Still Wines

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.

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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.

L'Arroseur Rosé 2021,

De Vini


L’Arroseur is an atypical rosé with a high drinkability, the kind of wine its creator, Christophe Bosque, calls a "4 X 4," that is, an all-terrain vehicle, equally at home as an aperitif, with a meal, or in any other circumstance. "It's a good conversation wine; it goes with everything," he says. Christophe had once said to himself, "I'll never make a rosé," because he had drunk few that he really liked. For him, a rosé is very hard to make, often with disappointing results. Yet, he made one, and it doesn't disappoint anyone! “You expect a rosé on the palate, but what you get is something completely different, drier and more varietal: it’s one of those wines that, for me, are neither a rosé, nor a white, nor a red. I call them blouge or rouange.” Whichever category you choose, this cuvée is interesting in its own right. It’s a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Gamay, Colombard, and Grolleau, with a complement of Melon de Bourgogne. “The big surprise,” says Christophe, “was the Colombard, a very acidic grape variety with varietals, which was once used to give aroma to Muscadet (Melon de Bourgogne is as neutral as you can get, and that’s precisely what makes it so magical). We blended grape varieties from three different estates, and since it lacked a bit of volume, we added Melon de Bourgogne.” This varietal Colombard paired well with the Cabernet Franc and Merlot. I have no hesitation in saying that this wine is a UFO." All the grape varieties that make up L'Arroseur are pressed directly. The must is fermented in buried vats in the Nantes style, lined with sandstone tiles, and its aging also takes place in vats, on lees. Bottling was done in spring 2022.

To find out more
The De Vini, Vinilibre estate is the multi-faceted business of Christophe Bosque, originally from Saint-Nazaire. He has always been passionate about wine, and after spending years as a merchant, importer, and then wine merchant, this former cameraman trained in oenology and viticulture acquired a few plots (two hectares) of Melon de Bourgogne vines in Gorges, in Loire-Atlantique, near Clisson, in 2017. The soils there consist of gabbro on a granite substrate, a pedological configuration specific to the Nantes region and particularly to Clisson. Christophe's vintages may come from grapes purchased from the best French terroirs, notably in Languedoc, but the winemaker retains a particular 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. We are particularly interested in his local creations, produced from his vineyard of some two hectares and fermented in underground vats in the Nantes style - a true reinvention of Muscadet (outside the appellation) in natural mode.

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.

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

Morgon Côte du Py Red 2020,

Les En Hauts

Plum, cherry, flesh, structure: this is a Gamay that's full of Morgon, and for good reason. Juice, sap, gurgling, and pleasure: the famous Côte du Py has struck again, with all its spices, fruit, and overflowing minerality. This is the result of the combined work of winemakers Damien Coquelet and Frédéric Cossard. This wine is the result of semi-carbonic maceration of whole bunches, and is aged for ten months in concrete eggs.

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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 produce colorful and flavorful vintages together.
Frédéric Cossard is a biodynamic and natural star of Burgundy winemaking, who gives voice to the terroirs and Burgundy 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 vintages are made from grapes purchased in other regions. His vines are tended 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 winemakers 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, who continued 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 qui morgonnant and Chiroubles qui chiroublent, he embodies the true nature of Beaujolais.

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.

Palli et Genesia White 2019,

Sous le Végétal

Fine, delicate, fresh, and deliciously muscatel-like, Palli & Genesià expresses the minerality of the granite soil (pink granite) from which it comes. It is one of five white wines in the Sous le Végétal series, and like three others, it is made from small-grain muscat native to the island of Samos (an archipelago in the eastern Aegean). Palli & Genesià Genesià comes from vines planted near the village of Platanos, pruned into goblet-shaped rows on an old vineyard, abandoned and brought back to life—hence the name of the cuvée, derived from palingenesià, “rebirth” in Greek. The vines are cultivated organically in conversion to permaculture, without any additives in the vineyard or cellar, and the harvest is manual. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats and terracotta amphorae. The wine is bottled by gravity and sealed with a black beeswax cork. The black glass bottle guarantees aging. This wine will pair perfectly with seafood and Eastern Mediterranean meze.

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Beneath the plant lies the mineral: this is the meaning of this concept of natural cuvées created in Greece, on the island of Samos, by a team of friends gathered around winemakers Jason Ligas and Patrick Bouju. The successful venture marks a renaissance for the ancient vineyards of this island in the North Aegean Sea, which owes its dense, wooded 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, including basalt, limestone, quartz, pink granite, schist, iron cast iron, etc. 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. Four types of containers are used for vinification: amphorae, concrete eggs, stainless steel vats, and 500-liter barrels. Each plot is vinified in at least two of the four containers, and the wine is aged in black bottles sealed with wax. No added sulfur, no filtration: the winemakers of Samos rediscover 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 cuvées by Patrick Bouju.

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.

Riesling Blanc 2021

Domaine Einhart
The color of this Riesling from Domaine Einhart is a beautiful orange-yellow. The initial nose is delicate, slightly musky, with notes of grapefruit and dandelion flower. The second nose is fresher and more mineral, with aromas of thyme, aromatic herbs, and flint. The palate begins with vivacity and beautiful verticality; the minerality is typical of limestone. Dried herbs return before a lingering finish with remarkable salinity. Riesling, the lord of Eastern grape varieties, finds here an expression worthy of its nobility. Light skin maceration is successful for this grape variety, and this one is no exception. The twenty-five-year-old vines grow on the muschelkalk (oolitic limestone) soils of the Kreutzweg area. The grapes are harvested by hand and then directly pressed. Maceration, using indigenous yeasts, takes between four and eight days. Aging on fine lees is ten months in century-old beer barrels (an Alsatian specialty) and precedes bottling without filtration. From the vineyard to the cellar, this wine was made without any additives or sulfites. Decanting is recommended so that it can spread its wings and express its mineral notes.

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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. Faithful to his commitments to the TIFLO association, of which he is a co-founder, Nicolas devotes his winemaking work to the protection of the land and biodiversity, winemaking without inputs, the refusal of harmful phytosanitary products and the maintenance of ecological refuge zones. 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 grape, lively, powerful, invigorating, and transcribe the minerality of the very beautiful terroirs of the Vosges foothills.

Toile de Fond - Cuvée Exclusive Rouge 2021,

Fond Cyprès
Velvet, full-bodied, full-bodied, and a beautiful aromatic palette: this red has it all and will pair well with anything (moments, occasions, dishes, etc.). Toile de Fond is an exclusive cuvée from Fond Cyprès for Culinaries. It consists of eighty percent free-run juice from Carignan de la Source and twenty percent pressed juice from the Corbières blend, renamed this year Le Cordières des Andes (one-third Carignan de la Source, one-third Syrah de la Pinède, and one-third Grenache du Bois Saint-Jaume). The grapes are vinified separately before being blended in concrete vats for aging. This newcomer, which is very dear to us, is a red wine for all occasions, in the straightforward and sunny style – without excess heat – which characterizes this estate.

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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 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 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.

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.

Sans ordonnance White 2021,

Les Vignes du Domaine du Temps

The nose of Sans ordonnance is fine, complex, exotic without being excessive: the musky notes of the Muscat à Petit Grain are initially very discreet and then develop in the glass. The aroma unfolds on the palate with very controlled notes of ripeness, wisteria, honey candy, and yellow peach on a lovely acidic base. The freshness is wonderful, tempered by a touch of richness. A rich and expressive wine, excellent with fish and seafood. Sans ordonnance is composed of 60% Muscat à petits grains and 40% Viognier, grown on the clay-limestone soils of the Carcassonne region, near the Montagne Noire. The harvest ferments naturally in stainless steel vats before aging for nine months in oak barrels. Sans ordonnance is neither fined nor filtered.

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Domaine du Temps is located in Cabardès, a small region of Languedoc that was once a subdivision of Cathar Country. Stretching from the southern slope of the Montagne Noire to the city of Carcassonne, it is bordered to the west by the Lauragais and to the east by the Minervois. Hilly, wild, rich in Mediterranean flora, it is a preserved ecosystem, especially since the Domaine du Temps, in the place called Font Juvénal, is a magical place: around a former 18th-century priory, sixty hectares of forests and scrubland protect thirteen hectares of vineyards on stony clay-limestone soils. The balance between dryness and coolness is a boon for viticulture, with a wide range of grape varieties. In addition to the Languedoc grape varieties (Syrah, Grenache, Roussanne, Viognier, Muscat), Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Sémillon and Chenin are grown. The estate has been Ecocert certified since 1998, is entirely managed biodynamically, and has dedicated itself to natural wine since 2015. The work in the vineyard and cellar is methodical, rigorous, and attentive: only the best grapes are kept, resulting in small yields, and destemming is determined based on the ripeness of the bunch. The reds are vinified using carbonic maceration of individual grape varieties, with the blending taking place before the year's aging. The whites are slowly and gently pressed to extract only the best from the grapes. These precautions result in smooth, controlled wines with great integrity and very supple tannins. They are fresh, delicious, and expressive.

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.

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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.

Aphrodite Blanc 2019

La Grapperie
Candied apples, spices, freshness, tension, and balance: plenty of structure and minerality. A little residual sugar adds richness and fullness without the slightest trace of heaviness. The signature of the old vines (over a hundred years old) is evident. Pure Chenin Blanc, Aphrodite is a charming wine made from vines planted in 1935 on flint-clay soils. The grapes are pressed directly at low pressure and then transferred by gravity before undergoing barrel fermentation with indigenous yeasts followed by aging for twenty-four months in tuffeau cellars. On the nose, notes of undergrowth are found on the palate with slightly caramelized and brioche aromas, balanced by some herbaceous notes at the end. A very, very great wine.

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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. His principle, he confides, is "to produce complex, rich wines with good aging potential and imbued with the minerality of their terroir." The vines are located on hillsides, between 60 and 120 meters above sea level, protected from the north winds by the Bercé forest. Depending on the altitude, the terroirs are dominated by clay (at the bottom of the slope), flint (mid-slope), or sand (on the higher ground). The 60-hectare vineyard comprises around fifteen plots. The grape varieties are the two traditionally authorized varieties in the appellation: Chenin for the whites and Pineau d'Aunis for 90% of the reds, the remainder consisting of a few ares of Côt, Gamay, and Grolleau. The average age of the vines is seventy years, including almost two hectares of century-old vines and one and a half hectares of vines aged sixty to eighty years. Convinced of the enormous potential that these old vines can bring to his vintages, Renaud is meticulous in restoring the vineyard. The entire estate is cultivated organically. The soils are worked and all viticultural interventions are manual, including the harvests, carried out at full maturity, which is reflected in the fullness and smoothness of the wines. For the reds, the Pineaux d'Aunis are 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 and then poured into barrels by gravity. Fermentation takes place in barrels, on indigenous yeasts, with complete malolactic fermentation, for at least eighteen months and sometimes up to thirty-six months.

The Cuvée des Artistes by Sous le Végétal, published by Cousin Hub

Es d'aqui Casse Tête Red 2020

Jean Louis Pinto

Seductive, deep, dense, with a strong personality, Casse-Tête is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Mourvèdre. The Cabernet comes from an alluvial terrace with large pebbles in the Tarn region, and the Mourvèdre from clay-limestone soil. The harvest macerates for twenty days in whole bunches and the aging is done on lees in sandstone jars.

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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 attacks of mildew 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). 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 are 14 degrees. " 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 place, 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.
"

BB "Hondos" Red 2019,

Partida Creus
Antonella Gerosa and Massimo Marchiori, 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. 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 100% Bobal is a racy and finely wild red from the Hondos plot, built on a grape variety common in Spain but whose expression is very original here. 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.

Eveil Blanc 2023

Domaine Einhart

A dry and vibrant white, combining freshness and conviviality

The Domaine Einhart, a rising star in natural wine in Alsace, offers us here an exclusive cuvée full of character: Éveil 2023. This dry and balanced white, labeled organic, is a tribute to the limestone terroirs and emblematic Alsatian grape varieties. Composed of 35% Riesling, 35% Auxerrois, and 30% Gewurztraminer, this wine expresses all the richness of its loamy, clayey, and limestone soil, grown on plots located on cool, windswept hillsides.

A Tasting Experience in Elegance

With a luminous pale gold color, Éveil 2023 opens with a delicate nose blending subtle aromas of bergamot and white flowers. On the palate, the freshness is pronounced, with a lovely mineral tension and a slight salinity. Its ample texture and slightly spicy aromatic profile make this a white wine that is both lively and generous, supported by beautiful acidity and a lingering finish.

Authentic winemaking

The grapes, hand-harvested in 20kg crates, undergo meticulous treatment in the cellar. After a short 24-hour maceration to initiate fermentation, they are pressed directly. Fermentation is carried out by indigenous yeasts, guaranteeing a pure expression of the fruit and terroir. It is then aged for 8 months in Pinot Noir barrels, on fine lees, to give the wine its balance and depth.