Palli and Genesia White 2019

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.