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CHUCK Sparkling Red 2018
While Chuck sports a muscular label, this sparkling red from Antony Tortul of Domaine de la Sorga hides a beautiful finesse beneath its apparent insolence. A natural and sparkling Gamay, lively and fruity, perfect for an aperitif or a delicious dessert.
An exceptional sparkling wine
Made from vines planted on sandstone soils in the southern Ardèche, Chuck is a cuvée crafted with meticulous care. The winemaking process follows a natural, artisanal approach: after a whole-bunch maceration, a direct-press juice is added, allowing for a gradual infusion of the berries for a further 24 days. Once fermentation is complete, the wine is bottled by gravity, without fining or filtration. The effervescence is created naturally in the bottle, and each bottle is disgorged by hand by the winemaker himself.
A lively and delicious wine
Behind its deep red color and fine bubbles, Chuck reveals an expressive nose dominated by frank notes of strawberry and crisp red fruits. On the palate, the texture is invigorating and refreshing, supported by beautiful acidity and delicate effervescence. The balance between fruit and liveliness makes it an irresistible wine, as surprising as it is thirst-quenching.
Pairings and Tasting Notes
Served chilled, between 10 and 12°C, Chuck is the ideal companion for a convivial aperitif, where it pairs perfectly with artisan charcuterie or a cheese platter. It also excels with fruity or creamy desserts, which it will brighten up with its tangy sparkle. A bold natural sparkling wine, to be enjoyed now or kept for a few years to see its aromas evolve.
Adonis Red 2022,
Adonis is the red counterpart of Aphrodite and a superb organic (Ecocert) and natural dry white wine from the Coteaux du Loir, vinified by Renaud Guettier of La Grapperie, without additives, sulfites, or chemical additives.
Vinification
Adonis is made from Pineau d'Aunis, one of the oldest grape varieties in the Loire Valley Western. The vines, pruned in goblet form, are on average seventy-five years old and grow on black silt and limestone (tuffeau) soils. The harvest is manual, transported on horseback. Aging is twelve months in barrels.
Tasting
Draped in a beautiful garnet color, Adonis offers a complex nose of red fruits: strawberry, cherry, smoked blackberry, sweet herbs… On the palate, a beautiful structure between black pepper and raspberry. Spicy, fruity and peppery, with a lovely sweet and yeasty note on the attack that adds to its deliciousness, it is a gastronomic wine. You can pair it with oily fish (tuna, mackerel, sardines), sea or freshwater fish stews with red wine, but also roasts or grilled beef, charcuterie and traditional stews.
Learn more about Renaud Guettier and La Grapperie
In the Coteaux du Loir appellation, La Grapperie is the name of the estate of Renaud Guettier, who can be described as a master of Chenin, but also of Pineau d'Aunis, which is one of the oldest grape varieties in the Loire Valley.
The estate
Renaud's 60 hectares of vines, on the hillside, are protected from the north winds by the Bercé forest. Depending on the altitude, the terroirs are predominantly clay, flint or sand. The grape varieties are the two traditionally authorized in the appellation: Chenin for the whites and Pineau d'Aunis for 90% of the reds, the rest consisting of a few ares of Côt, Gamay and Grolleau. Some vines are more than a hundred years old.
In the vineyard and the winery
The entire estate is cultivated organically. The soils are worked and all viticultural interventions are manual, including the harvest, carried out at full maturity, which is reflected in the fullness and smoothness of the wines. For the reds, the Pineau d'Aunis is partially destemmed (depending on the plot) and the macerations are quite long, three to four weeks, with punching down, to promote aging potential. The wines are aged in barrels for between twelve and twenty-four months, then racked, blended and bottled without filtration. For the whites, the Chenins are pressed directly at low pressure then put into barrels with complete malolactic fermentation, for at least eighteen months, malolactic included, and sometimes up to thirty-six months.
BB "Las Hoces" Red 2019
Partida Creus
Partida Creus is the creation of two Piedmontese natives from the Langhe (where wine is well-known), Antonella Gerosa and Massimo Marchiori, who first pursued careers as architects in Barcelona. But the wine bug bit 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 wealth 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 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. This is why their estate is as important from a winemaking point of view as from a historical point of view - we are talking here about the history of the vine in Catalonia.
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, 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 straight and impeccably juicy and fruity, breathe life. The arrival of a Partida Creus at the table always elicits exclamations of joy.
This 100% Bobal is a racy and finely wild red from the Las Hoces plot, built on a grape variety common in Spain but whose expression here is very original. Dark cherry red color; on the nose, candy, sweet flowers, fresh fruits, violet, thyme. On the palate, a lot of distinction: a straight acidity and morello cherry, ripe plum, black pepper, a small saline touch on the finish. Serve well chilled.
Esprit Attila Red 2018
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 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 of love at first sight, and each of these loves 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 muscat, grenache, picpoul, mauzac, carignan, cinsault, marsanne, alicante, braucol, duras, viognier, len-de-l’el, and tutti quanti.
Esprit Attila is made up of sixty percent carignan (one hundred and thirteen year old vines) and forty percent syrah. These two grape varieties are harvested on the ferruginous clay-limestone soils of Lagrasse, in the Corbières. Vinification, in whole bunches, is done in separate grape varieties for ninety days in quasi-infusion before blending, followed by aging in concrete vats for a year and a second aging of one year in bottles, like a great Spanish red. The nose is immediately very aromatic and we find in abundance the characters of the two grape varieties: blueberry, blackcurrant, black olive… The palate is full, delicious, extremely fresh and typical of its vintage, with notes of violet.
Natural wine without added sulfites.
Fleurie Grand-Pré Red 2019,
Domaine Bélicard
Nestled in the heart of Beaujolais, the Fleurie AOP appellation is renowned for its elegant and floral wines. Domaine Bélicard, certified organic (AB), delivers a remarkably fine cuvée, produced from 36-year-old vines planted in granite soils.
A Fleurie of elegance and depth
Vinified using traditional whole-bunch maceration in old wooden vats, this wine benefits from gentle extraction, respecting all the delicacy of Gamay Noir. Its 4-day aging preserves the freshness and pure expression of the terroir.
A floral nose and a full palate
From the first nose, this organic Fleurie reveals deep aromas of candied red fruits, enhanced with floral and spicy notes. On the palate, the balance is perfect between roundness and finesse, with an elegant and persistent finish.
What to enjoy this wine with?
Ideal at 14-16°C, this wine goes wonderfully with grilled fish, salads and barbecues. Its 5-year aging potential will allow for a beautiful aromatic evolution.
Beaujolais Lancié Red 2019,
Domaine Bélicard
In the heart of the Beaujolais Villages AOP, Domaine Bélicard creates an authentic and delicious cuvée with its Beaujolais Lancié 2019. Coming from a vineyard rooted in granite soils, this wine is a true ode to the Gamay Noir grape variety, enhanced by traditional carbonic maceration vinification. With its 53-year-old vines, this cuvée perfectly illustrates the finesse and freshness characteristic of the best Beaujolais Villages.
A Gamay to taste!
Vinified using carbonic maceration, a typical Beaujolais process that enhances the fruit and supple tannins, this wine is then aged for 9 months in wooden vats, giving it both roundness and liveliness. Its controlled aging highlights all the freshness and delicacy of the terroir, without masking the aromatic purity of the Gamay.
A floral nose and a delicious palate
Upon opening, the Beaujolais Lancié 2019 reveals an expressive nose, dominated by floral notes and crisp red fruits (cherry, redcurrant). On the palate, the balance is perfect between freshness and deliciousness, with fine tannins that provide a silky texture and a juicy, thirst-quenching finish.
How to enjoy this bottle?
Served slightly chilled at 14-16°C, this wine for sharing is perfect as an aperitif, but also with summer barbecues, a charcuterie board or simple, convivial dishes. With an aging potential of 5 years, it will evolve towards even more complex aromas.
Divin Poison White 2021
De Vini
Divin Poison is a dry, organic, biodynamic, and natural white wine made by Christophe Bosque of Domaine De Vini from Melon de Bourgogne grapes grown in the Nantes region. Classified as a Vin de France and harvested from gabbro soils characteristic of the area, it has all the qualities of a (very good) Muscadet, except for the appellation.
Xarel lo Macabeu White 2019
Xarel lo-Macabeu is, as its name suggests, a blend of equal parts Catalan Xarel lo and Macabeu grape varieties grown in Pla de Penedès (Alto Penedés) on clay-limestone soils at an altitude of between 200 and 230 meters. The vines are between 35 and 45 years old. The grapes are sorted, crushed, and macerated with the stems and skins, two days for the Xarel lo and one day for the Macabeu. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks and the two grape varieties are blended after alcoholic fermentation. The wine is fragrant, dry, aromatic, mineral, with balanced acidity and a touch of controlled oxidation.
Learn more
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 measured yeast cocktails and house brews combine with varied macerations of fruits, vegetables, herbs and grape marc from traditional Catalan varieties, the latter taken 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 wineries 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 to or removed from the wine, which is never filtered. The harvest and other viticultural operations are decided according to the lunar calendar.
Ull de Llebre Sumoll Red 2019,
Cyclic Beer Farm is a duo of friends from Barcelona, 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, are available in surprising and colorful ranges where expertly measured yeast cocktails and house brews combine with varied macerations of fruits, vegetables, herbs and grape marc from traditional Catalan varieties, the latter taken after the fermentation of their wines - because the second part is the wine, made exclusively from native Catalan grape varieties. As merchant winemakers, Alberto and Joshua themselves harvest by hand from organic wineries throughout Catalonia and bring the harvest to their winery-brewery workshop in La Sagrera (Barcelona). There they sort the grapes, tread them under foot and vat 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 the whites and between six and fifteen days for the 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.
At the time we tasted this red wine, it was still searching a little, but at the time of writing, it must have found its place and be resting comfortably on its balanced tannins and fruity complexity. It is a well-balanced wine between body presence and lightness, round and aromatic. It is a blend of Catalan grape varieties Ull de Llebre (70%) and Sumoll (30%) harvested by hand in Torrelavit (Upper Penedès) and Mas Llorenç (Lower Penedès) on limestone and clay soils. The Ull de Llebre vines are young (fifteen years old) and the Sumoll vines are very old (up to one hundred years old). The altitude of the plots is between 230 and 260 meters. The harvest, entirely manual, is sorted, and then ten percent is trodden by foot. A semi-carbonic maceration follows for twenty-seven days, after which the wine completes its fermentation in stainless steel vats.
Auguste Red 2019,
Sous le Végétal
Auguste is the only dry red wine from the Sous le Végétal project. It takes its name from the indigenous Greek avgoustiatis grape variety, from which it is made entirely. It is a light wine that, through its Mediterranean nature, recalls something of the reds of the Jura: a characteristic earthy and mineral note, plenty of character—prune, clove, anise, vanilla, cherry jam, rich tannins, and, on the finish, a salinity due to the mineral-rich soils (particularly schist and limestone) of the island of Samos. The fruity notes remain taut and elegant. Decanting is recommended. The vines grow on the foothills of Mount Karvounis, not far from the village of Pagondas. The wine is a blend of four types of rock on two plots. The Avgoustiatis ('the august') grape variety is a rare variety, the first red grape variety harvested in Greece. It is cultivated organically in conversion to permaculture. The vines, pruned in the 'goblet' style, are harvested by hand on the morning of August 15th. The wine is first obtained by a forty-day maceration of whole bunches in stainless steel vats. Half of the vinification is done in 500-liter Stockinger barrels and the other half in ovoid concrete vats. The wine is completely additive-free, unfiltered, and bottled by gravity. The black bottle ensures the wine ages and the closure is made with a cork sealed with a mixture of paraffin and black beeswax.
To find out more
Under the plant lies the mineral: this is the meaning of this concept of natural vintages created in Greece, on the island of Samos, by a team of friends gathered around the winemakers Jason Ligas and Patrick Bouju. The successful enterprise marks a renaissance of the thousand-year-old vineyard of this island in the North Aegean Sea, which owes its dense and woody vegetation to various nicknames received in Antiquity, from Dryoussa (“covered with oaks”) to Kyparissia (“covered with cypresses”) and Melamphyllos (“With dark foliage”). This natural wealth covers a unique and varied subsoil: volcanic rocks and notably basalts, limestone, quartz, pink granites, schists, iron cast irons… The idea was born from Jason’s meeting with the Samos Wine Cooperative. Patrick Bouju soon joined the project. The five vintages of Sous le Végétal—Livia, Hüpnos, Octave, Palli & Genesia and Auguste—are produced on around sixty plots of Samos Muscat à petits grains (and Avgoustiatis for the red vintage), between 400 and 910 meters above sea level. Each plot is vinified separately. For vinification, four types of containers are used: amphorae, concrete eggs, stainless steel vats and 500-liter barrels. Each locality is vinified in at least two of the four containers and the aging takes place in black bottles sealed with wax. No added sulfur, no filtration: Samos' winemakers are rediscovering wine as it was made in their childhood. This is one of the wonders of natural wine: it allows, through the most innovative projects, to reconnect with forgotten traditions. Sous le Végétal also takes under its wing the A la Natural vintages by Patrick Bouju.
Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Malvasia Sparkling White 2017
Clos Lentiscus
In Sitges, Catalonia, Clos Lentiscus is a winery located in the heart of the Garraf Natural Park. Manel Avinyo and his brother Joan took over the family estate, which Manel renamed Clos Lentiscus. Even though Barcelona is only a half-hour drive away, the beauty of the landscape is striking and the immersion in nature is complete: Mediterranean forests rub shoulders with Catalan scrubland (thyme, rosemary, rockrose, and the mastic tree, which gave the estate its name, etc.). The Penedès region also has a long winemaking history. Nestled in its gentle hills is Clos Lentiscus, in the Penedés appellation, on twenty hectares of sandy and clay-limestone soils facing due south at an altitude of 225 meters. According to historical documents, the family of Manel and Joan Avinyo has been established there since at least the 14th century. For a long time, the grapes were sold to local cooperatives, but since the two brothers took over the estate, organic and biodynamic farming has replaced conventional practices, the entire harvest goes into the house vintages, and organic and biodynamic practices have allowed this beautiful property to reconnect with its former prestige: in the 19th century, its wines were sold in France and as far away as the Americas. Very quickly, Manel received a nickname: The Bubbleman, a tribute to his talent for vinifying cavas, these sparkling whites characteristic of the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, from native varieties for which Catalonia holds the secret: sumoll, ull de llebre, xarel·lo, malvasia of Sitges, cartoixà vermell, cariñena (carignan), accompanied by tempranillo and muscat of Alexandria. The vines are old, sometimes centuries old. No synthetic additives are used in the vineyard, and operations such as planting, pruning, de-budding and harvesting are dictated by the lunar phases. Pollination is facilitated by the presence of beehives; sheep contribute to fertilization and control of the plant cover. Ringo, the white horse, is responsible for working the soil.
Purity, elegance and a crisp minerality due to limestone characterize the productions of Clos Lentiscus. The note of controlled oxidation, when it is felt, does not dominate the tasting and the wines are never deviant. Cavas are known for being exuberant, but those of Clos Lentiscus never have more than two grams of residual sugar per liter. The estate also produces still wines, red, white and rosé.
Made entirely of Malvasia (Malvasia), an ancient Mediterranean grape variety that thrives particularly well in Sitges, this cava offers fine, creamy bubbles and a pale gold color, deeper than that of most wines of its style. Its olfactory notes of white fruits and lemon peel, its creamy, intense and fresh flavor with tropical accents have everything to seduce. Its aromatic persistence is remarkable. It is worth trying with foie gras.
Grande Pestilence Rouge 2019
La Sorga
Antony 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 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 filled with 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 tutti quanti.
The label and the name with their pestilential connotations should not make this wine pass for what it is not: no morbid stench will disturb your experience once the bottle is opened. The nose, on the contrary, is of great aromatic complexity: black fruits, humus, white pepper, peony, and on the palate the citrus peel typical of the schist soils of the Faugères region and particularly Cabrerolles, from which this wine comes. The texture is very rounded, the finish is long and already very straight! No sulfites, no filtration, nothing else for that matter. The blend is made from sixty percent Cinsault (sixty-five-year-old vines), twenty percent Grenache (sixty-five-year-old vines), and twenty percent Carignan (sixty-five-year-old vines). Vinification is done in whole bunches in a quasi-infusion for sixty days for Cinsault and forty-five days for the other grape varieties. Once everything is blended, aging is one year in vats. It will keep well for a good ten years.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.
Es d’aqui Trachéo Red 2016
This pure Grenache comes from the schist soils of Faugères. It is a superb wine, refined and fresh, beautifully fruity. It has aging potential for six or seven years, but can be enjoyed now. Nose of raspberry, rose, licorice, and Languedoc garrigue. On the palate, very well-integrated tannins. Beautiful energy, sunshine, and plenty of structure.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.
Himmel auf Erden Rosé 2018
An exceptional Austrian rosé
Forget everything you thought you knew about rosé. Himmel auf Erden 2018, a natural wine from Burgenland, challenges the rules with boldness and elegance. Made from Cabernet Franc, this Austrian rosé reveals a vibrant profile, far from the expected standards.
A unique and unadorned rosé
Made without filtration or added sulfur, this wine is the pure expression of the fruit and terroir. After careful destemming and crushing, it benefits from a year of aging in large barrels, giving it depth and complexity. The inspiration behind its name comes from a work by the iconoclastic artist Alfred Hrdlicka, adding an artistic dimension to this atypical cuvée.
An explosive nose, a palate full of life
Upon opening, Himmel auf Erden 2018 reveals an explosion of aromas: wild raspberry, wild berries, tomato leaf and a hint of aromatic herbs. On the palate, the energy is striking: a beautiful mineral tension, a light natural effervescence, and an irresistible sapidity that prolongs the pleasure.
Pairings and service
Ideal at 10-12°C, it will pair well with Mediterranean cuisine, plant-based dishes, and fine charcuterie. With no added sulfites, this rosé can be enjoyed in its purest form and promises a unique sensory experience.
With Himmel auf Erden 2018, rediscover rosé in a new light. A lively, bold wine.
Octave (exclusive vintage) White 2023,
Sous le Vegetal
Sous le Végétal, our own iconic estate on the island of Samos, delivers with Octave 2023 a pure and vibrant interpretation of Muscat Petit Grain. A new vintage of this already iconic vintage, this bottle is produced using whole-bunch maceration, this white wine reveals a fascinating complexity, both floral and mineral.
An exceptional Muscat, between freshness and depth
Thanks to natural vinification, without artifice, and meticulous work on indigenous yeasts, this wine reveals the full expression of the Samos terroir. Whole bunch maceration gives it texture and structure, while maintaining superb tension.
An expressive nose and a chiseled palate
The nose reveals intense notes of white flowers, citrus fruits and sweet spices, accompanied by a beautiful saline minerality. On the palate, it offers a fresh and ample attack, with a beautiful acidity and a lingering finish on notes of candied zest and aromatic herbs.
How to enjoy Octave?
Ideal at 10-12°C and decanted before tasting, Octave will perfectly accompany seafood, fish ceviche or poultry with citrus fruits. Its aging potential of 5 to 10 years will allow it to evolve towards even more complex aromas.
Auguste (exclusive vintage) Red 2023,
Sous le Végétal
With Auguste 2023, Sous le Végétal enhances the rare Avgoustatis grape variety, a native Greek grape with deep, spicy aromas. Thanks to a month of whole-bunch maceration, this red wine reveals beautiful complexity and a silky texture.
An intense and distinguished Mediterranean red
Grown on schist soils, this wine reveals a fine tannic structure and beautiful freshness, perfectly balancing power and finesse.
A spicy nose and an elegant palate
The nose reveals notes of black cherry, spices, and garrigue, typical of Mediterranean grape varieties. On the palate, it is distinguished by its beautiful tension, velvety tannins, and a long, mineral finish.
How to enjoy Auguste?
Served at 16-18°C, Auguste is the perfect accompaniment to a leg of lamb, a spicy tagine, or roasted vegetables with herbs. With an aging potential of 5 to 10 years, it will gain in complexity and suppleness.
UL Red 2019
Partida Creus is a winery located in Catalonia, founded by two Piedmontese natives from the Langhe (where wine is well-known), Antonella Gerosa and Massimo Marchiori. They initially pursued careers as architects in Barcelona, but the wine bug bit 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 wealth 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 heritage rescue, no: it's a matter of taste and nature. Of natural wines, which they will continue to make 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. This is why their estate is as important from a winemaking perspective as it is from a historical perspective - we are talking here about the history of the vine in Catalonia.
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 exclamations of joy. This new red from Partida Creus is based on the ancient and indigenous grape variety called ull de llebre, which, you guessed it, means “hare’s eye.” What you might not guess is that this is the Catalan name for Tempranillo. It’s actually an old local version of this very Iberian grape, which Massimo and Antonella have nurtured in their own way. The wine is highly original: behind the minerality, the (black) fruit, the blueberry, and the freshness, we notice very fine tannins and aromatic herbs. A serious wine, a little grave, but did you know that serious wines make you joyful? Its length on the palate is astonishing. Decanting is highly recommended so that this wine can play its own unique music, down to the finest notes.
VNRA Vinel lo Rouge 2018
Partida Creus
VN, Vinel·lo Ancestral Red, is a natural sparkling wine resulting from a blend of indigenous grape varieties: Samsó (Cinsault), Garrut (Mourvèdre), Trepat, Ull de Perdiu, Queixal de Llop, Sumoll, and Grenache Noir, harvested from predominantly limestone soils. After crushing, the musts from the different grape varieties ferment one after the other and are gradually added, thus extending fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Fermentation completes in the bottle, for ten months, on fine lees. No filtration, no additives, and no added sulfites. A fruity, very fresh sparkling wine with floral and yeasty notes. Very long finish.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.
Régnié la haute ronze Red 2017
La Haute Ronze is one of two plots cultivated by Nicolas in the Régnié appellation; it is considered of very high quality, with deep clay soils that produce full-bodied wines. This 100% Gamay is obtained through semi-carbonic maceration and aged for approximately twenty months (half in barrels, half in stainless steel vats). It offers notes of leather, earth, and Mediterranean herbs (oregano, rosemary), through its red fruits.
A natural wine with no added sulfites.
Esprit Attila Red 2016
This blend is composed of 60% Syrah (from thirty-five-year-old vines), with the remainder consisting of Carignan, Grenache, Merlot, and Alicante Bouschet. The grapes macerate in whole bunches for ninety days in a near-infusion and are aged in concrete vats and amphorae for one year. Its aromas of violet and red fruits will pair well with red meats, especially lamb. Aging potential: twenty years.
Pairs with: Red Meats, Roasted Meats, Grilled Meats
