Alcohol: 12%
Grape(s): Pinot Noir
Localization: Burgundy, France
Tasting Notes: The grapes are from Damien Gressard's vines in Southern Burgundy. Floral and juicy, with bright acidity and a reductive note, this a great red Burgundy that keeps evolving in the glass.
Food pairing: Truly a pleasure when enjoyed paired with grilled fish, or Baja-style tacos.
The Domain: Julien Altaber was not born Burgundian nor did he inherit vines, as most of Burgundy’s successful vignerons have. Raised in Auvergne, he hoped to continue the family tradition of dairy farming. But after insistence from his mother, he enrolled in trade school to study viticulture, setting his life on an unexpected path. He made the acquaintance of Dominique Derain in Saint Aubin, a pioneer of organic viticulture and natural winemaking in Burgundy. Dominique had always been a black sheep in the conservative world of the Cote D’Or and he found something familiar in Julien’s idealism. Julien began to work as Dominique’s cellar assistant, helping tend the vines while making a few barrels of wine in the basement. In 2011, Dominique helped Julien find an exceptional old-vines parcel of uncloned Aligoté vines, close to the village of Puligny, one of the great terroirs of the Cotes de Beaune. The following year, Julien arranged a fermage, a long-term lease on a parcel of pinot noir high up in the hills of the relatively obscure Maranges AOC, from which he vinifies approximately two barrels per year. In the meanwhile, Julien has established hands-on relationships with a small circle of growers in and around Saint Aubin and in the Cote Chalonaise, from whom he buys fruit for negoce cuvees.
There’s an incredible energy and liveliness that results from Julien’s gentle, hands-off cellar work. He believes that Burgundies are at their best without chaptalization, even if nature gives him a mere 11% alcohol, as is often the case in Maranages. Fermentation is always spontaneous and sulfur is usually avoided entirely. Finally, the wines are left unfiltered to showcase the aromatic complexity of Julien’s unique terroirs.
Buy 6 bottles of regularly priced (not on sale) wines and receive 5% off.
Buy 12 and receive 10% off.
Email sale wines do not combine nor count towards the above discount.
We would consider all wine to be "Natural". The term "Natural Wine" has the connotation of lacking a touch with nature. The winegrowers we champion are those who are farmers first. They seek to capture the uniqueness of the site (terroir) in the purest way possible. The product is as pure as possible and without wine-making flaws (brettanomyces, mercaptans, volatile acidity, etc.
Raw, in this case, we define as realistic and not manipulated. The winemakers use the least amount of intervention as possible. Wine should be made in the vineyard, not the cellar. The winemaker's job is to get the wine into the bottle in the purest form possible. There are additives that go into making wine, some are essential and some are not. Wines in this category do not have extra additives. They are free of added sulfur, or have the most minimal amounts possible in order to provide shelf stability for the consumer to experience the wine as the winemaker intended it to be.
