In what seems like only a matter of minutes, Daniel Sage has gone from a relative obscurity to a ‘must-know’ name in the natural wine world. Before he turned his hand to winemaking as a career in 2011, Sage was something of a garagiste hobbyist and a regular at wine fairs, having initially earned a diploma in metal work. These days he tends some three hectares of chardonnay, viognier, syrah, pinot noir and gamay on the cusp of the Ardèche and Haute-Loire the mountainous Northern Rhône, supplementing those plantings with purchases from like-minded growers nearby.
These wines are most certainly on that natural tip – the vineyard minded by hand and horse; the cellar work all performed manually, with no sulphur added whatsoever. Even so, they’re possessed not just of uncanny drinkability, but relentless purity, energy and flow. We’re fortunate to have six cuvées up for grabs in this year’s allocation, and here…they…are:
La Voix du Periscope 2021 – Perhaps the lightest and brightest of the lot – only 11% (!) – made with viognier purchased from Domaine les Deux Terres. Half direct-pressed, half kept on skins for a week. Breezy and tropical, with a stone fruit flavour that’s amplified tenfold by its chalky pucker and gingery, woody spice profile.
Un Trajet Inutile 2022 – Just a bit more push and pull going on here in this still mega-light (11.5%) skinsy blend of macerated chardonnay with viognier and pinot gris. Expect an oily rush of green apple, fleshy necartine, grilled nuts and a whiff of smoke tugged along by gentle but present gravelly tannin.
Grange Bara Blanc 2015 – One from the archives here! Straight roussanne from Le Ferme des Sept Lunes in St Joseph, and a total ripper. Honeyed richness lending depth to the palate of pears, bananas, quince and citrus peels, albeit with slightly Jura-like je ne sais quois and a laser beam of acid shooting through. Decant and live large.
Adam Contre le Beefsteack 2021 – Pinot noir is quite the outlier in this neck of the woods, but if this is any indication of what the region is capable of, then it probably shouldn’t be. Fruit from Domaine les Deux Terres once more, macerated in whole bunches for three weeks. Juicy with red fruit and high-toned as hell, but with underlying smokiness, bloody character and stony minerality. Shut the gate!
Nyctalopie Rouge 2021 – A staple in the Sage stable, which lets gamay infuse in the free-run pinot juice from le Beefsteack above, with maybe a bit of carignan in the mix. Think red berries, a lick of blood-orange acidity and lots of crunch; perfect for a light chill, in other words, but still given a sort of unassuming complexity from whispers of cracked pepper and pencil shavings.
Prospérité de l'Entreprise 2021 – More on the medium-bodied side of things than others, this is a blend of merlot and carignan from neighbours. Despite that added weight, drinkability remains through the roof in amongst the layers of blue fruit, cranberry, sarsaparilla, bramble and earth. More tannin, more mouth-coating texture, more to love!
As with all pre-sale items, orders are to be taken and paid for online only – no calls, DMs or holds of any kind. The bottles aren't currently in stock, but the minute we receive them, we'll get them to you as quickly as we can! Good? Good!