2020 La Tangente Potion

WINEMAKER: Patricia & Rémi Bonneton
REGION: Ardèche, FR
VARIETAL: Carignan
VITICULTURE: Organic/Biodynamic

100% Carignan from Gordes, grown on clay and limestone. 10 days whole bunch maceration. Aged for 8 months in a combination of Foudre, Demi Muids and Tinajas. Unfined, unfiltered, and zero added SO2.

Very floral on and expressive on the nose. Blackberry and boysenberry, bramble and bracken. Aromatic, but deep. Fresh and alive. Savoury twist. To taste it is much the same – fresh, great mid palate, with lots of energy. You feel the raw matter. A slightly darker profile than Les Vains, but ultimately still fresh and easy going. Hints of liquorice, black roses, and limestone influence prominent on the finish. This is quite a vibrant expression of Carignan, and the perfect Autumn red as the cooler weather starts to settle in. Serve slightly chilled.

Rémi grew up in Hermitage, and was always surrounded by winemakers through family and friends. His direct family never had vines, and he was told it would be too difficult to be a winemaker, as land was too expensive. But it was his dream as a child to be a winemaker, so he had to find a way. He decided the next best thing was to offer a service to other winemakers using his horses. He had a good knowledge of animals and the land, and started up his own small business, which allowed him to work in the vineyards and slowly learn more about viticulture. Through his work he gradually came to know more people, and that enabled him to rent his first vineyard.

Patricia and Rémi met in 2012, and once Patricia has discovered natural wines, she became hooked. She had no experience in winemaking, her background was in marketing and recruitment. But she loved the idea of working the land by hand and horse, and so they began to work together, with the dream slowly coming to fruition. Rémi learned valuable skills most notably at Pierre Gonon and Alatache, and the pair have been guided from many good friends such as Babass, the Robinots, Philippe Jambon, Fabien Bergeron, Lilian Bauchet, Pascal Potaire and Paul and Chrystelle from Domaine des Miquettes.

Their vineyards are on the super steep hills of the Doux Valley in northern Ardèche, in the most dramatic and rugged of settings. Everything is done by hand and horse, and it is often a battle against the wild - things like hungry boar and deer, relentless hail, and even forest fires which came extremely close to their vineyards. Life here is not easy, but the hard work pays off and shows in the quality of their wines.