23: Palais Curieux August 2023

For nature lovers, Benoît Courault is back with a PetNat "Ephémères", a superb little Chenin called "Petit Chemin"... not so small actually, and a delightful Pineau d'Aunis "Le Verger de l'Étang" that will move you to tears....................Mélanie & Aymeric Hilaire from "Mélaric" are also back. Saumur wines, denser than Anjou wines, with beautiful colors and excellent tannin quality, truly handcrafted..... and of course their famous "Globules Roses" which pairs perfectly with fruit salads or a Pavlova topped with strawberries, or simply on its own as an aperitif! And for Palois who know Daniel Cracker from when he hosted wine tastings, you can now discover his work as a winemaker! Because "freshly"... settled in Anjou with his friend/associate Marc Houtin, they took over an already organic certified vineyard "Les Vignes du Fresche" and 2022 is their first vintage.... and it's a great success!

The wonderful wines of the  Rols Brothers, Jo and Pat in Conques are back! The "Vinzelle" 2022, not quite pink rosé... rather dark, but what freshness, an absolute delight! The "Coquille" 2022, so juicy, is irresistible... how do they do it? Once you taste it, you can't live without it! And then Pauline Broqua at Domaine des Buis, the neighbour from Entraygues (pronounced "Entraille"... careful!) further north... closer to Aubrac and Cantal, a lesson in finesse, precise ripeness, spices, freshness in red, then an astonishing and delightful white made from the Chenin grape... but what is it doing there? Well, we are very happy about it! Then we go south to the Gard, at the gates of the Camargue Regional Natural Park, to Mas Mellet! These small hills made up of old, low vines just above the salt marshes with the sea breeze whispering its sweet music. An enchantment that is reflected in the infused wines of the Mas, never heavy or "body-built", just a bit of air, salt, sun, but also dressed in shade and the sap of the vines!

The 2021 vintages from Stéphane Magnien in Côte de Nuits, Morey Saint Denis, are here and we are more than delighted :):) A very discreet, hardworking, passionate winemaker, these crus are the essence of the terroir, of its observation, its respect, of fine craftsmanship. This vintage reconnects with the true crisp and invigorating aspect of Pinot Noir after two sunny vintages! Unfortunately, the vineyard was hit by cruel frosts and volumes were drastically reduced (up to 80% in some plots), so we have few wines to offer you...

To conclude this journey, we will take you to Chile in the Maule region, 400km south of Santiago. Louis-Antoine Luyt discovered this region in 1998. Passionate about cooking and then wine, he trained in Beaune, Burgundy, with the goal of working as naturally as possible. He connected with iconic "natural" winemakers like Marcel Lapierre and Philippe Pacalet. The grape variety there is País, with pre-phylloxera vines up to 300 years old – simply incredible! These are gnarled, twisted, thick vines resembling shrubs under which you could shelter from the sun, as well as grape varieties we know better, such as Carignan, Syrah, or Pinot Noir. His wines are astonishing journeys that challenge our principles and the balances we know! And at real winemaker prices... so enjoy, discover! ;)