2019 Andréa Calek Chatons de Garde

WINEMAKER: Andréa Calek
REGION: Ardèche, FR
VARIETAL: Syrah
VITICULTURE: Organic/Biodynamic

100% syrah. Macerated for 21 days, aged for 18 months in 228L barrels. Always good. Much depth.

The internet is awash with stories about Andréa Calek. Did you know he was a deserter from the Czech army, then went to jail before returning to France? That he has a fleet of vintage Citroën CX! That he has a mohawk and smokes cigarettes! Wild stuff. Because we all love nothing more than to paint someone as the punk of an industry like wine. But it’s all noise that detracts from the truth and purity of what’s in the glass, the honest product of four hectares of vines in the commune of Alba-la-Romaine. The wines he makes are almost entirely from estate-grown fruit (with the exception of Viognier and Marsanne), Biodynamic and made without additives. His partner Stefana Nicolescu shares the workload of the viticulture and wine-making.