Domaine Courtault-Tardieux Touraine AOC Rouge 2018

Simon Tardieux partnered with his mentor and neighbor, Alain Courtault, to create the Domaine Courtault-Tardieux in 2009. Following Alain’s retirement in 2020, Simon paid the mentorship forward in partnering with another Touraine native Jérôme Gal, a former vineyard worker on the estate. Since 2021, the domaine is now known as Tardieux-Gal. Their vineyards have been farmed organically since 1998. Though primarily focusing on white wines, they produce a small amount of delicious red as well. This cuvée “tradition” always consists of a blend of gamay and côt (the regional name for malbec); the relative percentage changes year to year. The 2018 takes the two varieties in equal measure. Hand harvested from very small vineyard plots planted on clay-limestone and clay-slate soils, it undergoes a short maceration (whole-cluster for the gamay, while the côt is destemmed) and malolactic fermentation. The blend spends six months in fiberglass before being bottled without fining. The result is a delightfully light, clean, juicy bistro-style red. Certified organic, low-intervention/natural wine, vegan.