Some wines we import are serious and ageworthy, requiring patience and investment to achieve their potential. Others are less complicated – simple, single-note wines that are inexpensive and easy to enjoy. We think both genres have their moment, and always like to have some of each at the ready.
Jean-Louis Tribouley practices organic farming, biodynamics, and low intervention. His property is high in the hills of the Roussillon, a remote winemaking area near France’s border with Spain. The vines grow on schist and gneiss/granite, and range from 40 to 70 years old.
We usually place our order from the Mas Foulaquier in January, and by the time the wines arrive in March the earth has barely begun to awake from its winter slumber. This year the wines have arrived a month later, with Spring in full bloom.
As hot, dry summers become the norm across much of France, winemakers in the south in particular are constantly in search of freshness for their wines. Some have adjusted viticulture techniques, others have altered their blends to re-balance freshness.
Step into a breezy meadow or a shady forest, close your eyes, and breathe in — the smells and sensations are countless, complex, and awe-inspiring. Natural wines, when they’re made carefully, channel a little slice of nature’s limitless vitality like little else can. And nobody in our portfolio does this more skillfully than the Mas […]
We’re thrilled to introduce the newest addition to the Ansonia portfolio: Jean-Louis Tribouley, [TREE-boo-lay] a producer we found based on a tip from a longtime customer. A biodynamic source located deep in Roussillon, Tribouley farms tiny plots of 40-70 year old Carignan, Grenache, and Syrah. His wines are not only natural and beautiful, but they’re bargains.
The Languedoc is one of the world’s oldest winegrowing regions, tracing its history back to 125 BC. For many years it has been known for abundant, cheap, and uninteresting wine, but in recent decades a new wave of small winemakers has earned the region a new reputation.
As spring arrives and we begin to engage more with the natural world, we find ourselves more drawn to natural wines. When they’re made carefully, natural wines embody the exuberance and vitality of nature. And nobody in our portfolio does this more skillfully than the Mas Foulaquier.
As hot, dry summers become the norm across much of France, winemakers in the south in particular are constantly in search of freshness for their wines. Some have adjusted viticulture techniques, others have altered their blends to re-balance freshness.
For the careful shopper, the Languedoc can be an abundant resource. There’s still plenty of bad wine made in the vast region, but if you make good choices, $16 will take you farther here than just about anywhere else. Need proof? Today’s wine.
Today’s wine is an overperforming Syrah from the Languedoc. It packs far more punch and balance than the average wine at its price point. Here are the details:
The primary trend we see in French winemaking today is less intervention. Winemakers treat less in the vines, limit sulfur, and use wild, ambient yeasts for their fermentations.
The south of France is a warm place. The grapes grown there are adapted to the heat, but achieving balance in a hot climate can still be difficult. If grapes become overripe, they contain too much sugar and too little acid, which boosts alcohol levels and flattens the palate.
“Natural” wines are hard to get right, but when they’re good they can be extraordinary. Mas Foulaquier’s cuvées are exceptional -- clean and well formed, marrying ripe fruit with earthy notes from their rugged terroir.
Winemaking has seen significant improvement over the last century. New treatments and measurements have given winemakers far more control over their craft. “Poor vintages” are now less common, but in the cheap many wines give up true expression for homogeneity.