VDF La Pepie Cot Rouge, Domaine de La Pepiere 2020

VDF La Pepie Cot Rouge Domaine de La Pepiere, natural, organic viticulture, bright, juicy, full of Southern French charm. La Pepie is made from Côt (otherwise known as Malbec) from younger vines, between 6 and 11 years of age, a vibrant, bright and fruity wine with excellent texture, freshness and balance. The nose is floral with hints of violets, and has soft juicy raspberry fruit on the palate – all brought together with a backbone of crunchy acidity. Uncomplicated yet utterly enjoyable. 100% tank fermented.

Marc Ollivier of Domaine de la Pépière is an example of a winemaker who has grown with his vines.

In the early 1980’s Marc, who was an engineer at the time, decided to move to the country for a slower pace of life. His father owned some vineyards in the cool Atlantic-influenced zone of Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine but was not a winemaker. Marc took over his father’s vineyards and bought a parcel called Clos de Briords from an elderly neighbour. Marc’s first vintage was 1985 and his primary goal as a winemaker at the time was to simply complete fermentation. As such, he began fermentation using cultured yeasts and finished the wine off with a dose of SO2. As Marc matured as a winemaker, he experimented with ambient yeasts and began bottling with minimal amounts of SO2. The results were extraordinary; the wines showed greater depth, richness and complexity. Encouraged by his success, Marc began transitioning all his vineyards to organic and continued his minimalist approach in the winery. His racy, lemon-tinged, mineral-driven Muscadets have since become the benchmark for the region and have opened up a world of previously unknown potential in the area.