Concerto di Venezia, Jean-Pierre Robinot 2019

For lovers of real wine, the name Jean-Pierre Robinot and his story are legendary. He fell in love with wine at a young age, moved to Paris, met some of the natural wine movements true pioneers and subsequently opened one of the first bars dedicated to such wines in the city, L’Ange Vin and founded France’s premier journal on the topic, ‘Le Rouge et le Blanc’. It was only a matter of time before he could not resist the urge to join the vignerons he so loved and in the early two thousands he left Paris and moved with his wife Noella back to the village where he grew up in the very north of the Loire to do just that. 

The Robinots farm a total of seven hectares of land across two appellations, Jasnières and the Coteaux-du-Loir. The vines are planted over a mix of red clay, limestone and silex and are tended organically, with the majority of treatments coming in the form of infusions of wild plants such as nettles and ferns. Parcels are harvested by hand individually and fermentations take place in the labyrinth of ancient limestone caves beneath the vines. They go slow and steady and can often last months, even years. 

Pineau d’Aunis grown for Robinots by Philippe Tessier in the Touraine. The grapes were fermented as whole bunches before being pressed off to barrel for fifteen months and this immediately draws you in with a heady nose of wild strawberry and white pepper, while the palate offers lively fruit, a hint of tannin and plenty of refreshing acidity. As old school and vibrant as they come, there is an immediacy to this that is incredibly compelling.

Producer  Jean-Pierre Robinot

Origin Jasnières, Loire, France

Grapes Pineau d'Aunis

Vintage 2019

Alcohol 11.5% ABV

Style Fragrant light body red

Bottle size 750ml 

Winemaking Manual harvested, whole bunch pressed and fermented with indigenous yeast, aged for 15 months in old barrels. Unfiltred and unfined. No added sulphites.

Notes  Natural, Organic, Biodynamic