Les Deux Terres, "Ja Ja" 2021

What has for the past decade or so been a hotbed of new(ish) Natural Wine producers, the Ardèche seems to draw inspiration from both at home & afar; that is, these producers just emerging onto the natural wine scene are both, as in the case of Anders Fredrik Steen, drawn to the region for its bountiful viticultural situation/potential, or, as in the case of this profile’s producer “Les Deux Terres,” are locals just now given license to make their own wine. Grapes have been grown in this beautiful region since seeming time immemorial – the gorges, canyons & valleys just west of the more internationally wine-famous Rhône Valley have housed the vine for since ancient Roman times. In fact, a valley just 20 minutes from our producer in the Ardèche was long labeled “Vallis Vinaria,” or, translated from the Latin, “Wine Valley.” So, who is “Les Deux Terres?” Meaning “Two Lands” or “Two Soils” Les Deux Terres is the unification/partnership between Vincnet Fargier & Manu Cunin who come from longtime grape-growing families in this area of the Ardèche whose M.O. had been, prior to 2009, selling their organic crop off to the local co-op. Having first met at Agriculture School in Aubenas in 1997, Vincent & Manu have long been friends. Working in the hamlet of Villeneuve-de-Berg (the heart of the Ardèche) on a limestone plateau to the south of the domineering basaltic Coiron Plateau and generally bounded by the Claduègne & Ibie Valleys. A special, tucked away sort of place in the midst of dramatic, broad, sky-width topographies. “Les Deux Terres” is squarely in the Natural Ardèche camp, working beside and drawing inspiration from colleagues, friends, & legends alike, like the aforementioned Anders Fredrik Steen as well as Le Mazel, Andrea Calek, Sylvain Bock, Domaine Ozil, Le Raisin et l’Ange – the list goes on.

A fresh and spritzy Grenache from the Ardèche. The grapes are hand-harvested and fermented whole cluster with wild yeasts in stainless steel. Aged briefly in tank and bottled unfined, unfiltered with no SO2.