JULIEN COURTOIS (Soings en Sologne/Loire, France)
There may not be a more peaceful spot in the Loire than the rows of vines owned by Julien Courtois. Finely manicured and tended by Julien and his swetheart Heidi (a New Zealand implant), their 4.5ha slope contains recovered vines as old as 40yrs old. Julien followed his father Claude (a pioneer in the region for natural wine) in reinvesting hard work to bring damaged soils back to natural harmony. Now, his Romorantin, Menu Pineau, Gascon, Côt, and various Gamay clones grow in absolute biodiversity and natural splendor. Animal life passes through with out mention. There is plenty to feed and rest on with all the natural herbs and flowers planted among the vines. Note, this is not a land left to the birds. It is remarkably neat in its organic design. The soils here are incredibly organic too, allowing the vines to dig deep into the silica and silex-dotted red clay. Julien has little to do but harvest beautifully ripened fruit and allow it to make itself into wines of elegance and concentration (except chase his daughter about the cellar!). The cellar is new, equipped with tonneaux of several ages. All fermentations happen naturally and only drops of SO2 are added early in the process, virtually disappearing before bottling. Time seems to stand still here; all the better for wines. The family is part of this diversity too, living in a small trailer behind the new winery. They seem to fit in without disturbance, not noticing the world zoom past them but acutely aware of the rhythms around them. It explains why Heidi came to work a harvest and never left. We hope Julien does the same and we can continue to taste a bit of nectar from this little slice of Eden en Loire.
100% 2007

100% Gamay Beaujolais from vines planted in 1968. Hand chosen and destemmed and fermented in separate tanks using wild yeasts. Pressed as one blend into Tonneaux barrels to continue fermentation and allowed to rest 18mos. Racked once before bottling without filtering or fining. Very low SO2.