Proper organic and biodynamic juice from the Loire Valley that’s had some time to settle in bottle and is drinking at its peak? Almost sounds too good to be true. But it isn’t. It’s right here, in the form of four cuvées from Domaine La Taupe. Dutch natural wine importer turned vigneron, Bertjan Mol, and his partner Nicole acquired the 8.5-hectare plot from French winemaker Bruno Allion in 2017, and they’ve carried on working the same “hands-off” way: long, slow ferments; no adds; no sulphur; no fining or filtration; all bottled by gravity. Real deal stuff that’s as ‘natural’ as natural gets, really.
The 2019 Surin Sauvignon Blanc is a sort of statement of intent, a high-toned and full-powered expression that hits you with scents of pineapple, dried flowers and orchard fruit, shot through with tropical perfume, a little butter and brioche and yeasty/oxy accents. (Double the fun with a magnum, if you dare.)
In 2020, they put out their very first rosé, Jules, made with gamay purchased from a neighbouring village and named after the German intern who helped bring it to life. Cute. The wine? Cracking. Brighter than bright. Crammed with all things red: cherries, cranberries, pomegranate, raspberry pastilles. Aged in tank for just six months. A low-ABV, high-NRG lip-smacker.
As for the reds, you won’t find a malbec out there quite like the 2020 Bruno, Bert & Co, which takes all the shrubby, scrubby dark berry fruit the variety is known for and turns the volume way up. So fresh! So fragrant! Minimal tannin, maximum pleasure. Malbec, is that really you in there? There’s a similar spark to the 2020 AK400, a gamay from 45-ish-year-old vines laced with purple flowers, forest fruit and carob flavours, all riding high on a sleek and flowing acid line. Did we forget to mention these were all under $50