Cinsault / Grenache / Muscat blend
Rome 2023
Coutelou

Grape Variety: Cinsault, Grenache Noir, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Muscat, Macabeu, Clairette, Muscat Noir

Producer: Jeff Coutelou (Mas Coutelou)

Region: Beziers, Languedoc, France

Wild Scale: 3/5

Certified organic

Vegan friendly wine

12.5% alcohol

Winemaking: An organic blend of grapes was hand harvested and de-stemmed. Fermentation with indigenous yeast in concrete vessels and macerated for 2 weeks. No fining, filtration or added sulphur.

This Wine: Natural wine made from a blend of red and white grape varieties, predominantly from the vineyard known as Rome which was planted by Jeff's father. With that line-up of grape varieties, you might expect a juicy, fruit bomb but this actually has some structure and plenty of elegance whilst delivering a beautiful purity of complex fruit. Very well balanced and a lovely snapshot of southern French winemaking through Jeff's unique lens. 

Notes on the Winemaker: Jean Françoise Coutelou (Jeff to his mates) is a godfather of the natural wine movement in Europe. His vineyards have been certified organic since 1987 and he even has a nursery dedicated to growing rare and indigenous grape varieties. His Classe cuvée was one of the first natural wines we ever had back around 2013 and we haven't stopped loving his wines ever since. One of the best ever winemaker visits we have experienced was to Jef's cellar in 2024. After sampling wines from various vessels in one part of the building, we then entered a separate room full of barrels and huge glass bottles of different spirits and vermouths, some dating back decades. Jef's passion and dedication was on full display and it made us love the man and his creations even more.