What to Drink this Autumn
We're always hunting down the best bottles we can get our hands on — this time, it’s a lineup of lighter reds that shine with a slight chill!
Reds to Chill
Location: France, Loire, Anjou
Winemakers: Winemakers: Marc Houtin, Gérald Peau and Caroline Corre
Grapes: 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc, 20% Grolleau
Soil: Black schist
Winemaking: Certified Organic and Biodynamic. Hand picked, hand harvested, whole cluster fermentation in fiberglass.
From the Importer Steven Graf Wine: La Grange aux Belles is a cadre of friends making wine in Anjou, founded by Marc Houtin in 2004. Marc had worked internships all around France, and most notably at Chateau d'Yquem and was interested in making light wines with short macerations, organically, with minimal intervention... everything we want in natural Loire wine.
Initially he was making wine for the cooperative in Brissac, but was always experimenting with different parcels, making wine that would eventually end up in this or that cuvée. This was even more the case when Julien Bresteau joined in 2008, a catastrophic vintage.
They doubled down on their organic conversion and started following the methodology of the French geologist Yves Herody, which changed everything. Today they are still following these principles to incredible effect. They totally eschew all herbicides and pesticides in the vineyards, and vinifiy without any additives (with very few exceptions given many difficult vintages).
Today, Gérald Peau joins the team and keep things afloat. Their 15ha spread around the AOC Coteaux de l'Aubance. This is what is colloquially referred to as black Anjou, as opposed to white Anjou, just since you get black Schist bedrock rather than the white, chalky parts of Anjou. I think this contributes greatly to the resulting wines, and so do the guys at Grange aux Belles. Their most choice plots have almost no topsoil as well. The wines are therefore sheer, and incredibly tense, which is how we like our Chenin nowadays, right? The vines are old too, 45 years to 80+ years old, spread over 5 communes in the Coteaux de l'Aubance appellation area: Soulaines sur Aubance, Vauchrétien, Saint Melaine sur Aubance, Juigné sur Loire, Murs Erigné "La Roche de Murs".
These guys are really serious about sorting – in the vines and after harvest. When there is time, they will pass through plots maybe 5 times, and then sort further on the table. This is essential for them to not add anything during fermentation (or after). Everything is spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts, and the macerations are kept very short. All the whites see barrel fermentation. The reds are split between stainless, concrete and fiberglass.
Location: France, Loire, Bellevigne-en-Layon
Winemaker: Jean-François Vaillant
Grapes: Grolleau, Cabernet Franc
Soil: Clay, silt, some shells
Winemaking: De-stemmed with a short maceration and aged in ceramic underground vat. Little/no addition of SO2, no filtering or fining.
From us at M&L: ‘Le P’tit Vaillant’ is a blend of Grolleau and Cabernet Franc, all hand-harvested. Fresh and earthy with a lovely play between the rosehip/petal qualities of Grolleau and the green peppery spice of Cabernet Franc. Can handle a chill.
From the Importer Avant Garde: Since the XVII century, located in the village of Thouarce in Anjou, the Vaillant family has passed on farmland from generations to generations. For the last ten years, sister and brothers have cultivated the estate using the biodynamic principles. The goal is to express the personality of each wines.
55ha of vines of Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Grolleau and Pineau d’Aunis are planted. The diversity of their cuvees is due to the different type of soils and exposure found: schist sandstone, quartz, gravel, and clay.
Location: France, Loire, Anjou
Winemakers: Julien Bresteau, Marc Houtin and Gérald Peau
Grapes: Pineau d’Aunis
Soil: Black Schist
Winemaking: Organic farming. Hand picked, hand harvested, native yeast fermentation, direct press, aged in a variety of wooden vessels for at least one year.
From the Importer Steven Graf Wine: La Grange aux Belles is a cadre of friends making wine in Anjou, founded by Marc Houtin in 2004. Marc had worked internships all around France, and most notably at Chateau d'Yquem and was interested in making light wines with short macerations, organically, with minimal intervention... everything we want in natural Loire wine.
Initially he was making wine for the cooperative in Brissac, but was always experimenting with different parcels, making wine that would eventually end up in this or that cuvée. This was even more the case when Julien Bresteau joined in 2008, a catastrophic vintage.
They doubled down on their organic conversion and started following the methodology of the French geologist Yves Herody, which changed everything. Today they are still following these principles to incredible effect. They totally eschew all herbicides and pesticides in the vineyards, and vinifiy without any additives (with very few exceptions given many difficult vintages).
Today, Gérald Peau joins the team and keep things afloat. Their 15ha spread around the AOC Coteaux de l'Aubance. This is what is colloquially referred to as black Anjou, as opposed to white Anjou, just since you get black Schist bedrock rather than the white, chalky parts of Anjou. I think this contributes greatly to the resulting wines, and so do the guys at Grange aux Belles. Their most choice plots have almost no topsoil as well. The wines are therefore sheer, and incredibly tense, which is how we like our Chenin nowadays, right? The vines are old too, 45 years to 80+ years old, spread over 5 communes in the Coteaux de l'Aubance appellation area: Soulaines sur Aubance, Vauchrétien, Saint Melaine sur Aubance, Juigné sur Loire, Murs Erigné "La Roche de Murs".
These guys are really serious about sorting – in the vines and after harvest. When there is time, they will pass through plots maybe 5 times, and then sort further on the table. This is essential for them to not add anything during fermentation (or after). Everything is spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts, and the macerations are kept very short. All the whites see barrel fermentation. The reds are split between stainless, concrete and fiberglass.
Location: France, Anjou
Winemaker: Julie and Toby Bainbridge
Grapes: Grolleau
Soil: Black schist and limestone bedrock.
Iron and calcium rich, sandy soils.
Winemaking: Organic farming. Hand picked. De-stemmed. 3 day maceration. Indigenous yeast fermentation. 6 months élevage in stainless / fiberglass.
From the Importer Steven Graf Wine: Toby and Julie are incredible friends who have the most kind and endearing spirit of anyone I know. They are honest, hardworking, winemakers who look at their trade with the patience and serenity of a master craftsman, and the humbleness and tenacity of your neighborhood milkman. Toby's an ex-pat from the UK, and Julie found him working on a harvest crew in Protection, Kansas. After a long courtship they have settled in Anjou with their two young children. In the early 2000s, Toby started working with Didier Chaffardon and the couple made their first wine in 2007, the same year they gave birth to their first son. In 2012, after a few years under the tutelage and employ of René Mosse, Toby and Julie went out on their own and started full-time production on their eponymous domaine. Approximately 6.5 hectares of their 8ha are currently under vine with drought resistant soil, rich in calcium.
Toby and Julie really seem to be settling into their small, family estate, and it's beginning to feel very well oiled. Naturally, extra curricular activities are being worked in. The topic of much conversation and instagramming were Toby's new sheep -- a project he seems quite pleased with. "I've always wanted a passion outside of my profession -- a hobby," he told us, and maybe shepherding is going to be that fit. Of course, the sheep are really just another aspect of the viticulture. The sheep are essentially wooly lawnmowers that trim the herbs between the vines. Otherwise, there are plans for olive trees and fruit trees. All their vineyards are worked organically. They focus on wines for drinking: fresh, bright and natural. In the cellar, macerations are generally short and neutral vessels are always used, whether fiberglass or stainless steel.
Location: France, Rhône
Winemaker: Andrea Calek
Grapes: Syrah, Grenache
Soil: calcareous clay
Winemaking: Organic farming. Spontaneously fermented with half whole-cluster, half-direct pressed grapes
A fresh, red-fruited juice with a little spicy backbone. Serve chilled.
From us at M&L: Andrea has called France home for more than 20 years. He studied viticulture and œnologie in Lyon and Beaune. During that time he started working with several domaines to convert to organic/biodynamic farming and teach them natural wine making. His wines have been a shop favorite for many years for their purity, light touch and fun factor.
Location: France, Loire, Cheverny
Winemaker: Christian Venier
Grapes: Pinot Noir
Location: United States, California
Winemaker: Chris Brockway
Grapes: 35% Barbera, 32% Syrah, 23% Carignan, 10% Dolcetto
Winemaking: The Got Grapes Red emerged from an extra bountiful 2022 harvest. After blending trials and bottlings for our mainstay reds like Love Red, Amore Rosso and Vine Starr, we held back a little extra from each to make one more fun and refreshing red. All varieties were fermented in stainless steel tanks, pressed and then aged in a mixture of stainless steel tank, concrete and neutral French oak barrique before the final blend. Enjoy with a slight chill or at cellar temp.
From the Producer: Our goal in making wine is to bring out the natural expression of the grape. We use organically grown grapes and harvest early for more healthy grapes that retain their good acidity. This often results in lower alcohol wines and the lower Brix (sugar content) at harvest, which allows for easier fermentations. All Broc wines are made using spontaneous fermentation, which means only native yeasts and bacteria that exist on the grapes are used to make the wine. We may add a minimal amount of sulphur at bottling depending on the year, wine and style. We never add sulphur during fermentation and aging.
Where We Source Grapes: We source an eclectic mix of grapes from all over California, working with vineyards as far south as Paso Robles and as far north as Mendocino. All of the vineyards are organically farmed and family-owned.
Location: France, Rhône, Ventoux
Winemaker: Thomas Ayoun & Marie-Sophie Jullien
Grapes: 80% Syrah and 20% of the ends of press juices of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Vermentino and Clairette
Soil: Clay-limestone, sand
Winemaking: All of the grapes come from vines grown organically, planted on clay-limestone soils, and harvested by hand. Vinification: destemming and 24h of maceration of the Syrah, that is directly blended with the press juices of the white varieties. Aging in 2000-liter terracotta amphorae for 6 months. Neither fined nor filtered, bottled at the Estate with just a tiny pinch of sulfur.
From the Importer Jeffrey Alpert Selections: Thomas Ayoun and Marie-Sophie Jullien have proudly brought attention the Ayoun family mas at Domaine de la Combe au Mas. Located at the foot of Mont Ventoux in the commune of Mormoiron, Thomas and Marie- Sophie farm their 8 hectares according to a philosophy that emphasizes organics, polyculture, and biodiversity. While their first vintage was only released in 2019, Thomas and Marie-Sophie are by no means strangers to winemaking: Thomas has worked as cellar master at Domaine des Garances, Château de la Font du Loup, and more recently at Domaine des Escaravailles in Rasteau. Marie-Sophie has garnered plenty of experience herself working at her family domaine La Ferme Saint-Martin. Thomas’s decision return to his village of Mormoiron marks an exciting chapter for the young oenologist. Four of the eight hectares Thomas and Marie-Sophie farm have been passed down from Thomas’s parents. The remaining vines are either rented, or have been abandoned. All vineyard work is completed according to organic/biodynamic principles. They are currently awaiting certification. The domaine is situated in a unique microclimate wherein the descending cold air currents from Mont Ventoux deliver a notable freshness to the wines. All grapes are harvested entirely by hand, ferment using native yeasts only, and mature in century-old amphorae that Thomas sourced from the south of Spain.
Location: France, Loire
Winemaker: Thierry, Zoë & Louise Puzelat
Grapes: Gamay, Côt
Soil: clay, limestone
Winemaking: Whole-cluster carbonic maceration with four to six months of aging in stainless steel tanks.
From the Importer Louis/Dressner: For their juicy, quaffable vin de soif Gamay, the Puzelats source organically farmed, hand-harvestedfruit around their home estate in the Cher valley in the Touraine. Due to widespread, devastating frost in the spring of 2016, they have also tapped into some Gamay from the southern Beaujolais.
The old school labels are designed to capture the spirit of a quaffable table wine to drink young, but also to distinguish it from the Clos du Tue-Boeuf estate bottlings.
Since the Middle Ages, there have been records about the lieu-dit “le Tue-Boeuf” and its excellent wines which were enjoyed by the local nobility and the kings of France; the family name Puzelat is mentioned in 15th century documents. History, though, is not the story here. It’s about two brothers, Jean-Marie and Thierry Puzelat, who tend their 10 hectare family estate in Les Montils (part of the Cheverny AOC) and rent four hectares in a village nearby to produce AOC Touraine.
The region, near the hunting grounds of Sologne, has always used a wide variety of grapes. Since the 1960’s, the Puzelats' father had been making his own selections of vines to replant, leaving his sons with vines of Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris (since ripped out), Menu Pineau (or Orbois), Pinot Noir, Gamay, Cabernet Franc and Côt (or Malbec). A visit to their cellar feels like a "Tour de France" of varietals, each wine with its distinct personality, lovely label and wonderful name. Some cuvées are so small that there is never enough to go around.
Jean-Marie was joined on the estate by his younger brother Thierry in the early 90’s and they began converting their vines to organic viticulture. When the Cheverny AOC was created with the 1993 vintage, some varietals became outlawed from the blends, and the brothers started a yearly struggle to get their wines accepted under the new appellation (it bears to mention that they were also in their earliest stages of experimenting with sulfur free winemaking).
While firm believers in the concept of the AOC system, this began a trend of the brothers selling some of their wines as declassified Vin de Pays (renamed Vin de France since 2010). For us, it was one of the first examples of customers knowing and trusting the estate's work methods over the appellation itself. Case in point: as recently as 2020, Thierry has made the difficult decision of intentionally declassifying all of his Touraine cuvées after years of struggles with the appellation and its ever-increased efforts at standardizing and simplifying one of France's most diversely planted wine regions. And while we cannot claim the Puzelats were the first to do this, it clearly served as a monumental influence in the world of natural wine, setting an example for those having problems or feeling stifled by their appellations' criteria.
Speaking of natural wine, Clos du Tue-Boeuf, along with Marcel Richaud, Dard and Ribo, Yvon Metras and a handful of others were at the heart of the nascent natural wine movement in mid-90's Paris. They are undoubtedly the impetus for spreading this philosophy in the Loire, which remains a hotbed for the style to this day. As Hervé Villemade, himself part of the the second wave of natural winemakers of the late 90's, puts it: "What really made me start to believe I could make wines in this style were Thierry Puzelat's. Marcel Lapierre's were the spark, but he lived 450 kilometers away from me and was working with very different terroirs; having a neighbor pull it off right next door was the inspiration and motivation to follow in his footsteps."
After an illustrious, 40+ year career, Jean-Marie retired following the 2018 vintage. Thierry is now fully at the helm of the estate and was recently joined by his daughters Zöe and Louise.
Location: France, Rhône
Winemaker: Martin Texier
Grapes: 75% Cinsault, 25% Grenache
Soil: Granite
Winemaking: The grapes are pressed and fermented separately in concrete tanks and blended before bottling.
‘Le Preyna’ is the name of an old parcel planted with 75% Cinsault and 25% Grenache in deep granitic soils. This is a typical, light-bodied, everyday wine local to the region.
From the importer Selection Massale: Martin Texier (you may have heard of his father, Eric, the now famous northern Rhône natural wine producer) began making wine in 2014 after a previous life studying economics. After leaving university, he ventured into music (he is an accomplished DJ) and also spent time in New York City learning about the wine trade here (he held internships at both Uva Wines in Brooklyn and Flatiron Wines in Manhattan, as well as the greatest record store in the world, A1 Records). It was after this that he realized that his calling was to follow in his father’s footsteps and return to the vines.
He now has five hectares in and around St.-Julien-en-St.-Alban, planted to classic Rhône varieties, both red and white. There are many different soil types here: clay, limestone, gneiss, schist and granite, making for a wide range of different styles of wine to be made. Martin’s passion is to revive the local traditions of working the natural way, both in the vines and in the cellar (native yeast fermentations, no sulfur). The results he has been getting this early in his career are a clear testament to his skills.
Location: France, Languedoc-Roussillon
Winemaker: Jean François (Jeff) Coutelou
Grapes: Cinsault
Soil: variations of clay/limestone
Winemaking: Organic farming, hand harvested fruit, fermented with indigenous yeast. No fining/filtering/SO2
From the Producer: Puimisson is a Languedoc village situated a few kilometres from Béziers, with a Mediterranean climate. From the south, the sea brings wind and humidity... From the north the mountains bring freshness...The domaine has been certified organic since 1987, when we decided that we wanted to show the possibilities of growing vines without chemicals. In 1987, nobody was speaking of Mad Cow Disease, care for the environment was scarce and it required an act of great courage to follow the organic route. 30 years ago the Domaine was made up of more than 20ha and produced an average of 1800hl each year. Today it only has 13 ha under vine producing an average of 500hl.
Our vineyard extends over a dozen hectares of a variety of terroirs. Puimisson is made up of a mosaic of soils and subsoils. The majority are clay-limestone with more or less clay, some veins of villafranchien gravel, marl ... All of our vines have been cultivated organically since 1987, long before it was fashionable to do so. We can guarantee that all the soils of the domaine have seen no chemical fertilisers, nor any synthetic products for more than 28 years. The management of the vineyard is rigorous whilst fully respecting the plants and the soils. Ploughing, necessary for clay soils, is limited to ensure that the soil does not become compacted. In Spring, every vine stock is hoed manually. We cut back the vines only when we consider it necessary and after they have finished budding. As regards treatments, we limit any interventions whilst not hesitating to use plant based composts and preparations as well as other natural products.
We tend the vines throughout the year so that they give the very best grapes. At the moment of harvest, our work is confined to creating the best conditions to allow them to express themselves. There does not exist one single recipe, the making of the wine is adapted to the grape variety and to the vintage (short or long maceration, destemming or whole bunch, punching the cap or pumping over) many, varied methods can be used according to inspiration and the grapes themselves... In the cellar it is nature which decides... The choice of 'natural' winemaking is the end result of the work carried out in the vines. The choice is to limit external elements to allow the grapes to give the best of themselves. No adding of SO 2, no adding yeasts, no adding enzymes, ... in a phrase, leave nature alone whilst maintaining an eye for observation, a palate for tasting, a hand for helping and nurturing and a heart for sharing... Wine is a drink which creates conversation and conviviality... Bottling is done at the domaine, with no filtering whilst respecting the lunar calendar ... All our wines are made without any added SO 2 , including at bottling.
Location: France, Langeudoc
Winemaker: Axel Prüfer
Grapes: 30% Grenache, 30% Merlot, 15% Syrah, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Alicante
Winemaking: Organic farming. Hand harvest, Alicante direct press, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon direct press with infusion of Syrah, Carbonic fermenation of Grenache, indigenous yeast. All 3 vats assembled as soon as they were dry. No added SO2. Unfined and unfiltered.
Location: Italy, Lazio
Winemaker: Gianmarco Antonuzzi & Clémentine Bouveron
Grapes: Aleatico
Soil: Volcanic, rich in iron
Winemaking: Organically and biodynamically managed vineyards. The winemaking process involves spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts, carbonic maceration and the wine is aged in a combination of stainless steel and old oak barrels.
This wine is intended to ‘illustrate the beauty of nature and remind us of its fragility if exploited’. It is being sold to raise awareness for and support local farmers and residents that have come together to protest against plans to build an industrial geothermal electricity plant on the banks of Lago di Bolsena.
From us at M&L: Gianmarco Antonuzzi and Clémentine Bouveron tend around 14 hectares of land, with vineyards amongst olive groves, chestnut trees, shrubs and oaks. Sat around Lago di Bolsena near Gianmarco’s childhood town of Gradoli in Lazio’s north, the soils are volcanic, rich in iron and minerals.
Vines are planted at a density of up to 10,000 plants per hectare, from a mix of massale selections and ungrafted vines. Everything is done by hand, with careful attention to the needs of each plant and while biodynamic principles are employed, the approach here goes above and beyond.
Each year they produce a dizzying number of different wines which are vinified in an ancient cellar in the village’s centre where nothing is added at any stage. To taste here is a real treat, Gianmarco is a master of élevage and a real patience in this respect results in some of the purest, most delicious wines we have tried. This is a fascinating project, where the passion and dedication of two people is single handedly putting one of Italy’s lesser known villages firmly on the map.
Location: France, Loire, Vouvray
Winemaker: Catherine & Pierre Breton
Grapes: Cabernet Franc
Soil: Clay, limestone
From the Importer Kermit Lynch: Catherine and Pierre Breton are the real life bon vivants vignerons of lore. They are passionate about what they do, they enjoy sharing it with others, and they entertain with a generosity and charm. That they make great wine with such integrity makes our appreciation of them complete. The Bretons farm eleven hectares of vines just east of Bourgueil in the village of Restigné. They produce Chinon and Bourgueil, as well as a bit of Vouvray, creating honest wines for both early consumption and longer aging. The Bretons first introduced biodynamic practices into their viticulture in 1994, just after receiving their organic certification in 1991. Recently, they started the three-year process of seeking biodynamic certification. In fact, they have become international icons for the natural wine movement in an area where the climate and soil can make organic viticulture difficult.
The Bretons farm vineyards on varied soil types, including gravel, limestone, clay, schist, and yellow tuffeau. Their wines are made primarily from Cabernet Franc (known in the Loire, curiously, as “Breton”) with small quantities of Chenin Blanc for their Vouvray. Though Pierre is the principal cellar master, Catherine makes a series of cuvées under the label “La Dilettante,” or the Dabbler. Together, they divide their wines into three categories: Natural Wines (for easy consumption), Classic Wines (that represent the typicity of the appellations), and Wines of Terroir (vinified individually by parcel). The Wines of Terroir from Chinon and Bourgueil are destined for long life in your cellar. A 1964 made for unforgettable drinking in 2008! Each of the Breton cuvées is unique, with differences in soil, vinification, and élévage all playing a role while still demonstrating a familial resemblance. Catherine and Pierre are two of the hardest working people we know of in the wine business. This explains why their wines, despite the fact that they are totally natural and unadulterated, are so incredibly consistent; consistently delicious. Their achievements and contributions to the natural and organic wine movement globally cannot be underestimated.
Location: France, Roussillon
Winemakers: François-Xavier Dauré
Grapes: 50% Grenache Noir, 25% Carignan Noir, 25% Mourvèdre
Soil: The Carignan Noir and Mourvèdre are planted on schist soils, and the Grenache Noir is planted on clay-limestone soils
Winemaking: Organic farming. The Carignan Noir and Mourvèdre are directly pressed upon arrival in the cellar and co-fermented in a large stainless-steel tank. The Grenache Noir undergoes a 7-day whole bunch maceration in fiber tanks. On the 8th day the Grenache Noir is pressed and transferred back to fiber tanks to complete fermentation. Only the naturally occurring indigenous yeasts were used for fermentation. The components were blended after the completion of malolactic fermentation.
Maturation: Aged 8 months in stainless-steel tanks. Prior to bottling a low dose of sulfur is added to the wine. The wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered.
From the Importer Terres Blanches: The village of Espira de L’Agly is located at the very eastern end of the Agly Valley, just 20km from the Mediterranean Sea and 3km northwest of Rivesaltes. Rivesaltes, along with the villages of Banyuls and Maury, is famous for the production of sweet Vin Doux Naturel. A once popular aperitif wine, Vin Doux Naturel was in high demand during the first half of the 20th century. For Rivesaltes alone, the annual production during the 1950’s and 1960’s was upwards of 70 million bottles a year. Today, fewer than 3 million bottles are sold each year. With such a dramatic fall in public demand, many farmers in Espira de L’Agly and the surrounding areas ripped out their vines and converted to orchards. Those who did keep their vines became almost completely reliant on négociants and cooperatives to purchase their annual production. The Daurés are one the brave families who held onto their vines. For that we should all be very grateful, as the current generation is making what we consider to be some of the most innovative and focused wines we have tasted from Roussillon.
If you ask François-Xavier Dauré, F.X. for short, he will tell you he was destined to become a vigneron. Indeed, he is the 4th generation of Dauré to grow grapes in and around the village of Espira de L’Agly. Jokingly he claims to have been born on a tractor, and that is not far from the truth. Many of his earliest memories take place on a tractor with his father. From a young age F.X. worked in the vineyards with his family. However, with the entire production being sold to the cooperative, F.X. needed to look elsewhere to gain experience making wine.
Starting in 2008 F.X. began working with different vignerons in the Roussillon. Intrigued by Organic farming and minimal intervention in the cellar, F.X. joined Tom Lubbe at Matassa in 2015. In July of that same year F.X. took over full control of his family’s Domaine and began the conversion to Organic farming. For the next 5 vintages he worked with Tom in the vines and the cellar at Matassa, while also farming 16 hectares of his own vines. F.X. continued to sell the production of the family Domaine to the cooperative. To be full time at Matassa and farm an additional 16 hectares organically, was a monumental task. For over 4 years (5 vintages) F.X. was in the vineyards hours before sunrise using a headlamp to see his work. People would joke that he looked like a lampyre, which is firefly in French. Searching for a name for his new venture, the proverbial light came on! Domaine Lampyres was born.
2016 was the inaugural vintage of Domaine Lampyres with just 600 bottles of cuvée Anima and cuvée Luminescence produced in F.X.’s garage. This was followed by another garage production in 2017 that saw the introduction of his Contre-Attaque bottling. 2018 was a watershed year for the young vigneron. Encouraged by the results in his first two vintages F.X. converted a small barn into a cellar and decreased the amount being sold to the cooperative. Along with the introduction of cuvées Point Triple and Des Sens in 2018, F.X. created a Rosé bottling that he named for his beautiful daughter Margot who arrived earlier in the year. 2019 was F.X.’s last vintage at Matassa, and a difficult year for all of the growers in the eastern half of the Roussillon. At the end of June temperatures skyrocketed to 118°F (48°C) causing sunburn that destroyed over 50% of the potential crop for the vintage. A difficult year yes, but the wines F.X. produced in 2019 are remarkable. When we stumbled upon F.X. in January of 2020 at a tasting in Montpellier, the character, balance, and tension of his 2019’s was undeniable. To say this is a Domaine to watch is an understatement. Now fully focused on Domaine des Lampyres, we are certain that F.X.’s best vintages are ahead of him.
Location: Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige
Winemaker: Elisabetta Foradori, Emilio Zierock, Theo Zierock, Myrtha Zierock
Grapes: Mostly Teroldego with Schiava, Lagrein and Merlot
Soil: Alluvial, gravel
Winemaking: Biodynamic certified. Lezèr ("light" in local dialect) was born from the terrible 2017 vintage, when the fruit from the vines that produced the Foradori Rosso were devastated by a summer hail storm. The grapes that remained were deemed incapable of producing a normal red, so instead a light, rosé/sort of red wine was produced. It proved so immensely popular that Emilio and Theo decided to continue making it each vintage.
The grapes will remain a majority Teroldego, though a small percentage of other grapes (ex: Schiava) may be added to the blend. The grapes are sourced from two vineyards they have been leasing and converting to biodynamics.
Four months in cement tanks, wooden barrels and terracotta amphorae. Maceration is less than 24 hours in various vessels; fermentation is spontaneous and finishes dry. S02 is usually added only at bottling, between 40-50mg/l. In warm vintages with low PH, it may be added after malolactic fermentation.
From the Importer Louis/Dressner: "How can one try to describe the wines of Elisabetta? It’s easy to say that, in this case, the grape does not fall far from the vine or the hand that cultivated it. Foradori - immediately striking, gracefully elegant, discerningly tasteful, soberly serious while at the same time wry and playful, and above all always generous and sincere. Wait, is that Elisabetta or her wines? In fact, it could easily be used to describe one or the other."
Kevin wrote that introduction paragraph over a decade ago. It's a beautfully expressed sentiment that still rings true. And lo and behold, the exact same words can be extended (more or less) verbatim to her children Emilio, Theo and Myrtha, all three now integral to the estate. We'll get to that, but first we need to start at the beginning.
Elisabetta’s journey in her “wine life” is a familiar tale, but one that we never tire of hearing. The early death of her father unexpectedly hurtled her to the management of the family estate.Though “born among the vines” as she says, she took the helm at first more from a sense of duty than one of passion or vocation. Eventually, however, that passion and vocation came through the work itself, both in the vines and in the cellar.
Despite her star rising as "the queen of Teroldego" throughout the 1990's, by 2000 Elisabetta had lost all personal connection to her work. A path of questioning, experimentation and intuition (including everything from biodynamics, massale selection and the use of amphorae) eventually led her to give up any sense of chasing market trends of the “wine industry” to develop the estate towards the goal of making wines respectful of the soil and the local grapes she wants to honor, and using the techniques she found more interesting, less invasive, and more wine “holistic”.
Even with a proven track record, starting from scratch does not always guarantee success. Decisions like progressively replanting the majority of the land from pergola to guyot, radically changing vinifications, producing single vineyard expressions of Teroldego (in amphora no less!); there was no way to know if this would resonate with established or new customers. Still, Elisabetta stayed true to her instincts and, as we now know, kept her proverbial throne.
Elisabetta is still very much a daily presence and "the face" for most of the winery's fans. But if you've been following the estate over the last decade it's likely you've met and interacted with her three children Emilio, Theo and Myrtha. All three are lovely and very much evolving the winery into its next phase of existence.
Emilio, the eldest son, has been around the longest and, unbeknownst to most, has headed the viticulture for quite some time. And after many years in the with his mother, he's been solely responsable for making the wines since 2013. His brother Theo travels the most to represent the winery. He also communicates with people like us (importers, distributors) and is and integral part of the winemaking since 2016, serving as a confidant and advisor to Emilio.
Stylistic shifts, already in motion when Elisabetta was still in the cellar, have become clearly defined over the last decade. This is particularly noticeable with the softening of the "Foradori Rosso" and "Granato" cuvées through "infusion" style macerations, partial or full whole-cluster vinifications and avoiding new oak. There have been further experiments with amphora as well, including the very limited "Cilindrica" bottlings, aged an extra year in a smaller, cylindrical amphorae. Finally, it's hard to imagine a wine like "Lezèr", a light red born produced with damaged "Foradori Rosso" fruit following devastating hailstorms in 2017, would have come into existence without the sensibilities of a younger generation.
And let's not forget Myrtha, who after a long stretch working in farms in Oregon and Quebec has returned to Mezzolombardo and is already beginning Foradori's transformation from winery to full-fledged polycultural farm. This shift to diversify is very important to the entire family. A full vegetable garden has been planted and the pergola rows are now full of salads and radishes. The last time we visited, we didn't see vines but rather spent a late afternoon driving up windy roads to visit a gorgeous, lush mountain destined for cow grazing. In 2020, we got to taste Foradori's first cheeses, an early effort from five cows. Theo laments Italy's lack of affinage and hopes they can incorporate this into their production.
Going back to Kevin's original text, he ended it with the following statement about Elisabetta. Again, it's fitting and affirming that it applies just as pertinently to her children:
"In a lot of ways, she has come far, but we think, that for Elisabetta, like for other great grower/winemakers we are privileged to work with, it is a process, and one that doesn't necessarily end."