2Naturkinder's Brutal Debut

The Brutal!!! wine project started around 2009 when two Catalan natural wine trailblazers, Joan Ramon Escoda (Escoda-Sanahuja) and Laureano Serres (Mendall) visited Antony Tortul (La Sorga) over the border in France. The word "brutal" is a positive descriptor in Spain but usually a negative in French (and English!) and after Antony initially thought the visitors hated all his wines, the trio decided to make a wine together after the comical misunderstanding. This was the start of an open source project where natural winemakers around the world were invited to produce special, one-off or unique wines under the Brutal label. The only rules are that only one barrel can be made and there must be nothing added or taken away in the winemaking process. Some of the biggest names in natural wine got behind the movement including the likes of Gut Oggau, Christian Tschida, Partida Creus and Matassa. Now, for the first time, 2Naturkinder enters the fray. Winemaker Michael Völker was invited by longtime friend Antony Tortul to join the Brutal party so in 2023 he did just that. 

Michael messaged at the end of last summer to let me know he was sending a bottle our way to get some feedback. When it arrived I was excited to drink as soon as possible and as I uncorked the wine, I was blown away.  Made with one barrel of direct press Pinot Gris from a low-yielding plot on poor soils and then aged for two years in barrel, this is a serious wine! Rich and powerful but with amazing, balancing acidity, I immediately thought of some of the best Jura white wines. Brilliant intensity and layer upon layer of complexity. 

2Naturkinder - Brutal!!! 2023

We have also received the new vintage of the much loved Bat Nat cuvée. This pinky-red Pet Nat made with Pinot Meunier grapes (or Schwarzriesling to the locals) is an example of how classy and complex this style of sparkling wine can be. The name comes from the bat boxes that are positioned among the vines which help the endangered grey long-ear bats in the area.

Finally, we have good stocks of 2Naturkinder's easy-going, entry level white cuvée Vater & Sohn. Made from a blend of Muller Thurgau, Silvaner, Pinot Gris and Riesling, this is fresh and lean with notes of orchard and citrus fruit along with subtle floral and mineral elements. 

Happy drinking and remember, "Brutal!!!" means good!