VDF "Originel" (White) 2019

A blend of two rare grapes local to the Sologne area of the Loire. Orbois, also known as Menu Pineau, gives stone fruit and mineral notes and high acidity to the wine. A small amount of Romorantin is added giving more savoury flavours. Both grapes come from low-yielding vines, giving extra concentration. This wine is full of energy and life, rich and savoury - not fruity. Aromatic nose of flowers, eucalyptus and mint. A fresh finish, with light tannins and lovely tension. A unique, pure expression of the terroir and these rare varieties. Wine gets darker with time, eventually turning an amber-gold.

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. This wine is a blend of two of those historic varieties, and it has become an iconic wine for the domaine.

Vinification: Vines planted in 1958 in soils of silica on top and clay with silex (flint) beneath. Grapes harvested manually at full maturity and controlled yields. Julien always presses the whites with the stems. Naturally fermented in old oak barrels and aged for 18 months in old oak. Only one racking, no filtration, no fining.

Match it with: seafood with butter, lightly grilled white meats, strong cheeses.