Grapes: Grolleau Gris
Region: VDF
Vintage: 2022
Viticulture: Biodynamic
Soils: Loam + Limestone
Yeasts: Native
Vinification: Hand-harvested grapes are macerated as whole bunches for 10 days, then pressed to a combination of old barrels and tank, where they ferment spontaneously and rest for a couple of months.
Aging: A few months
Fining or Filtering: None
Notes from the Importer: Olivier Cousin has been fighting the good fight for many years in Anjou, and the time has come for him to pass the reins off to his son Baptiste. Starting in 2013, they decided to split off the Gamay and Grolleau production into Baptiste’s hands. Olivier will continue making wine from Cabernet Franc, long his favorite grape to work with, and Baptiste will work the Gamay and Grolleau along with some Chenin Blanc and a little Cabernet Franc from some vines they had previously rented out. The spirit of the winemaking remains the same, work in the vines with horses and biodynamic preparations, and no added sulfur or any other additives ever coming in contact with the wine. They have the same wildness and natural purity unique to Olivier’s wines, but also represent a definite evolution in precisely made natural winemaking.