COUNTRY :
France
REGION :
Languedoc
PRODUCTION :
Jean-François Nicq of Les Foulards Rouges spent 12 years working in Côtes du Rhône, before settling in the Rousillion village of Montesquieu-les-Albères in 2001. With a degree in geology and oenology, followed by an introduction to the burgeoning natural wine movement by friends Thierry Puzelat, Marcel Lapierre and company, Jean-François found himself purchasing 9 ha of vines with the aim to produce clean and highly drinkable wines. Just six miles from the Mediterranean Sea and three miles from the Spanish border, Jean-François’s (now) 20 ha of vines rest on the French side of the historical Catalogne, with the Pyrénées mountains in close view.
His vineyards are composed of multiple plots. On the lower, flatter part are mostly decomposed sandier soil producing his lighter, easy-to-drink cuveés. On the hillside, about 100 meters up, are his isolated single plots: Frida, Les Vilains, Les Glaneurs, Grenache, which lie directly on the bedrock with barely any topsoil and show more density. The soils are lightly worked with the help of his sweet mule, Uma, and in the cellar Jean-François keeps things simple and precise. As a result, his wines are a rare expression of this region, always able to retain so much freshness without compromising complexity.

Octobre
Region: Montesquieu-les-Albères
Grape: Grenache, Syrah
Vineyard Size:
Soil: granitic gneiss
Average Age of Vines: 80 years
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: Whole Cluster Fermentation
Aging: 500-liter used barrels
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none

Potemkine
Region: Montesquieu-les-Albères
Grape: Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc
Vineyard Size:
Soil: granite
Average Age of Vines: 5 years
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: Whole Cluster Fermentation for 10 days
Aging: 6 months of élevage in 500-liter old barrels
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none

Le Fond de l’air est Rouge
Region: Montesquieu-les-Albères
Grape: Cinsault
Vineyard Size:
Soil: sandy gravel over granite
Average Age of Vines: 80 years
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: Whole Cluster Fermentation for 7 days, free run and press juices are blended
Aging: 6 months in neutral oak
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none

Grenache
Region: Montesquieu-les-Albères
Grape: Grenache
Vineyard Size:
Soil: sandy gravel over granite
Average Age of Vines: 100 years
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: Whole-cluster fermentation
Aging: 500-liter used barrels
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none

Glaneurs
Region: Montesquieu-les-Albères
Grape: Grenache
Vineyard Size:
Soil: granite
Average Age of Vines: 50 years
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: 50% De-stemmed, 50% Whole-cluster carbonic, both macerated for 3 weeks, free run and press juices are blended
Aging: 6 months in barrel
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none

La Soif du Mal Rouge
Region: Montesquieu-les-Albères
Grape: Grenache, Mourvèdre
Vineyard Size:
Soil: granite
Average Age of Vines: 5-10 year-old grenache, 60-year-old mourvèdre
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: Whole Cluster Fermentation for 15 days. All the free run and press juices are blended
Aging:
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none