Clef de Sol Red, 2017

Harvesting everything by hand - the chenin in successive tris - the grapes are gently pressed in a pneumatic press before being transferred by gravity to cold settle in inerted vats in the winery below. Fermentations are very much plot by plot and mainly variety by variety – with the exception of a plot planted with a mix of grolleau, gamay and malbec that goes to make the delightful Tournage Riant rosé. The stars are the barrel fermented dry Clef de Sol Montlouis and red Clef de Sol Touraine - Amboise, the wonderfully rich oak-matured (and unfiltered) cabernet franc Bécarre and the remarkable malbec Côt Vieilles Vignes. The 'new' oak-fermented Quatre Mains sauvignon is pretty good too. The only problem, clearly, are the tiny stocks after two years of 'galère', with yields way down due to frost and hail. Certified organic by ECOCERT since 2008, and biodynamic by BIODYVIN since 2014