2014 Agarrus IGP Cevennes La Vigne du Facteur

Region: Cevennes < Rhone Valley < France  
Grapes: Grenache, Syrah, Carignan
Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Organic farming, 20 – 30 year-old vines; clay-limestone soils; destemmed, maceration for 21 days, elevage in steel tank; minimal SO2 at bottling; 333 cases; 13.5% ABV
Winemaker: Serge Scherrer

Serge Scherrer is perhaps the world’s only winemaking, bicycling postman. In the morning, he makes his rounds to deliver the mail on his bike, and afternoons he works in the vineyards and in his garage cellar to make a few tiny-production wines, everything done by hand. He grew up surrounded by the great vineyards of Alsace and dreamt of making his own wine, but vineyard land there was scarce and very expensive, and Serge had neither connections nor money. So he began a career as a postman instead. Fast forward to 2000 — Serge and his young family are transferred to Uzès, a small town in the Gard region of southern France, the biggest viticultural region in the world. For decades it was the source of cheap table wines, but by the late ’90’s land prices had fallen dramatically and Serge was able to buy some 4 hectares on his postman salary and finally realize his dream of making wine. And you can taste his passion and joy in this wine – it’s like a big hug of a wine for Grenache lovers, but with soul and acidity to balance the fruit.