Briseau VDF Patapon Pineau d`Aunis 2020

Briseau VDF Patapon Pineau d`Aunis, biodynamic, foot trodden, very low sulphur, taught, fresh crunchy red, at once savoury and bristling with red fruits. The wines at Domaines le Briseau have a wonderful way of being carefree, yet beautifully made. Lovely just for sipping and superb slightly chilled as drunk on a sun bathed beach on a warm summer’s evening in west Wales. Send in the malevolent clown with Patapon. Brilliantly purple, utterly bonny, a distillation of red berry aromas and flavours. The nose is reminiscent of fermented grape juice; it is warm, approachable, deliciously savoury showing as it does a combination of crunchy strawberry, sweet beet and black pepper fruit, backed up by delicate smokiness. The palate is dry and taut with a sweet wild strawberry character, and a little chalky perfume. There is an appealing freshness to it, and a lovely peppery finish. This is natural wine as you imagine it, you actually feel like it is doing you good as you drink it. The wine is in no way refined, it is the pure expression of the grape and the ground and in this case, both are of the highest quality. A wine we would reach for a Buon Vino extremely often.

Nathalie Gaubicher was a Swiss actress with an oenologist and sommelier diploma, who set out to find vines somewhere in France.

In 2002 she settled in the Jasnières/Coteaux-du-Loire area in northern Touraine. Domaine le Briseau was started with four hectares of vines planted mainly with Chenin Blanc and Pineau d’Aunis, and has since grown to eleven hectares. All vineyard work is done according to the principles of organic viticulture and in 2006, the estate started its conversion to biodynamic principles. Nothing is added: there is no chaptalisation, no selected yeasts, no sulphur, no enzymes, no de-acidification, no fining. There is one racking to get rid of the wine’s gross lees, and then ageing for several months, according to each cuvée. There is a only a light filtration, and addition of around 2g/hl of sulphur at the time of bottling. Her wines are characterful and full of French charm.