2019 Andréa Calek x Cyril Zangs WIDR

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

"Pétillant à base de Cidre et de Vin" - yep, it's 50/50 cider from the lord of Normandy, Cyril Zangs, blended with syrah from the one and only Andréa Calek. Fresh and zip, zip, ZIPPY. What a cool thing.

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.