Domaine de l'Octavin, "Raph'Noël" VDF Red 2017

This is Gamay at its most distinct, that is, at its most Jura – cedar, bramble, and a kind of violet florality dance the nose into a palate that simply sings with pitch-perfect acidity, from Alice Bouvot of Domaine de l’Octavin who tends five hectares of vines around Arbois in the Jura region of far eastern France.

Vinification: 100% Gamay hand-harvested from 35 year-old vines grown in clay and limestone soils. The grapes undergo whole-cluster, 45-day extended maceration in tank with spontaneous fermentation otherwise (ambient yeasts, no temp. control). The wine then ages for up to 24 months in tank before being bottled unfined, unfiltered, with no additional SO2.