Domaine De La Piffaudiere 'Mon Tout Rouge' 2022

The vibe: Pineau d’Aunis, y’all! While we’ve only had a handful of Pineau d’Aunis bottles in the shop, it’s quickly become one of our very favorite red varietals. Hailing from the Loire Valley, wines made from this varietal are wildly expressive for being so light. Also known as Chenin Noir, DNA testing has confirmed it is neither related to Pinot Noir noir Chenin. It actually gets its name from the French word “pin” and refers to the pine cone shape of the clusters. So what is it like? It’s sort of like if Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc had a baby, with the light, terroir-driven profile of Pinot and the lightly spicy, white-pepper-meets-bell-pepper notes Cab Franc is famous for. It’s so perfectly balanced, with its low tannins and easygoing chillable personality, with enough depth and nuance to keep you double-pouring glass after glass.

The winemaker: Olivier Bellanger grew up in Monthou sur Cher, a scant hour east of Tours in the center Loire. He obtained his agricultural diploma in 2000, and spent the next 8 years working for various domaines in the Loire, notably Philippe Tessier. In 2008 he got the opportunity to buy 6 hectares of vineyards in Thesée near his native village. He immediately converted them to organic farming. The land was affordable partly because there were no associated buildings, so it was only later that he secured a cellar. He vinifies in a friend’s winery where he rents space. He now farms about 10 hectares, and sells some fruit to other wineries to keep his cash flow reasonable. He is committed to local grapes and deplores the regulations that reward ripping up old vine native varieties that are not in fashion, or not allowed in the regional appellation. His own wines of course are a real labor of love. He’s still fine-tuning his blends and adapting to vintage conditions. The results are always exciting and convincing. And delicious.

The geeky details: Grapes are manually harvested to ensure healthy bunches, and only wild yeasts are used to ferment. In the cellar, he uses only fiberglass or big old wooden casks, no new oak here (yay!).

Serve: With a light chill.

Food pairing: Woooo, well. The bottle’s already gone. Probably heat up some leftovers and drink some water? Banh Mi would be an insane pairing, if you  have some wine left.

Album pairing: Psychè - Psychè