VDF "Ancestral" (Red) 2020

A blend of Côt (also known as Malbec) planted in 2003, ungrafted Gamay planted in 1978, and a hint of Gascon (also known as Mondeuse Noire.) The Gascon is the last to ripen, and with small grapes that yield just one barrel of juice. But it adds deep colour and tannins to the wine. Notes of red and black currant with layers of herbs and spices. An intense, highly structured wine with silky tannins and balanced acidity. Surprising depth and body for a Loire wine. Can be drunk young, but gets even better with time– we highly recommend the back vintages.

Story: Julien Courtois is the eldest son of one of the leaders of biodynamic grape farming in the Loire. In a small 5 ha estate called Clos de la Bruyère in the Sologne, Julien and his wife Heidi Kuka craft energetic wines filled with life and express the purest flavours of often-overlooked grapes. These are wines made with the utmost passion– from the vine to the bottle each stage of production follows, without compromise, a singular vision of natural winemaking. The idea is to return to the practices of generations past, using historic native varieties and the lowest intervention methods possible. This wine combines three of these special grapes, and it truly shows how powerful they can be when combined.

Vinification: Gamay Franc-de-Pied, Malbec (Côt) and Gascon on clay and silex (flint) soils. Grapes harvested manually at full maturity and controlled yields.

Pressed and fermented spontaneously. Aged for 18 months in old barrels and then bottled unfiltered.

Match it with: roast game, duck confit, spicy meat dishes.