Long Awaited Arrivals: Les Fontenelles - La Folle Berthe,
Petite Jeanne - La Roche Buissière, 2017 Pet Nats - 2NaturKinder

We are really excited to have some long-awaited arrivals in town. Petite Jeanne from La Roche Buissiere teased us at La Dive back in February. With this scorching summer we have been craving this refreshing juice for months.

Les Fontenelles, a unique Chenin vineyard planted on silex (flint), is one of our favourites. We were made to wait even longer for David Foubert's first interpretation of it as the wine decided to start fermenting again last summer.

And 2Naturkinder’s Pet-Nats are some of their best yet, clean and mineral, you have to drink them quickly.

La Folle Berthe

Saumur Le-Puy-Notre-Dame, Loire, France

David Foubert, formerly a Paris journalist, moved to Saumur to study winemaking under Aymeric and Melanie, of Domaine Mélaric. He farms a mix of parcels leased from the recently retired Philippe Gourdon. The vineyards have been farmed biodynamically since 1998. The local Tuffeau (fossil-rich limestone) characterises the wines with a clay topsoil and Tuffeau underneath.

The name La Folle Berthe comes from a feminine version of David’s name: Crazy Bear.

All wines are hand-harvested, fermented with wild yeasts, unfiltered and with just a touch of sulphur on bottling.

2015 Les Fontenelles – Chenin Blanc
This is the first vintage of David working with this vineyard. Elegant with restraint and precision. Silex (flint) soils bring energy and minerality. 2015 gave 15 hl/ha 25-year-old vines. Slow pressing. Fermentation and ageing in four/five-year-old barriques for 20 months (a very slow ferment). Four months in tank. 20mg of sulphur added four months before bottling. Bottled early this year.

2015 Vigneaux Carbo – Cabernet Franc
Les Vigneaux is a vineyard that produces very deep and complex wines. Carbonic maceration for 20 days helps soften the strength of the silex soils, aged 18 months in fibreglass.

2016 Petite Berthe – Pineau d'Aunis
A bright expression, showing just a touch of development. Slightly more body than Pineau d'Aunis from more northerly vineyards, still with characteristic redcurrant fruit and a white pepper finish. Fibreglass tank, semi-carbonic maceration.

La Roche Buissière

Vaison-la-Romaine, Southern Rhône, France

In 1998 Antoine took over the vineyard from his father Pierre, who had been previously just selling grapes to the local co-op. Pierre had been practising organically since the 1970’s – leaving the land in perfect condition for Antoine to continue. They work hard in the vineyard to be able to pick early, this results in less-concentrated and lower-alcohol wines than you would expect from the southern Rhône.

We have been waiting for Petite Jeanne for nearly three years – now with a new make-up and new personality. We've restocked the much-loved Petit Jo as well.

All wines are hand-picked, wild yeasts, vinifcation without sulphur and unfiltered.

2017 Petite Jeanne – 100% Grenache
Taking its name from Antoine and Laurence's daughter, super bright and juicy, a vintage they are very proud of. Due to hot vintages, this is the first time in three years the wine has been made. No added sulphur. 90% destemmed. Saignée for three days then blended together with pressed juice. 6-8 months in concrete tanks.

2016 Petit Jo – Grenache, Syrah
Named after their son, La Roche Buissière's baby wine. A quaffable, easy-going southern Rhône red, fresh and vinous with a touch of tannic structure. 100% de-stemmed. 15-day fermentation under skins, several months in tank. Some pumping over during fermentation. Aged in concrete tank. Just a touch of sulphur on bottling.

2NaturKinder

Kitzingen, Franconia, Germany

Michael demonstrates some "wild delight"

Michael started making wine in his parents’ winery in 2013 after developing a taste for natural wine, and converted the vineyard to organic practices. They've developed a repertoire of wild delights, including two new vintages of Pet-Nats which are perfect for these warm summer days.

All wines are hand-harvested, indigenous-yeasts vinification without sulphur and unfiltered.

2017 Silvaner Pet-Nat – Silvaner
Lean and mineral expression with peppery finish, a fantastic vintage with bags of character. Half-fermented on skins in tank.

2017 Bacchus Pet-Nat – Bacchus
A soft, bright Pet-Nat with more colour than previous vintages and a more intense fizz. Fermented in tank. Disgorged this time time round, only roughly though, so it remains cloudy with most of the lees but no tartaric acid.