Organic Wines

VNR Vinel lo Ancestral Sparkling Red 2019

Partida Creus
The beautiful light ruby ​​color of VN Vinel lo Ancestral is already tempting, and its low alcohol content (10.5%) is ideal for long aperitifs and large, chilled meals. Sparkling, fruity, and very fresh, with floral and yeasty notes, and a very long finish. Easy to drink, gurgling but with great distinction, VN Vinel·lo Ancestral is a natural sparkling red resulting from a rich and abundant blend of indigenous grape varieties: first Sumoll and Trepat in dominance, followed by Se Samsó (Cinsault), Garrut (Mourvèdre), Ull de Perdiu, Queixal de Llop and Grenache Noir, harvested on predominantly limestone soils. The blend is subject to variation depending on the vintage. After crushing, the musts of the different grape varieties ferment one after the other and are added gradually, thus prolonging the fermentation by indigenous yeasts. The fermentation finishes in the bottle, for ten months, on fine lees. No filtration, no additives, no added sulfites.

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Partida Creus is an important estate, both from a winemaking and historical perspective—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-known—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. On their part, it’s not just a matter of saving heritage, no: it’s a matter of taste and nature. Natural wines, which they will continue to make from now on on these sandy, poor, clay-limestone or clay-gravelly, poor and poorly irrigated lands, where the vines suffer to give 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. Moscatel, Grenache, Merlot, and Cabernet (among others) are also grown here. Few wineries can boast 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-varietal 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 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.

Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Charmottes Red 2020,

Frédéric Cossard

This Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Charmottes 2020, by Frédéric Cossard, is a vibrant and natural expression of this prestigious appellation from the Côte de Nuits. Produced using unpretentious vinification, it reveals exceptional aromatic depth, combining floral finesse and fruity intensity.

The Nuits-Saint-Georges AOC, an exceptional terroir

Renowned for its structured and expressive wines, the Nuits-Saint-Georges AOC offers powerful and distinguished reds with long aging potential. The Charmottes plot, located on deep clay-limestone soils, gives this wine a beautiful concentration and a satiny feel. In the old Burgundian dialect, "charmottes" or "charmes" refers to formerly fallow lands, now enhanced by the meticulous work of Frédéric Cossard.

A natural and elegant Pinot Noir

This 2020 vintage, produced through a whole-bunch maceration, expresses a captivating floral nose, blending peony and violet, before giving way to an explosion of fruit black like blackberry and blackcurrant. On the palate, the body is silky and supple, with tannins of rare elegance and a lingering finish marked by a subtle minerality.

A wine of character, to enjoy now or to keep

With its balanced structure and its aging potential of 5 to 10 years, this Nuits-Saint-Georges can be enjoyed young, for the purity of its fruit, or after a few years, for a more complex and refined expression. Serve between 16 and 18°C, it will perfectly accompany a grilled prime rib, duck breast with red fruits or game in sauce. A great Burgundy wine, in a natural and masterful interpretation.

Magnum Saint Romain Sous la Velle Red 2020,

Domaine de Chassorney

A bright and intense ruby color, a nose of small red fruits with a dominant cherry, this is a remarkable Saint-Romain from the Sous la Velle plot. The palate is lively, fleshy, and fruity, marked by some notes of sweet and peppery spices. The tannins are vigorous, yet fine and silky. The Saint-Romain appellation is located at altitude, on steep terrain. It is ideal for producing lively, lively, mineral, and very flavorful wines. Entirely Pinot Noir, this wine comes from a plot whose sloping terroir, facing south-southeast, is located between 280 and 400 meters above sea level. The soils are mainly marl, limestone, and clay. The grapes macerate in whole bunches. Aging is approximately one year in barrels.

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Through his entirely natural work, Frédéric Cossard gives voice to the terroirs and Burgundy wines, undeformed by agricultural chemicals. Having observed, during his years of trading, the existence of harmful viticultural practices, the winemaker used this counter-example to practice unadulterated viticulture. Thus, he produces vintages of purity and elegance without artifice that are among the most sought-after in Burgundy. Frédéric worked as a wine broker for some time before creating the Domaine de Chassorney with his partner Laure in 1996: initially a few ares of vines in Saint-Romain, Auxey-Duresses and Savigny-lès-Beaune, and currently ten hectares spread across the Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard, Volnay, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune and Bourgogne appellations. In 2006, he created his own wine trading house and buys organic grapes to vinify, according to his style and convictions, great vintages such as Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Pommard, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée and several Beaujolais crus. The practice is not limited to Burgundy since vintages are made from grapes purchased in the Jura or Languedoc. At his home, the soil and vines are worked as naturally as possible: regular horse-drawn ploughing, no addition of chemical fertilizers or weedkillers. The vines are cared for according to biodynamic principles: homeopathic treatments based on essential oils, copper and sulfur in minimal doses. The harvest is entirely manual, carried out at full maturity, at the end of October. Reds or whites, classic Burgundies or more atypical or less "regional" bottles, Frédéric's vintages are rare and sought-after wines, which sometimes require waiting.

Trepat Red 2019,

Cyclic Beer Farm

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 to the 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.
The tannins have pride of place in this 100% Trepat red wine (a traditional Catalan grape variety); they assert themselves from the attack with a crisp acidity. Rustic and fruity, invigorating, almost a gurgle (it needs a little time and rest to become fully so). The grapes grow on a clay-limestone plot in Prenafeta (municipality of La Conca de Barberà) and the vines are two years old. The altitude is 400 meters. The harvest, hand-picked, is crushed and then macerated for twelve days on the skins and stalks, with punching down every two days. A second, very gentle crushing precedes the second phase of fermentation in stainless steel vats.

Rosado Cosecha Rosadito Rosé 2019

Bodegas Coruña del Conde
Natural wine without added sulphites.

Rye whiskey, The Helsinki Distilling Co.

Vintage Spirit Garage

You don't need to live in Kentucky to make a good rye whiskey: the three makers of the Helsinki Distilling Company—two Finns, one Irish—do it very well. Rye is, in Finnish tradition, a symbol of power and vitality; it was therefore only natural that they pay homage to it. This three-year-aged whiskey (47.5%, 70% Finnish rye, 30% Finnish barley) is a pure masterpiece, straightforward and controlled, with a nose of toasted rye, honey, and dark chocolate. Rich and deep on the palate, it offers notes of caramel, licorice, and spices, with a hint of coffee. A big favorite of the Culinaries team.

Cerro las Monjas 1368 Red 2004,

Bodega Barranco Oscuro
Natural wine without added sulphites.

French Single Malt Whisky Coperies

Vintage Spirit Garage

Coperies is a 100% French single malt whisky from a single distillery, the venerable Merlet & Fils distillery, in Charente-Maritime. It bears the mark of its region even in its name: "copieries" is a very old word meaning "harvest" in old Charente. This appellation refers to the French identity of this beverage—all the ingredients of which are French—but also, beyond that, to its specifically Charente roots. The barley from which it is made is grown, malted, and brewed in France before being distilled and aged at the Merlet & Fils distillery. Son.
Its development is the fruit of centuries-old expertise, used for the production of the most prestigious wine spirits and applied here to cereals. The first step is double-pass distillation, in Charentais copper stills, which produces round and elegant malt spirits. The aging takes place in French oak barrels, maintaining a balance between new and old barrels in order to modulate the contribution of wood and toasting: this produces subtle spicy notes and silky tannins. The whisky is surprising, remarkable for the sweetness and roundness of its accents. It is floral, fruity, and of unparalleled finesse. The nose first reveals a very discreet vanilla and a light touch of caramel. On the palate, it is the smooth and fluid texture that surprises, all in suppleness: no alcoholic burn hinders the sweet, aromatic, and delicately spiced notes of this whisky. The purity of single malt is very apparent. It will be wonderful neat, with an ice cube that will bring out its tenderness, and can also lend itself to the preparation of cocktails. It is, we specify, an excellent way to enter the world of whisky for those who are not used to this beverage: it will not be aggressive and will provide them with a gentle initiation.

Magnum L'As des Années Folles White 2015

Les Vignes de l'Ange Vin

Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Es d'aqui Danslezetoiles Red 2016

Jean Louis Pinto

This blend of Braucol, Carignan, and Muscat grown on clay-limestone soils was vinified in amphorae. Notes of candied black fruit and leather complement the fruity and herbaceous notes, much to the delight of natural wine enthusiasts. Plenty of aromatic presence, character, and originality.

Orange White 2022,

Domaine Einhart

A complex and structured orange wine, an ode to Gewurztraminer

The Orange 2022, produced by Domaine Einhart, is a captivating cuvée that explores the full richness of Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris. This orange wine, obtained through a week of destemmed maceration, fully expresses the aromatic potential and tannic structure of the grape variety. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged for a month in stainless steel vats, this wine reveals a perfect balance between power, freshness, and minerality.

A generous and captivating tasting

From the first nose, the Orange 2022 seduces with its complexity. Aromas of dried apricot, fig, and mandarin intertwine with exotic touches of pineapple and passion fruit. On the palate, the attack is full and structured, with a slightly tannic texture that adds depth. The basalt minerality unfolds elegantly, supported by a vibrant freshness. The finish is long and persistent, marked by notes of honey and orange blossom, offering a unique and intense sensory experience.

An exceptional gastronomic wine

L’Orange 2022 is ideal for accompanying bold and refined dishes. It pairs perfectly with game birds, roasted white meats, or root vegetables such as celeriac and cabbage. Its powerful aromas also allow it to enhance mature cheeses or dishes with mild spices. Served between 8 and 10°C after decanting, this wine will reveal all its nuances and richness.

With an aging potential of 5 years, this vintage will be able to evolve in the bottle, gaining even more complexity and finesse.

Muscana White 2022

Domaine Einhart

Muscana is an organic (Ecocert and AB labels) and natural dry white wine from Alsace from Domaine Einhart. Classified as AOC Alsace, this beautifully complex dry white is Domaine Einhart's homage to the Muscat grape variety.

Vinification

Muscana is a 100% Alsace Muscat, hand-harvested when overripe. The vines are approximately twenty-five years old and grow on the splendid oolitic limestone (muschelkalk) terroirs in the Fleckenstein, Westerberg, and Meyen localities. The harvest is destemmed, maceration in vats lasts one week, and fermentation is carried out using indigenous yeasts. The wine is aged in stainless steel vats on fine lees and is not filtered at bottling.

Tasting

Muscana offers a beautiful orange-amber color with superb brightness. The first nose offers rich, slightly smoky aromas typical of overripe Muscat berries. A second, very fine nose brings a hint of citrus fruit that encourages tasting. On the palate, the attack is straightforward and ample, accompanied by a melted acidity expressed through notes of candied quince. The finish is invigorating, with melted tannins linked to the maceration. We recommend decanting Muscana to help it develop its splendid aromas and serving it with choice dishes: fresh or smoked fish, vegetables including asparagus, white meats and foie gras.

Learn more about Domaine Einhart

In the northern part of the Alsatian vineyard, Domaine Einhart is a ten-hectare family estate whose vines grow on the foothills of the Vosges Mountains. The soil is clay-limestone and rich in fossils (muschelkalk, or shell limestone and oolitic limestone, and lettenkohle or dolomitic limestone).

A family estate

Since 1990, Nicolas Einhart has been at the helm, now assisted by his son Théo. True to his commitments to the TIFLO association, of which he is co-founder, Nicolas devotes his winemaking work to protecting the land and biodiversity, making wine without inputs, refusing harmful phytosanitary products, and maintaining ecological refuge areas. His estate has been certified organic (Ecocert and AB) since 2011. The estate produces white wines from maceration or direct pressing and a Pinot Noir red.

The best of Alsatian terroirs

Entirely manual harvests, destemming of the bunches, light punching down, and delicate pressing are characteristic of the estate, as well as the separate vinification of each terroir, aging on lees, and the absence of filtration before bottling. The wines are pure grapes, lively, powerful, invigorating, and transcribe the minerality of these very beautiful terroirs in the Vosges foothills.

Pinot Noir Red 2021

Domaine Einhart
The deep, purplish color of this Pinot Noir from Domaine Einhart evokes black cherry: this is a velvety, ripe red, 100% Pinot Noir from the estate, with an intense, fragrant, and gently fruity aroma. The first nose is enhanced by aromas of black fruits (blackberry, blackcurrant, black cherry) with a hint of freshness blended into a light vanilla woodiness. The second nose is more open, with aromas of blood orange, bitter almond, and kirsch. On the palate, the small fruits are still present, supported by present but well-melted tannins, and lead to a velvety finish resting on a lovely freshness. Plenty of persistence and length. The Pinot Noirs from which it is made, aged around thirty years, grow on the muschelkalk (shell limestone) terroirs of Dittelsberg-Albermohn and are harvested by hand, then destemmed. Maceration, on indigenous yeasts, takes between ten and twelve days. Aging for one year on fine lees, in demi-muids, precedes bottling without filtration. From the vineyard to the cellar, this wine was made without any chemical additives or added sulfites. Decanting is recommended so that it fully expresses all its finesse and grace. The magnum format is only good for it, accentuating its velvety texture and depth.

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Located in the northern part of the Alsatian vineyard, horizontally above Strasbourg, the Einhart estate is a ten-hectare family property whose vines are located on the hillsides that rise between the Alsace plain and the Vosges mountains. The soil is clay-limestone and rich in fossils (muschelkalk, i.e. shell limestone and oolitic limestone, and lettenkohle or dolomitic limestone). Since 1990, Nicolas Einhart has been at the helm, now assisted by his son Théo. True to his commitments to the TIFLO association, of which he is a co-founder, Nicolas devotes his winemaking to protecting the land and biodiversity, making wine without inputs, refusing harmful phytosanitary products, and maintaining ecological refuge areas. His estate has been certified organic since 2011. Like Jean-Marc Dreyer [link], he is firmly focused on skin maceration and produces white maceration wines (orange wines) in addition to a Pinot Noir red. Entirely manual harvests, destemming of the grapes, light punching down, and delicate pressing are characteristic of the estate, as well as the separate vinification of each terroir, aging on lees, and the absence of filtration before bottling. The wines are pure grapes, lively, powerful, and tonic, and transcribe the minerality of the very beautiful terroirs of the Vosges foothills.

Hip Hip Poulsard red 2018

Domaine de l’Octavin
The Hip Hip cuvée is based on Poulsard, a red Jura grape variety that produces clear, light, savory wines full of red fruits. Crafted by Alice Bouvot, it is the result of a six-week carbonic fermentation using whole bunches of indigenous yeasts in fiberglass vats, without excessive extraction. The wine is neither filtered nor clarified, and no chemical additives are added in the vineyard or cellar. A charming wine for all occasions: it's so good that we hesitate to suggest pairings, it will go with everything.

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"You don't need anything," says Alice Bouvot, winemaker at Domaine de l'Octavin, "just a grape that feels good in its skin." Everything is said in favor of natural wine; it's a perfect description. Created in 2005, Domaine d'Alice is located in Arbois, in this wine-growing Jura region, often described as the most organic vineyard in France. The habit of making - among other things - oxidative wines is a good preparation for natural wine, this type of wine does not allow any chemical additives and especially no sulfites. It's a secret of this magnificent region. Originally spread over two hectares, the estate, managed entirely biodynamically (Demeter) since 2010, has expanded through the gradual acquisition of plots and now covers seven hectares.

An accomplished musician and passionate music lover, Alice intends to apply her musical sensitivity to the wines she makes. She draws a parallel between the technical perfection of conventional wines which risks excluding feeling, while "a musician who does not know music theory and plays with his guts creates emotion." For her, living wine is like this: instinctive, improvised, emotional. Introduced to natural wine by Stéphane Planche, sommelier at chef Jean-Paul Jeunet in Arbois, she will faithfully follow this path. The sometimes whimsical titles of her vintages are inspired sometimes by musical art (Dorabella, Zerline), sometimes by the numerous plots of land that make up her vineyard (En Curon, Les Corvées, En Poussot, etc.), and do not disdain a pun from time to time. Likewise, the labels adorned with happy and salacious little gnomes are a signature of the estate. As for the grape varieties, they are the classics of the Jura - Poulsard, Trousseau, Pinot Noir for the reds, and Chardonnay, Savagnin for the whites. Alongside her Arbois wines, Alice has created a business of "on the vine" grapes (Ecocert certified) with her winegrower friends from the region. Natural, committed, joyful and highly drinkable, the wines of Alice Bouvot are all the more coveted as the vintages, produced in plot-by-plot mode, appear, disappear and reappear depending on the vintage and inspiration.

Phaunus Louriero White 2017, Pedro Bravo

Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Organic Cognac VSOP Pass’Ange, Alain Chadutaud

Alain Chadutaud

Aged for five to seven years in Limousin oak barrels, this cognac is made exclusively from the Ugni Blanc grape variety. Its amber color and roundness on the palate reflect its long aging process. The fine and elegant nose offers subtle notes of vanilla; caramel and dried fruits delicately assert themselves on the palate. Serve it neat or as an aperitif, with ice cubes.

Magma Red 2016

Frank Cornelissen

Frank Cornelissen's grand cru is, as expected, a wine for aging. It reveals the remarkable depth of the Nerello Mascalese grape variety, grown on the Barbabecchi plot, planted with ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines, over a hundred years old, at an altitude of 910 meters on the slopes of Mount Etna. Skin maceration takes place for sixty days on destemmed and lightly crushed grapes. No fining, no sulfites, and light filtration before bottling. With a very dense texture, this red is more mineral than fruity (the fruit notes are candied: blackberry, prune, all roundness and melted tannins). Its depth and power are balanced by great freshness. Possibility of traces of volatile acidity, quickly vanished with decanting.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.
Pairs with an exceptional product, the black pork ham of Bigorre

Magnum Variette Red 2018

Domaine Fond Cyprès

A blend of Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault: a full-bodied red with aromas of garrigue, blackcurrant, and blackberry. Pairs well with red wine stews: beef stew, gardianne, beef bourguignon, coq au vin, as well as roast red meats. Ideal with poached pears.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.