Wine: Red, Low Added Sulfites
Results
Cousin Grolleau
Olivier Cousin is one of our favorite Loire vignerons, with a gentle disposition and salt n' pepper beard. Cousin's horse, Joker, plows the vineyards. His wines are the epitome of natural. Grolleau is one of those grapes that near died of extinction until it was resurrected by a handful of natural winemakers in the Loire, Cousin included. Shows barnyard funk, supple crushed red fruit and minerals. Winemaking Details: Unfiltered, Unfined, Vegan, Low SO2 Added, Wild Yeast Fermentation
La Clarine Syrah
This is about as natural as it gets from California. La Clarine's farming methods are based on Masanobu Fukuoka’s (a Japanese farmer and philosopher) Natural Farming or “do-nothing farming.” Nope, this isn’t slacker agriculture, it’s more about as little human intervention as possible, meaning no tilling of the soils, no fertilizers, no pesticides, no weeding and more…or rather: less. They let vintage and place speak for itself. As a result, this wine has an intriguing depth, with minerals and thyme on the nose, while the palate offers a savory, almost meaty, quality.
La Grapperie Le Gravot
Renaud Guettier, owns a mere 4 hectares of vineyards in the Coteaux de Loir. He farms his pony-ploughed vineyards organically. And the wee pony transports grapes to the winery at harvest time. Gives off that compelling white pepper note from the Pineau d'Aunis, along with tart raspberries and invigorating acidity. Winemaking Details: Low SO2 Added, Unfiltered, Unfined, Wild Yeast Fermentation, Vegan
Julien Courtois Ancestral Red
Papa Claude Courtois' son makes wine under his own label. Based in the farming village of Soings-en-Sologne in the Loire. Made from an ancient grape brought over from Burgundy royals called Gamay Chaudenay, and blended with Cot (Malbec). Bright fruit and weight on the palate, skipping towards a crisp finish. A cool, unique wine that's worth checking out.
Goes With: This could stand up to nearly any meat dish and still be refreshing.
Farming Details: Biodynamic
Vignetti Massa Monleale Barbera
Monleale is the name of the town where Massa is located; there's the high, alto, and low parts of town; Massa is in Monleale Alto. All the classic Barbera cherry and raspberry fruit but the grape's high acidity is honed into a tight knitted complexity. One of the few Barbara's that age and become more complex. Winemaking Details: Aged in Botti, Low SO2 Added, Unfiltered, Vegan, Spontaneous Yeast Fermentation
Souhaut Syrah
Herve Souhaut created this domaine in 1993, 5 hectares of old and ancient vines, between 50 and 100 years old. This syrah is made from 30 year old vines. Very pronounced nose - violets, a bit of coffee, bacon fat, black cherry and wet stone minerality. While the aromas are repeated on the palate, vibrant fruit flavors dominate and leads to a soft tannic finish. Winemaking Details: Unfiltered, Low SO2 Added
Julien Courtois Ancestral Red
Papa Claude Courtois' son makes wine under his own label. Based in the farming village of Soings-en-Sologne in the Loire. Made from an ancient grape brought over from Burgundy royals called Gamay Chaudenay, and blended with Cot (Malbec). Bright fruit and weight on the palate, skipping towards a crisp finish. A cool, unique wine that's worth checking out. Winemaking Details: Unfined, Unfiltered, Wild Yeast Fermentation, Low SO2 Added
COS Nero Di Lupo
Known as a fruity light grape, in this wine it becomes complex, deep and structured. Time Out’s food editor's favorite wine of the year. Made by three friends who quit their day jobs, unfiltered, no additives and only a tiny tiny amount of SO2 at bottling.
Portovino Vignetti Massa Monleale 3 Pack
Winemaking Details: Aged in Botti, Low SO2 Added, Unfiltered, Vegan, Spontaneous Yeast Fermentation