Le Sot de l’Ange Vermouth Rouge (LITER)

Location: France, Loire, Azay-le-Rideau

Winemaker: Quentin Bourse

Grapes: Syrah, Cabernet Franc

Soil: clay, silica

Winemaking: Fortified with certified organic grape-based alcohol, and sweetened with certified organic cane sugar. Macerated with wormwood, hops, quinine, citrus, angelica root, plus many more.

Vermouth Rouge: Quentin’s red vermouth is slightly prickly in the mouth and bursts with jalapeno, dried cranberry and fruit leather. Would add a raucous edge to a Negroni, or serve with ice and an olive.

From the Importer Selection Massale: Show me a fanatic and I’ll show you a success. Truer words could not be said about Quentin Bourse – the “Idiot Angel” of Azay-Le-Rideau. While this is the rough translation of the name of his label, Le Sot de L’Ange, he is a far cry from anything remotely resembling an idiot. Before taking over a friend’s estate just in time for the 2013 vintage, Quentin worked in various fields (wine related and not) including numerous internships in the surrounding area, with both natural and conventional producers, notably a six-month stage at the famed Vouvray producer, Domaine Huet. These experiences have shaped his winemaking philosophy; his relentless work ethic, innovation, and borderline obsessive perfectionism result in meticulously crafted, serious wines.

Quentin’s estate is certified biodynamic (which is quite rare in Azay-Le-Rideau) and has been for over ten years (even rarer still). His vines cover approximately twelve hectares, though it’s hard to keep up with him as he continuously seeks to expand. In July I was shown new plantings and acquisitions of vines on different parcels, with the classic, local varieties planted to capitalize on the clay and silica soils the region is famous for. In many parcels white silex stones litter the rows making it look as if the terroir is oozing from the earth. Quentin cuts no corners while working in the vines, doing everything by hand, usually without help, and limits copper sulfur sprayings to 500 grams a year: 75% less than commonly used by other producers in the area. 25 friends help harvest in multiple passes, berry by berry, ensuring that the grapes reach peak maturity.

This high level of thoughtfulness is equally apparent in the cellar, which, for the time being, he happily shares with Pascal Pibaleau – an old-school producer in the region. All of the grapes are painstakingly sorted four times before whole-cluster fermentation with indigenous yeasts in tank, and a slow, gentle pressing that in some cases lasts five or more hours. Aging occurs either entirely in tank, neutral barriques, or amphora depending on the cuvée, and zero SO2 is added during the winemaking process for the reds; a touch is added for the whites. The result is wines with soul, immediacy, and tension. I won’t mince words: Quentin is a man on a mission.