estate, he operates as a wine merchant using purchased organic grapes. His exclusive Culinaries partnerships are famous: with Action Bronson for the series A la Natural, with Jason Ligas in Greece for Sous le Végétal…

A winemaker who lends a helping hand

The current renaissance of the Auvergne vineyard (which was once the third largest in France) owes a lot to Patrick. The fact that he likes to lend a hand to his winemaker friends in France and elsewhere only confirms his image as a role model, a leader. Its noble, chiseled, distinguished, never trivial wines are immediately recognizable in the glass.

Super B Rouge 2021

Patrick Bouju
Super as in super-good, B as in Beaujolais. Here is a delicious red wine from Patrick Bouju, who, for the occasion, is moving away from the Auvergne Gamay to Gamays planted further east. Super B is indeed a beautiful blend of Beaujolais Gamays and Brouilly Gamays (lieu-dit Pisse-Vieille) grown on granite and bluestone soils. Its aromas of red berries and hazelnut bring a sensation of freshness to the palate and make it a very pleasant thirst-quenching wine. Super B has a certain ability to descend at full speed; it's a beautiful gurgle. The harvest is macerated for two weeks in whole bunches, vinified with indigenous yeasts, and the aging is done partly in vats, the rest in sandstone amphorae. No clarification, no filtration, no added sulfites. This wine can age for around seven years.

To find out more
Near Billom, the Limagne clermontoise rises towards the east 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 in France and elsewhere only confirms his image as a role 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 found that his wines did very well without them. He also found that if the grapes are healthy and concentrated, balance occurs naturally, 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 Lower Auvergne and its volcanic soils.

Cuvée Yard Rouge 2019,

Jean Louis Pinto
This cuvée was specially created for YARD by Jean-Louis Pinto! A supple, drinkable yet complex red wine, perfect for dinner parties. The grapes come from three different terroirs: the clay-limestone soils of Campagnac, northwest of Gaillac; the clay-limestone soils of Saint-Jean-Laseille (Perpignan); and the Villafranchian limestone gravel of Adissan, north of Pézenas. The blend is composed of Braucol, Mourvèdre, Carignan, and Colombard. All the grape varieties are vinified separately with a whole-bunch maceration of approximately twenty days (depending on the grape variety) and blended after aging. This is carried out in stainless steel or epoxy resin vats.

To find out more
A child of Ariège, Jean-Louis Pinto chose to stay in the country and make wines that resemble their terroir, hence the name Es d’Aqui (“It’s, it’s from here”) that he gave to his winemaking business, located in Moulin-Neuf, a town near Aude, between Mirepoix and Limoux. A region where vines once abounded, until the major mildew attacks at the beginning of the 20th century. Jean-Louis buys grapes grown organically by other winegrowers, his friends, in whom he has complete confidence. He doesn’t just buy the product, he monitors the fruit set, the ripening, and makes regular visits until August, in order to know the grapes before harvesting them. He vinifies it at home using natural methods, practicing long macerations with whole bunches. A three-week maceration is common for him, as are very gentle pressings in a vertical press. He says he has "a lot of vines in common" with his friend Anthony Tortul (La Sorga, see link). His collection area extends throughout the Languedoc, particularly in the Hérault, around Adissan, Faugères and Saint-Chinian, as well as in the Aude (Limoux) and Tarn (Gaillac), two terroirs that are dear to him. It turns out that the typical Languedoc soils – schist, basalt, pebbles, clay-siliceous – particularly appeal to him for the freshness they give to the wines. "I make wines from the South," he says. "I especially look for terroirs that give freshness, even if the wines have an alcohol content of 14%." » The grape varieties are, of course, typically Languedoc: Grenache, Carignan, Mauzac, Cinsault, Braucol, Duras and Sauvignon. The most powerful reds are made in five terracotta jars, which help him control the extraction and give his wines, he says, "a very crystalline side." The soil, the location, as we understand it, are of the utmost importance to him: once again, the name of his estate Es d'Aqui was not chosen by chance.

Munjebel Rouge 2016

Frank Cornelissen
This Munjebel is a bouquet of wild red fruits, pure classic Nerello Mascalese, rich and aromatic, carrying all the crunch of ripe fruit, with a Pinot Noir side and a brilliant translucent color. It comes from several plots, including those from which the greatest vintages of the azienda come (Zottorinoto, Feudo di Mezzo-Porcaria, Pontale Palino), and from vines specially dedicated to this vintage: Rampante, Piano Daini, and Crasà. Among Frank Cornelissen's vintages, it best represents the typicality of the northern valley of Etna.
Natural wine without added sulfites.
The right product pairing: Oven-roasted Coucou de Rennes

MC Macabeu White 2019,

Partida Creus

MC Macabeu 2019 from Partida Creus is a rarity worth grabbing: this vintage may well be the only one of this unique cuvée. A true tribute to the Macabeu, an emblematic grape variety of Catalonia and northern Spain, this wine comes from an old and wild plot, where the vines grow tall, like lianas, offering a reduced and ultra-concentrated production.

A maceration wine with a strong character

Grown biodynamically and vinified without additives, MC Macabeu is a natural and lively wine, which boasts a strong identity. Maceration on the skins for ten days gives it a fine tannic structure and a beautiful aromatic intensity. Unfiltered and without added sulfites, it is a pure reflection of the Catalan terroir and the artisanal expertise of Massimo Marchiori and Antonella Gerosa.

An aromatic explosion and captivating texture

To the eye, it displays a bright amber color, characteristic of macerated wines. The nose is an explosion of stone fruit, with intense notes of peach, apricot, orange peel, and white flowers. On the palate, the texture is full, silky, and slightly tannic, balanced by vibrant freshness and a beautiful mineral tension. A long, saline finish adds even more depth to this characterful wine.

Food and Wine Pairings and Tasting Notes

Served around 12-14°C, MC Macabeu pairs wonderfully with Mediterranean dishes, mature cheeses, or fish in sauce and grilled seafood. It will also surprise with spicy or Asian cuisine, thanks to its balance between power and freshness. An authentic and vibrant wine, you absolutely have to try it before it disappears.

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.

1984 Red 2020,

La Senda
La Bodega La Senda is the creation of Diego Losada, a native of Bierzo, a region in the northwest of the province of León, bordered to the north by Asturias and to the west by Galicia. Pilgrims traveling to Compostela via the Camino Francés or the Camino de Invierno can admire its magnificent landscapes, where ancient vineyards cover the hilltops. Viticulture dates back to Roman times, but the region was so traumatized by the phylloxera crisis that vines were not replanted until the mid-20th century, without massive uprooting, giving these vines an average age of forty to seventy years. Born in Ponferrada, in the northern Bierzo, Diego was never one for compromise. Resolutely radical, with a passion for freedom and rigor, he first applied this disposition to music in the heavy metal band he formed with his high school friends. It was later to wine that he would devote this same passion, studying organic chemistry at university and learning the scientific aspects of viticulture. But the scientific rigidity and conventional methods he discovered on some of the estates where he worked did not satisfy him. Attracted to a viticulture closer to the land, Diego reclaimed a few plots to showcase the Bierzo terroir as naturally as possible. In 2012, he created the La Senda estate, whose name means "the path," on the outskirts of his hometown. His wines would be like him: honest, frank, natural, and expressive. Not awarded the designation of origin, they are the pure reflection of their soils and climate, the personality and energy of their creator.
This 100% Mencia red (a descendant of the Trousseau) comes from clay-limestone soils very rich in quartz, iron, and slate, at an altitude of around 650 meters in southern El Bierzo. The vines are seventy to ninety years old. The grapes macerate for three to four days in old oak barrels, and the wines are aged for seven months in French oak barrels and tuns. No sulfites are added, no filtration. Dark garnet color, warm slate nose with fruity accents—the marriage of cherry and pebble—a full and juicy palate: a bright wine, perfectly faithful to its terroir. Decanting is recommended.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.

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.

CX Cartoixa Blanc 2020

Partida Creus
This rarity is a still, dry white wine made from Cartoixà Vermell (another version of Xarel lo Rosado, a traditional rosé grape variety) that bursts with freshness and extremely rich aromatic notes: white peach, rhubarb, strawberry, and even papaya. A slightly appetizing bitterness graces this absolutely delicious wine, which will perform equally well on its own and with food.

Find out more
Partida Creus is an important estate, both wine-wise and historically—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.