Certified-organic Mondeuse from the south-facing Le Château parcel above Argis in Bugey; whole-bunch maceration and gentle élevage yield a fragrant, light-bodied alpine red.
The vines were planted in 2007 from a massal selection done at legendary domaine Prieuré St-Christophe (old strains of mondeuse). The grapes undergo a 10 days whole bunches maceration, followed by 12 months élevage on fine lees in 228 and 500ltr barrels, the wine is bottled unfiltered with the addition of 1g/hl SO2. Simply delicious!
Notes on the producer
From his childhood in the Monts du Lyonnais, a range of low-altitude mountains just south of the Beaujolais, Luc developed a profound love and respect for nature. Eager to work the land, he became an agricultural engineer but grew disillusioned after his experience in cereal production, an industry where profitability ruled over sustainability. His introduction to wine came quite late, courtesy of his Alsatian wife Clémence and her family whose enthusiasm for the local production was contagious. He became hooked by the 'Terroirist' approach of the best vignerons, most of whom shared his concerns about industrial agriculture, and decided to join Macon-Davayé’s wine school in 2008. After graduating, he worked a few years in the Maconnais with growers such as the Bret Brothers, fervent advocates of biodynamics, and Philippe Jambon who’s been at the heart of the natural wine movement since the late nineties.
Nowadays Luc farms 2ha on the Coteau d’Argis but keen to work with a diverse range of terroirs, he also owns and rents around 1ha in various parts of Bugey: Combernand (Cluse des Peintres) on flat land of glacial moraine, the south-facing Clos de Beauregard overlooking the Rhône on iron-rich limestone scree, and a clay-limestone plot at the foot of the Grand Colombier (Bugey’s highest peak at 1,531m).
