Julien Courtois, "Ancestral"

Côt, Gamay & Gascon - 2019 A very fine red, as always driven by fruit aromas, with notes of blackcurrant and elderberry... But this is also highly structured, with well-blended tannins, silky and balanced... Superb intensity. It’s a great big cat that would happily be laid down to nap a few months in your cellar before coming out to play! Blend of 45% Côt (also known as Malbec) planted in 2003, 45% ungrafted Gamay planted in 1978, and 10% Gascon planted in 2006. Grapes harvested manually at full maturity and controlled yields. Vinification: 100% destemmed, one week of maceration with a few punch-downs or pump-overs, matured for 15 months in old barrels. Bottled in Spring 2021. The label of this wine is a Maori design drawn by Heidi Kuka, Julien’s partner. Unfined. Low added SO2.