2020 Les Foulards Rouges 'Octobre'

Region: Languedoc-Roussillon < France

Grapes: 90% Syrah 10% Grenache

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Certified organic, granite soils; hand harvested, destemmed and 10 day carbonic maceration; 1 month élevage in demi-muids; bottled unfined/unfiltered with zero added SO2; zero-zero; 12% ABV

Winemaker: Jean-François Nicq

Syrah Nouveau from Jean-François Nicq, whose vineyards, close to the Balearic Sea with rocky, granite soils, produce glou glou wines of unusual delicacy and grace – an anomaly in general, but especially hard to find in these parts.  In fact, Jean-François is becoming well-known (in France, at least) for making some of the best, most drinkable and consistent natural wines. He studied geology before he pivoted to wine and went to school for oenology, where he met Thierry Puzelat who introduced him to the burgeoning natural wine movement with Marcel Lapierre and the whole infamous crew.  The rest is history...

Released every year in October (hence the name, Octobre), this semi-carbonic wine is pure joy.  Vibrant, fruit-forward, fun, a tad funky and super fresh, it's an explosion of red fruits, and a little bit spicy too -- like Beaujolais, but from the warmer south. It's an allocated wine, and we got a measly one case, which is sad, because this wine is smoking!

SERVE SLIGHTLY CHILLED