Opi d'Aqui, Les Cliquets 2018

This is a beautiful, whisper of Grenache Noir from Phillippe Formentin of Opi d’Aqui, who works around Clermont l’Hérault in Southern France’s Languedoc. Named after the old click press used when Philippe started Opi d’Aqui. 

Tasting: High-funk heaven! Light red in the glass will have you thinking of Poulsard though the palate carries a bit more heft. What a delicate, lively wine. Strawberry, montmorency cherries (see: tart), chestnut and white chocolate. Structured but flexible - pair with your favorite Sade album (but you’re wrong if it’s not “Love Deluxe” :) ).

Vinification: 100% Grenache Noir hand-harvested in the early morning from old vines near the town of Vendémian (~16km SE of Clermont l’Hérault) grown in clay over limestone soil. The grapes undergo whole-cluster, cold fermentation (semi-carbonic maceration) over the course of 3 works. The juice is gently pressed off into stainless steel tanks where it ages for about 6 months. The wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered, with no additional SO2.