Stephan Thibault, "Bacchus" 2021

Brest is a city in the far northwest of France, a harbor town whose history is bound up in military history much moreso than viticultural history; this being said, the winegrower Stephan Thibault was born here before making his way south. A fascination with the vine and early, beguiling exposures to natural wine paired as an undeniable spur for curiosity’s evergreen flame. He was drawn to the Ardèche, that historical hotbed for the frontiers of natural wine, where the seeming inferno of creativity in this end of the viticultural world burns bright. Apprenticeships with some of the area’s foremost names allowed for the expedient morphing of solely passion into expertise driven by passion. Around 2015, Stephan felt it was time to take the plunge on his own & moved north to the Loire, more specifically to Puy-de-Notre Dame, a picturesque village of the Loire Valley’s Anjou, not far from Saumur. 4.5 hectares of vines later – split between Chenin Blanc (1/3) and Cabernet Franc (2/3) – and it was not long before Stephan was producing his first vintages of beautifully bright, zero/zero Loire staples. Bistro wines with a core of something more serious – perhaps derived from the famous Loire-specific limestone “tuffeau” soils – his range is as delicious as it is consistent. Wines you can count on.

Loire Valley, France. Sometimes there's nothing more comforting than a classic Loire Valley Cab Franc. Fermented whole cluster in cement tanks and aged for a few months before bottling. Unfined, unfiltered, no SO2. This is a crowd-pleasing, light, chillable bistro red for any dinner table and any occasion.