2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
Il fait soif roughly translates to something like “It’s thirsty weather” or “It’s thirsty out there.” The term was coined in the 1950s by a French philosopher musing about how his countrymen viewed wine as a thirst-quenching beverage, of which one could always find a reasonable excuse to indulge.
Maxime-François Laurent has made quite the homage to that reasoning, a thirst-quenching breuvage of Grenache with a dollop of Syrah, vinified whole-cluster carbonic style, for maximum refreshment of all sorts. Maxime, whose mother, Michèle Aubéry, runs Domaine Gramenon, logically adopted the Gramenon philosophy for his own project. Having grown up around the domaine’s organically and biodynamically maintained vineyards, giving the fruit destined for his own bottlings the same attentive care was an obvious choice.
Maxime’s idyllic vineyards sit in the northern reaches of the southern Rhône Valley. There are gently rolling hills, beautifully forested where not planted in vines, and the views are sublime. This land produces fantastic Grenache, cooler and fresher than that of the flatlands, and the vinification style here fits the terroir like a glove.
Inspired by the wines of Marcel Lapierre, Maxime’s “Il Fait Soif” is made for immediate, easy-drinking pleasure. Serve it now, serve it cool. This may be our most quaffable Southern Rhône red.
—Chris Santini
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault |
Appellation: | Côtes du Rhône |
Country: | France |
Region: | Southern Rhône |
Producer: | Maxime François Laurent |
Winemaker: | Michèle Aubèry-Laurent & Maxime François Laurent |
Vineyard: | 15 - 30 years, 4 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Aging: | Wine ages for 6 months in stainless steel cuves |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
Maxime-François Laurent France | Southern Rhône | Côtes du Rhône
Maxime François Laurent France | Southern Rhône | Côtes-du-Rhône
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Frédéric & Daniel Brunier France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Selected by Kermit Lynch France | Southern Rhône
The southern Rhône valley is Grenache country. It’s also known for its stones. With a viticulture history dating back well before the Popes arrived in the 12th century and one of France’s oldest appellations d'origine contrôlée, Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe, the southern Rhône is unquestionably one of France’s best known and premier winegrowing regions. The wines have the pedigree and age-worthiness of Burgundy and Bordeaux, but with a rustic, Mediterranean character. Like most wines from southern France, the reds, whites, and rosés are blends. Filling out the Grenache for the reds and rosés, you’ll often find Syrah, Carignan, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault. The common white grape varieties are Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Viognier, Roussane, and Marsanne among others. From the alluvial riverbed stones found in Lirac, Tavel, and Châteauneuf to the limestone cliffs of the Dentelles de Montmirail that influence Beaumes-de-Venise (where you’ll find excellent Muscat), Vacqueyras, and Gigondas, great terroir abounds.
Kermit’s entrance in the region came in the mid 1970s on his first trip with Richard Olney, an American ex-pat and friend of Alice Waters. On that trip, Richard introduced Kermit to the Brunier family of Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe. Soon after, Kermit began importing the Brunier’s wines—their Châteauneuf-du-Pape “La Crau” bottling remains a staple of our portfolio today. In the late 1990s Kermit teamed up with the Brunier family to purchase the famed Gigondas estate, Domaine Les Pallières. More than 40 years later, we now import wines from fifteen southern Rhône domaines spanning the entire area of the region.
Maxime-François Laurent France | Southern Rhône | Côtes du Rhône
Domaine Gramenon France | Southern Rhône | Côtes-du-Rhône
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine Gramenon France | Southern Rhône | Côtes-du-Rhône
Famille Brunier France | Southern Rhône | Vin de Pays de Vaucluse
Famille Brunier France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Vin de France
Famille Brunier France | Southern Rhône | Vin de Pays de Vaucluse
Achard-Vincent France | Southern Rhône | Clairette de Die
Selected by Kermit Lynch France | Southern Rhône
Domaine de Durban France | Southern Rhône | Beaumes-de-Venise
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
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Inspiring Thirst, page 211
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