Still Wines

Les Œillets Blanc 2020,

Jean-Yves Péron


Superbly structured, Les Œillets offers chewiness, texture, a tannic mouthfeel, and a more pronounced, controlled oxidative note. The tension is strong, balanced by a hint of apricot. Woody, with explosive minerality and beautiful tension, this is a very atypical maceration white with powerful aromatic notes. There are plenty of fruit and candied citrus notes. This is a 100% Jacquère white, whose vines grow on limestone soil. It's roughly the same terroir as for La Petite Robe, but Jean-Yves expects this vintage to reach a higher phenolic maturity in order to obtain a greater tannic concentration. The plots are therefore harvested later. The maceration is also more thorough: four or five days of carbonic maceration followed by ten days of punching down the cap. After racking and pressing, the wine is sent to 225-liter barrels where it will mature for at least a year.

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Jean-Yves Péron embodies the natural renaissance of the beautiful Savoyard vineyard, which has long suffered from a somewhat flimsy image, not taken seriously enough. Yet, what treasures are produced by its varied soils and its many ancient grape varieties! Near Conflans, in Albertville (Savoie), Jean-Yves Péron skillfully combines committed viticulture and merchant winemaking, both under the banner of nature and high-altitude organic vines. Initially destined for a career in biochemistry, he quickly became drawn to the vine and trained as an oenologist in Bordeaux. He learned his trade as a winemaker with Thierry Allemand in Cornas, then with Bruno Schueller in Alsace, before spending some time in New Zealand and the United States. Jean-Yves' current vineyard, one and a half hectares of biodynamic farming from the start, is divided between Conflans, near Albertville, and Fréterive, a little further downstream in the Isère valley. Composed of micro-plots of vines, it is staggered between 350 m and 550 m above sea level and is entirely worked by hand. His trading activity, which began in 2011, allows him to buy the harvest from organic winegrowers close to his home (such as Raphaël Marin and Adrien Dacquin). Also, the construction of a new winery in 2017 allows him to increase production and collaborate with winegrowers from Northern Italy: Paolo Angelino in Casale Monferrato (Turin), Giorgio Barbero in Asti. This is a new dimension given to his work as a winemaker, allowing him to diversify the terroirs and deepen his experiences in winemaking and aging.
Jean-Yves Péron's winemaking follows the principles of minimal intervention. On narrow and steep surfaces, his mountain vines receive no synthetic products, Jean-Yves preferring horsetail and nettle manure. The surrounding vegetation is very rich: it protects the vines and helps to strengthen them. The soils are grassed, mown and reworked with a pickaxe and winch. The harvest is entirely manual. Once vatted in whole bunches, the grapes, both red and white, undergo a semi-carbonic maceration which allows the extraction of fresh fruit aromas. This maceration time varies between five days and nine weeks depending on the vintage. The day before or two days before pressing, Jean-Yves performs foot-treading directly in the vat. After this fermentation, the musts are sent to barrels for aging on lees for twelve months in five hundred liter barrels of two or three wines (to limit the woody sensation), followed by blending and resting in vats. No sulfites are added, or as little as possible, and the wines are not fined or filtered.

VNR Vinel lo Rouge 2020,

Partida Creus
A supple and hyperfruity classic "à la Jura," an easy-drinking everyday wine with a beautifully fresh expression and notes of pomegranate. VN, Vinel·lo, is a particularly successful blend of native grape varieties: it consists of Samsó (Cinsault), Garrut (Mourvèdre), Trepat, Ull de Perdiu, Queixal de Llop, Sumoll, and Grenache Noir, harvested from predominantly limestone soils. Vinification is carried out individually according to the varieties. 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-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.

Nuits Saint Georges Aux Croix Rouges Blanc 2020,

Frédéric Cossard


A beautiful deep gold color, a magnificent nose, opulent, deep, and heady, with notes of white flowers. On the palate, it has plenty of presence and a lovely honeyed, brioche-like sensation. This superb Nuits-Saint-Georges blanc seduces with its rarity, but also with its freshness and balance. The Pinot Blancs from which it is made grow on limestone and marl soils.

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Through his entirely natural approach, Frédéric Cossard gives voice to the terroirs and Burgundy wines, undistorted by agricultural chemicals. Having observed, during his years of trading, the existence of harmful wine-growing practices, the winemaker used this counter-example to practice unadulterated viticulture. Thus, he produces vintages of purity and elegance without artifice which are among the most sought-after in Burgundy. Frédéric worked for a time as a wine broker before creating the Chassorney estate 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 merchant house and purchased 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 vintages. The practice is not limited to Burgundy since vintages are made from grapes purchased in the Jura or Languedoc. At his place, the work of the soil and the vines is done as naturally as possible: regular plowing by horse, no addition of chemical fertilizers or weedkillers. The vines are cared for according to the principles of biodynamics: homeopathic treatments based on essential oils, copper and sulfur in minimal doses. The harvest is entirely manual, carried out at full maturity, at the end of October. red or white, classic Burgundies or more atypical or less “regional” bottles, Frédéric’s vintages are rare and sought-after wines, which sometimes require waiting.

Bourgogne Blanc Bigotes Qvevris Blanc 2020,

Frédéric Cossard


The organoleptic and tactile qualities of Bigotes are enhanced by aging in qvevris, a Georgian-style buried terracotta jar, which gives it even more silkiness and velvety texture. The aromatic attack of this dry white wine is distinctly lemony and continues with yellow fruits. On the palate, it offers tension, fullness, indulgence, a touch of fat, and plenty of persistence. For a generic Burgundy, it soars at a good height. Produced on a small plot of Chardonnay in the Burgundy regional appellation, it is, in a way, the white counterpart of the Bedeau red.

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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 Chassorney estate 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 place, the work of the soil and the vines is done as naturally as possible: regular ploughing by horse, no addition of chemical fertilizers or weedkillers. The vines are cared for according to the principles of biodynamics: homeopathic treatments based on essential oils, copper and sulfur in minimal doses. The harvest is entirely manual, carried out at full maturity, at the end of October. Red or white, classic Burgundies or more atypical or less "regional" bottles, Frédéric's vintages are rare and coveted wines, which sometimes require waiting.

Magnum Saint Romain sous le Chateau Clos du Cerisier White 2020,

Domaine de Chassorney

Full of fresh fruit and fragrant white flowers (gardenia, jasmine, etc.), elegant and dense… Mineral, fresh, powerful, and long-aging, this wine has it all. This pure Chardonnay comes from a steep plot located between 280 and 400 meters above sea level. The soils are mainly marl, limestone, and clay. After direct pressing, it is aged for about a year in barrels. The magnum format allows the wine to jostle and mature beautifully.

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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 wine-growing 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.

Pauvre Diable Red 2020,

Domaine Serre Besson

Gourmet, deep, and velvety, this wine offers lovely, well-integrated tannins. The notes of black cherry and blackberry are assertive, while the mid-palate is characterized by touches of spice and rose. A beautiful natural red from the Vinsobres terroir, with a bright, clear ruby color. Don't be swayed by what you read on the label: Pauvre Diable, endowed with all the graces mentioned above, is nothing to be pitied. The name alludes to the state in which Victor Taylor, the current owner of the Serre Besson estate, found the estate when he bought it in 2011. A restoration of the vineyard followed, as well as a conversion to organic farming which is now bearing fruit: in this case this natural cuvée, without adding any inputs to the vineyard or the cellar, a pure expression of the estate's varied soils (sand, limestone, clay) and the oldest Grenache vines planted there. You can drink it now, in its youth and freshness, or let it age for three to five years.

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In 2011, Victor, a Californian sommelier who had settled in Nyons after leaving his position as restaurant director at the Carlyle Hotel in New York, became passionate about the Serre Besson estate, then a small, abandoned wine estate nestled around an old stone building. He bought the whole property, renovated it, and revitalized the vineyard. A few years later, the red wines from the Serre Besson estate, in the Vinsobres appellation, were making waves, were noticed in competitions, and won several medals. Victor, upon taking over the estate, began his conversion to organic farming, which now allows him to produce an entirely natural cuvée based on Grenache: this is the Pauvre Diable that we offer you. In addition, it produces a Vinsobres appellation of origin whose grape varieties bring together Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Grenache. As well as a rosé macerated with Grenache Noir, Syrah and Viognier. The owner's ambition is not to impose a new style but to respect the terroir and nature in an environment that offers all the possibilities to make exceptional wines.

Ma' Carotte Blanc 2018,

Frédéric Gounan
It will meet all occasions. Fruity, balanced, fresh, and mineral, Ma' Carotte is an orange wine—in other words, a macerated white—from Auvergne made from equal parts Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc, directly pressed. Enjoy it, Frédéric doesn't make it every year.

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Coming from a farming family established in the commune of Saint-Sandoux (Puy-de-Dôme) for at least two centuries, Frédéric Gounan was first a mechanic and prototype designer for the French motorcycle brand Voxan, headquartered in Issoire. He turned away from the industrial world to devote himself to wine with his partner Caroline. He intends to take advantage of the magnificent terroirs of his native village, far from "pissing the vines", as was done in the past: he notes that everything that comes from this land has exceptional taste qualities. He takes over plots of Gamay d'Auvergne, plants other grape varieties, and ends up producing vintages that are among the tastiest and most sought-after in Auvergne. On this land of the Chaîne des Puys, Pinot Noirs grow on black basalt soils, Sauvignons and Pinot Gris rest on white clay-limestone soils pebbled with basalt. A follower of organic and biodynamic agriculture, Frédéric also applies methods that he considers appropriate to the climate and the terroir: to facilitate photosynthesis in this harsh and contrasting climate, he practices lyre trellising which allows the vines' foliage to be aerated and exposed to the sun, guaranteeing ripe fruit at harvest. Still a mechanic at heart, he makes his tools and tinkers with his tractors according to his needs. His wines are rare and distinguished, highly sought after by connoisseurs: small estate (less than two hectares), small production (by volume, not by spirit).

Sylvaner Natural White 2020,

Les Spontanés de GILG

The color of this beautiful dry natural Sylvaner is pale yellow with golden highlights. The nose is powerful and complex, laden with aromas of ripe stone fruit. On the palate, it is round, spherical, polished, generous, and slightly rich, with notes of grapefruit and peach. The finish is long and full of flavor. Within the diverse range of wines produced by the Gilg family, the Les Spontanés series is dedicated to natural wines, with no additives or sulfites added in the vineyard or cellar. This pure Sylvaner comes from young vines, aged eight years; It is ready to drink now and is ideally served between 8 and 10 °C.

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Belonging to a family established since 1601 in the Alsatian wine-growing village of Mittelbergheim, the Armand Gilg estate bears the name of its founder, who resolutely oriented the family business towards viticulture in 1937. Since then, the Gilgs have remained in charge, having expanded the vineyard from an initial one hectare to twenty-nine hectares, purchased centuries-old cellars for bottles and tuns, and built buildings for pressing and other winemaking activities. The estate, classified as HVE (High Environmental Value) for several years, acquired organic farming certification in 2021. Its plots, scattered around the village, are grouped into around a hundred groups, including five hectares on the famous Grand Cru of Zotzenberg, one of the most renowned lieux-dits in Alsace, and one hectare planted solely with Riesling on the Grand Cru Moenchberg. Production embraces all seven traditional Alsatian grape varieties (Pinot Noir, Sylvaner, Auxerrois, Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer), also including Chardonnay for the Crémants and the Klevener de Heiligenstein (Savagnin Rose). While all the vintages of the Gilg estate are organic, two natural vintages are produced, one based on Pinot Noir, the other on Sylvaner, within the Les Spontanés series dedicated to wines without additives.

Juliette Blanc 2015,

Jean-Pierre Robinot
One hundred percent Chenin, Juliette (named after Juliette Robinot, the winemaker's daughter) is dry and beautifully fresh. It is a remarkable expression of the grape variety, produced from vines that are over a hundred years old. The harvest is late, marked by botrytis (noble rot). After direct pressing into barrels, the wine ferments and ages for over six years in the same container. A rare wine to cherish.

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Anyone interested in natural wine in France has inevitably come across Jean-Pierre Robinot at some point and has never forgotten this smiling, bouncy figure. It is clear that while it has not yet been proven that all wines resemble their winemaker (a study to be undertaken), the vintages produced by Jean-Pierre, warm, friendly, and luminous, are in the image of their creator. After running the wine bar L’Ange Vin on rue Richard-Lenoir in the 11th arrondissement of Paris for nearly fifteen years, Jean-Pierre returned to his native Chahaignes, a small village in the south of Sarthe, on the borders of Anjou and Touraine. His dream is to acquire his own vineyard and make sulfur-free wines. He reclaims uncultivated hillside land on great terroirs, as well as troglodyte cellars dug into the tuffeau. 2002 will be his first vintage. At the same time, under the brand L’Opéra du vin, he vinifies grapes purchased from local winegrowers. Jean-Pierre Robinot practices demanding organic viticulture, without chemical weed control. The soil is worked and amended using natural composts. All harvests, carried out at maturity on healthy grapes, are done by hand. The location and climate favor noble rot.

Juliette Blanc 2018,

Jean-Pierre Robinot
One hundred percent Chenin, Juliette (named after Juliette Robinot, the winemaker's daughter) is dry and beautifully fresh. It is a remarkable expression of the grape variety, produced from vines that are over a hundred years old. The harvest is late, marked by botrytis (noble rot). After direct pressing into barrels, the wine ferments and ages for over six years in the same container. A rare wine to cherish.

To find out more
Anyone interested in natural wine in France has inevitably come across Jean-Pierre Robinot at some point and has never forgotten this smiling, bouncy figure. It is clear that while it has not yet been proven that all wines resemble their winemaker (a study to be undertaken), the vintages produced by Jean-Pierre, warm, friendly, and luminous, are in the image of their creator. After running the wine bar L’Ange Vin on rue Richard-Lenoir in the 11th arrondissement of Paris for nearly fifteen years, Jean-Pierre returned to his native Chahaignes, a small village in the south of Sarthe, on the borders of Anjou and Touraine. His dream is to acquire his own vineyard and make sulfur-free wines. He reclaims uncultivated hillside land on great terroirs, as well as troglodyte cellars dug into the tuffeau. 2002 will be his first vintage. At the same time, under the brand L’Opéra du vin, he vinifies grapes purchased from local winegrowers. Jean-Pierre Robinot practices demanding organic viticulture, without chemical weed control. The soil is worked and amended using natural composts. All harvests, carried out at maturity on healthy grapes, are done by hand. The location and climate favor noble rot.

Pinot Noir Rouge 2020,

Frédéric Cossard
Crisp, dense, lively, fresh, and fruity, this wine has benefited from all the expertise of the Burgundian master. Simply named, it's Frédéric Cossard's entry-level wine, but what an entry-level wine!

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Through his entirely natural work, Frédéric Cossard gives voice to the terroirs and wines of Burgundy, undistorted by agricultural chemicals. Having observed, during his years as a wine merchant, the existence of harmful winegrowing practices, the winemaker used this counterexample 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 for some time as a wine broker before creating the Chassorney estate 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 exercise is not limited to Burgundy, as vintages are made from grapes purchased in the Jura, Languedoc, or elsewhere. At his place, the work of the soil and the vines is done as naturally as possible: regular ploughing by horse, no addition of chemical fertilizers or weedkillers. The vines are cared for according to the principles of biodynamics: homeopathic treatments based on essential oils, copper, and sulfur in minimal doses. The harvest is entirely manual, carried out at full maturity, at the end of October. Red or white, classic Burgundies or more atypical or less "regional" bottles, Frédéric's vintages are rare and sought-after wines, which sometimes require waiting.

Cuvée Expériment Rosé 2020,

Belly Wine Experiment
A rosé with a lot to tell, somehow bridging the gap between Catalonia and Auvergne. Fruit, freshness, liveliness, vivacity, and a beautiful light ruby ​​color. Officially classified as a red wine because it contains white wine, this rosé Experiment cuvée is made from equal parts Gamay from Auvergne and Xarello from Catalonia. The Gamay undergoes semicarbonic maceration in whole bunches for fifteen days, then it is blended with crushed Xarello, along with its stems, and macerated for five days. Classified as Vin de France and with an alcohol content of 12.7%, the wine is produced without any chemical additives, either in the vineyard or in the cellar. It is aged in fiberglass vats.

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Founded and run by Claire Sage and Aimé Duveau, located in Chanteuges (Haute-Loire), Belly Wine Experiment is as much an experiment as it is a winemaking business. The creative duo has a lot to offer: Claire is the sister of Adrien Sage, a fan of underwater wine aging but above all an importer of Catalan wines. Hence the presence of Catalan grape varieties in Belly Wine Experiment's blends, alongside Burgundy, Auvergne, and Jura grape varieties, often found in the same bottle. Aimé is the son of Manu Duveau, a poet-winemaker from Auvergne, a former stonemason, and a great winemaker of local Gamays at his Domaine de l'Égrappille. The unique feature of Belly Wine Experiment is the exoticism (in the literal sense) of the blends, with Xarel lo from Catalonia, for example, blending naturally with Gamay from Puy-de-Dôme. The wines are made using semi-carbonic maceration, without the addition of chemical additives or excessive manipulation in the cellar. The winery is also known for its high-quality, vinous perries.

Au Bon Secours Rouge 2020,

Babass
Sébastien Dervieux, Babass to his friends, is a warm-hearted character who practices the art of additive-free winemaking in the sweetness of Anjou. His vineyard is in Rochefort-sur-Loire, his cellar in Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay, and his headquarters in Beaulieu-sur-Layon. Through him, the work of the Hacquet family, pioneers of natural wine after the Second World War, is perpetuated, some of whose plots he has taken over. This legacy is expressed, among other things, in the Joseph-Anne-Françoise cuvée, whose appellation brings together the siblings' first names. The terroir is located on the last foothills of the Armorican Massif before the Paris Basin. It is a region of small hillsides; The Loire, very close, exerts a strong influence, as does the ocean, which is about a hundred kilometers away. The vines are neither too hot nor too cold. The particularity of this region is the schist, either degraded (giving clay) or not degraded in places. This terroir produces mineral wines, the climate of the wines rather "on the fruit" and moderately full-bodied. The plots are in a single block, planted with traditional Angevin grape varieties: 1.4 ha of Grolleau, 0.9 ha of Cabernet Franc, 1.2 ha of Chenin and 0.7 ha of Gamay. All the vines are cultivated in certified organic. The harvest is manual. In the winery, fermentation is natural and the wines are without sulfur or other additives ("apart from sometimes a few drops of sweat"). The red wines, including some single-varietal vintages, are macerated in whole bunches. The whites are pressed slowly in a vertical press. All the wines are aged in fiber vats and are neither filtered nor fined, simply racked if necessary and without abuse.
"My wine is the wine of a little guy in his little corner with his little grape varieties," says Sébastien modestly, who also declares that he makes grape wines, forged by the climate of the vintage, the terroir, the grape variety and his decisions (good or bad). His approach is not to distort this balance with magic powders that lead to standardization. His Cabernet Franc reds are round, peppery and fleshy; his Grolleau reds, pure fruit, are fresh and easy to drink.
This recent cuvée from Babass, without additives or filtration, is based on Gamays planted on schist terroirs in 1959 and 1960. After manual harvesting, the grapes macerate in whole bunches for about ten to fifteen days depending on the vintage. The devatting is manual, followed by slow pressing in a vertical press. The free-run and pressed juices are blended immediately, after which the wine is aged for five to eight months on fine lees. The wine is wonderfully gurgling, fluid and drinkable, fruity and crisp, with fresh acidity and a lovely aromatic palette of red fruits, earth and spices. A very fine Gamay.

Groll N'Roll Rouge 2020,

Babass
"My wine is the wine of a little guy in his little corner with his little grape varieties." Behind this good-natured modesty hides Sébastien Dervieux, Babass to his friends, a warm-hearted character who practices the art of additive-free winemaking in the sweetness of Anjou. His vineyard is in Rochefort-sur-Loire, his cellar in Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay, and his headquarters in Beaulieu-sur-Layon. Through him, the work of the Hacquet family, pioneers of natural wine after the Second World War, is perpetuated, some of whose plots he has taken over. This memory is expressed, among other things, in the Joseph-Anne-Françoise cuvée, whose appellation brings together the first names of the siblings. The terroir is located on the last foothills of the Armorican Massif before the Paris Basin. It is a region of small hillsides; the Loire, very close, exerts a strong influence, as does the ocean, which is about a hundred kilometers away. The vines are neither too hot nor too cold. The particularity of this region is the schist, either degraded (giving clay) or not degraded in places. This terroir produces mineral wines, the climate of the wines rather "on the fruit" and moderately full-bodied. The plots are in a single block, planted with traditional Angevin grape varieties: 1.4 ha of Grolleau, 0.9 ha of Cabernet Franc, 1.2 ha of Chenin and 0.7 ha of Gamay. All the vines are cultivated in certified organic. The harvest is manual. In the winery, fermentation is natural and the wines are without sulfur or other additives ("apart from sometimes a few drops of sweat"). The red wines, including some single-varietal wines, are macerated in whole bunches. The whites are pressed slowly in a vertical press. All the wines are aged in fiber vats and are neither filtered nor fined, simply racked if necessary and without abuse.
Sébastien says he makes grape wines, forged by the climate of the vintage, the terroir, the grape variety and his decisions (good or bad). His approach is not to distort this balance with magic powders that lead to standardization. His Cabernet Franc reds are round, peppery and fleshy; his Grolleau reds, pure fruit, are fresh and easy to drink.
A 100% Grolleau single-varietal red, without additives or filtration, from vines planted towards the end of the 1950s on schist terroir and vinified in whole bunches for ten days to two weeks depending on the vintage. After manual racking, pressing is done slowly in a vertical press. The free-run and pressed juices are blended immediately, and aging is short: five or six months on fine lees. Ideally served at 15°C, this is a wine that is not cold to the eyes or elsewhere, with a light color and a great freshness on the palate that gives the sensation of biting into a juicy and slightly peppery grape. A big favorite.

Champ Levat Rouge 2019,

Jean-Yves Peron
In Savoie, not far from Lake Annecy, Jean-Yves Péron skillfully combines committed viticulture and merchant winemaking, both with a focus on nature. His Mondeuse reds are magnificent, as are his whites made from old local grape varieties—Jacquère, Altesse, Bergeron, and Persan. He lives in Chevaline, but his current vineyard, three hectares of which have been biodynamic since the beginning, is divided between Conflans, near Albertville, and Fréterive, a little further downstream in the Isère Valley.
Initially destined for a career in biochemistry, Jean-Yves quickly fell in love with the vine and trained as an oenologist in Bordeaux. He learned his trade as a winemaker with Thierry Allemand in Cornas, then with Bruno Schueller in Alsace, before spending some time in New Zealand and the United States. His trading business, which he began in 2011, allows him to buy the harvest from organic winemakers close to home, but also in Northern Italy: for him, it is a new dimension given to his work as a winemaker, allowing him to multiply the terroirs and to deepen his experiences in winemaking and aging. Jean-Yves Péron's winemaking follows the principles of minimal intervention. On narrow and steep surfaces, his mountain vines receive no synthetic products, Jean-Yves preferring horsetail and nettle manure. The surrounding vegetation is very rich: it protects the vines and helps to strengthen them. The soils are grassed, mown and reworked with a pickaxe and winch. The harvest is entirely manual. Once vatted in whole bunches, the grapes, both red and white, undergo a semi-carbonic maceration that allows fresh fruit aromas to be extracted. This maceration time varies between five days and nine weeks depending on the vintage. The day before or two days before pressing, Jean-Yves performs foot-treading directly in the vat. After this fermentation, the musts are sent to barrels for aging on lees for twelve months in five hundred liter barrels of two or three wines (to limit the oaky sensation), followed by blending and resting in vats. No sulfites are added, or as little as possible, and the wines are neither fined nor filtered. Savoyard wine has long suffered from a somewhat flimsy image, not taken seriously enough. Yet, what treasures its soils with their varied pedology and its many ancient grape varieties produce! Jean-Yves Péron embodies the rebirth of this beautiful vineyard.
This 100% Mondeuse is the result of a blend of two plots: Le Pas de l’Ours and Côte Pelée. Tender and balanced with a peppery note, it is the result of two weeks of carbonic maceration before a year of barrel aging. It pairs very well with cured meats and mountain cuisine.

i Vicini Barbera Reserve Rouge 2017,

Jean-Yves Peron
Jean-Yves Péron began his career studying biochemistry, but he quickly became drawn to the vine and trained as an oenologist in Bordeaux. Near Lake Annecy, Jean-Yves Péron skillfully combines committed viticulture and merchant winemaking, both with a focus on nature. His Mondeuse reds are magnificent, as are his whites made from ancient local grape varieties—Jacquère, Altesse, Bergeron, and Persan—no less so. He lives in Chevaline, but his current vineyard, three hectares of which have been biodynamic since the beginning, is divided between Conflans, near Albertville, and Fréterive, a little further downstream in the Isère valley.
Jean-Yves learned his trade as a winemaker with Thierry Allemand in Cornas, then with Bruno Schueller in Alsace, before spending some time in New Zealand and the United States. His trading business, which he began in 2011, allows him to buy the harvest from organic winemakers close to home, but also in Northern Italy: for him, it is a new dimension to his work as a winemaker, allowing him to multiply the terroirs and deepen his experiences in winemaking and aging.
Jean-Yves Péron's winemaking follows the principles of minimal intervention. On narrow and steep surfaces, his mountain vines receive no synthetic products, Jean-Yves preferring horsetail and nettle manure. The surrounding vegetation is very rich: it protects the vines and helps to strengthen them. The soils are grassed, mown and reworked with a pickaxe and winch. The harvest is entirely manual. Once vatted in whole bunches, the grapes, both red and white, undergo a semi-carbonic maceration which allows the extraction of fresh fruit aromas. This maceration time varies between five days and nine weeks depending on the vintage. The day before or two days before pressing, Jean-Yves performs foot-treading directly in the vat. After this fermentation, the musts are sent to barrels for aging on lees for twelve months in five hundred liter barrels of two or three wines (to limit the woody sensation), followed by blending and resting in vats. No sulfites are added, or as little as possible, and the wines are not fined or filtered. Savoyard wine has long suffered from a somewhat flimsy image, not taken seriously enough. Yet, what treasures its varied soils and numerous ancient grape varieties produce! Jean-Yves Péron embodies the rebirth of this beautiful vineyard. In 2017, Jean-Yves Péron decided to expand his range by harvesting organic grapes in the heart of the Italian Piedmont. This resulted in several vintages, including this 100% Barbera red. The second most widely used red grape variety in Italy after Sangiovese, Barbera produces full-bodied, colorful wines with notes of red fruits. The "reserve" qualification indicates that this Barbera has been macerated for longer than Jean-Yves' classic Barbera: fermentation with long and patient punching down is followed by three years of aging. It is therefore more structured, more powerful, deeper, offering evolving notes (chocolate, cocoa, etc.), more in the style of Pas de l'Ours. It therefore presents a fairly classic style for a Barbera. A wine that is both serious and joyful.

La Tour Sarazine Blanc 2019,

Jean-Yves Peron
Savoyard wine has long suffered from a somewhat flimsy image, not taken seriously enough. Yet, what treasures its varied soils and numerous ancient grape varieties produce! Jean-Yves Péron embodies the renaissance of this beautiful vineyard. In Chevaline, in Savoie, near Lake Annecy, he skillfully combines committed viticulture and merchant winemaking, both with a focus on nature. His Mondeuse reds are magnificent, as are his whites made from ancient local grape varieties—Jacquère, Altesse, Bergeron, and Persan—no less so.
Initially destined for a career in biochemistry, he quickly became drawn to the vine and trained as an oenologist in Bordeaux. His current vineyard, three hectares of which have been biodynamic since the beginning, is divided between Conflans, near Albertville, and Fréterive, a little further down in the Isère Valley. He learned his trade as a winemaker with Thierry Allemand in Cornas, then with Bruno Schueller in Alsace, before spending some time in New Zealand and the United States. His trading business, which he began in 2011, allows him to buy the harvest from organic winemakers near his home, but also in Northern Italy: for him, it is a new dimension to his work as a winemaker, allowing him to multiply the terroirs and deepen his experiences in winemaking and aging.
On narrow and steep surfaces, his mountain vines receive no synthetic products, Jean-Yves preferring horsetail and nettle manure. The surrounding vegetation is very rich: it protects the vines and helps to strengthen them. The soils are grassed, mown, and reworked with a pickaxe and winch. The harvest is entirely manual. Jean-Yves Péron's winemaking adheres to the principles of minimal intervention. On narrow, steep surfaces, his mountain vines are not treated with any synthetic products; Jean-Yves prefers horsetail and nettle manure. The surrounding vegetation is very rich: it protects the vines and helps strengthen them. The soils are grassed, mown, and reworked with a pickaxe and winch. The harvest is entirely manual. Once vatted in whole bunches, the grapes, both red and white, undergo a semi-carbonic maceration process that extracts fresh fruit aromas. This maceration time varies between five days and nine weeks, depending on the vintage. The day before or two days before pressing, Jean-Yves performs foot-treading directly in the vat. After this fermentation, the musts are transferred to barrels for aging on lees for twelve months in five hundred liter barrels of two or three wines (to limit the oaky sensation), followed by blending and resting in the vat. No sulfites are added, or as little as possible, and the wines are not fined or filtered.
This Tour Sarazine is a wine from a schistose micro-plot planted with Muscat à petits grains. Jean-Yves sometimes blends it with Jacquère when the vintage is low-yielding. In 2017, for example, the Muscat produced one bunch every three vines... Maceration varies depending on the vintage: between three weeks and two months. Aging is one year in barrels. The wine has an obviously very Muscat profile – musky, floral, aromatic, exotic – reinforced by the mineral clarity of the schist. For the pairings, it’s a call to the imagination, between cheeses and cuisines from elsewhere.

Cotillon des Dames Amphore Blanc 2018,

Jean-Yves Peron
Initially destined for a career in biochemistry, Jean-Yves Péron quickly fell in love with the vine and trained as an oenologist in Bordeaux. He lives in Chevaline, in Savoie, near Lake Annecy, skillfully combining committed viticulture and merchant winemaking, both with a focus on nature. His Mondeuse reds are magnificent, as are his whites made from ancient local grape varieties—Jacquère, Altesse, Bergeron, and Persan—no less so.
His current vineyard, three hectares biodynamic since its inception, is divided between Conflans, near Albertville, and Fréterive, a little further downstream in the Isère Valley. He learned his trade as a winemaker with Thierry Allemand in Cornas, then with Bruno Schueller in Alsace, before spending some time in New Zealand and the United States. His trading business, which he began in 2011, allows him to buy the harvest from organic winemakers close to home, but also in Northern Italy: for him, it is a new dimension given to his work as a winemaker, allowing him to multiply the terroirs and to deepen his experiences in winemaking and aging.
On narrow and steep surfaces, his mountain vines receive no synthetic products, Jean-Yves preferring horsetail and nettle manure. The surrounding vegetation is very rich: it protects the vines and helps to strengthen them. The soils are grassed, mown and reworked with a pickaxe and winch. The harvest is entirely manual. Jean-Yves Péron's winemaking adheres to the principles of minimal intervention. On narrow, steep slopes, his mountain vines are not treated with any synthetic products, Jean-Yves preferring horsetail and nettle manure. The surrounding vegetation is extremely rich: it protects the vines and helps strengthen them. The soils are grassed, mown, and reworked with a pickaxe and winch. The harvest is entirely manual. Once vatted in whole bunches, the grapes, both red and white, undergo a semi-carbonic maceration process that extracts fresh fruit aromas. This maceration time varies between five days and nine weeks depending on the vintage. The day before or two days before pressing, Jean-Yves performs foot-treading directly in the vat. After this fermentation, the musts are sent to barrels for aging on lees for twelve months in five hundred liter barrels of two or three wines (to limit the woody sensation), followed by blending and resting in vats. No sulfites are added, or as little as possible, and the wines are not fined or filtered. Savoyard wine has long suffered from a somewhat flimsy image, not taken seriously enough. Yet, what treasures its soils with varied pedology and its many ancient grape varieties produce! Jean-Yves Péron embodies the renaissance of this beautiful vineyard. This cuvée is built around Jacquère grown on limestone soils, with the addition of Altesse from schistose terrain. The winemaker sometimes adds Roussanne and Mondeuse through direct pressing. The idea is to be able to precisely control the evolution of the juice and balance the wine according to the behavior of each grape variety. The grapes are vinified separately and aged in terracotta before bottling. This is a complex, elegant, velvety, and fruity white wine—a terracotta-aged variation of one of the winemaker's flagship vintages.