2023 Les Vignerons d'Estézargues Côtes du Rhône Blanc 'Taparas'

47% Grenache Blanc, 37% Roussane, 10% Viognier, 4% Clairette and 2% Bourboulenc. As far as we know, Vignerons d’Estézargues is the only co-op in France (and quite possibly the world) to make natural wines! Organically-farmed vines planted on alluvial marls and clay with ‘galets’ (rounded pebbles typical of the area, think Châteauneuf), with South-facing exposure. Fruit for this cuvée comes from multiple co-op members. They use all native yeasts, don’t filter or fine, and don’t add anything but a fractional amount of SO2 at bottling. Aged in concrete.

Medium bodied and vibrant, with delicate aromas of soft pear, chamomile, and a whisper of wet stone minerality. Lively fresh palate revealing dried apricot and subtle herbal nuances. A pithy, textured mid-palate gives way to a semi-dry, mineral-driven finish that lingers with elegance. Well balanced, companion for light dishes or a refined sipper on its own.

Les Vignerons d’Estezargues is a southern French cooperative based in the village of Villeneuve-les-Avignon in the Gard region of the Rhone Valley. It was founded in 1965 and consists of 10 independent vignerons who farm a total of 420 hectares and who currently employ the services of the youthful but experienced Denis Deschamps to oversee the wine making. This excellent coop is set apart by the fact that only ‘natural’ wine making procedures are adopted - no external yeasts, no fining, no enzymes, no sulphur and so on - all of which contribute to very precise and structured wines. All of the fruit for these wines is organic, the majority of it certified as such.