Obreptice Blanc Casot des Mailloles 2017

Obreptice Blanc Casot des Mailloles, Biodynamic wine, sensational garage wine, crisp, vibrant, natural, and just a little wild! Obreptice is mainly Vermentino with a little Marsanne for extra acidity. The Vermentino does very well in close proximity to the sea and it marries delicious salinity to the soft stone fruits and peachy aromalie at its core. At the Casot of course, you get a whole lot more. The wine explodes with energy, vitality, it transports you to the coast of Banyuls and plants you firmly in a vineyard overlooking the Med eating grilled Sardines and celebrating the beauty of the place and the natural world. That is what natural wine can do - that conventional wine never does - it captures your imagination and fills you with emotion. A little etymological sleuthing has led me to the conclusion that an Obreptice is something which sneaks up on you and surprises you - hopefully in a good way!

Le Casot des Mailloles is a 5 hectare estate nestled on the steep walled terraces overlooking the town of Banyuls, in the Roussillon. It is named after the traditional stone shelters that dot the vineyards in the region and was made famous by Alain Castex and Ghislaine Magnier who ran the estate until 2015. The terrain here is steep, all the work is done manually, and the old vines grow have buried their roots deep into the unique dark schist which is found in this area. They are strictly organic and biodynamic in the vines, use natural fermentation and never filter or fine the wines. Sulphites are avoided entirely. After Alain's retirement in 2015, production has been passed on to Jordi Perez, a young winemaker very much in Alain's mould. His first vintage was 2015 and he continues to make wine using the same methods as Alain and Ghislaine. Jordi is young and a very talented wine maker, he is devoted to the Casot style and the integrity of this mystical vineyard but is also putting his own stamp on the wines. They have always carried great emotion and energy. Jordi is aiming to bring to them also an element of precision and elegance which will raise the wines into the realms of the super fine. Already showing very well, the 2016s from Jordie are superb and the new 2018s have a vibrancy that few other wineries in France and the world can match.