Les Maoù ‘Au P’tit Bonheur’ Rouge 2023
Location: France, Rhône
Winemaker: Vincent & Aurélie Garreta
Grapes: 70% Cinsault (50 years), 30% Grenache (30 years)
Soil: Alluvial soil, mixed
Winemaking: Indigenous yeasts. Grapes are crushed and macerate/ferment for three days before pressing. Aged for 2-3 months in stainless steel or resin tanks. No Fining or Filtering.
From the Importer Super Glou: ‘Au P’tit Bonheur’ is a very light expression of the Cinsaut grape variety (spelled the ancient way). Vincent believes a short maceration allows for the grape’s distinct flowery nose to finally take its seat at the proverbial table, balancing delicate aromas with intensely juicy, slightly carbonic notes on the palate. The slight sprinkle of Grenache serves as a sort of fairy dust, adding length to guarantee a happy finish in your mouth.
In the heart of Gordes, an area better known for breezy vacationers than for soulful wines, Vincent and Aurélie Garreta are producing some of the most earnest, balanced, super glou glou we’ve ever tasted.
The couple is a true team whose warmth and radiance translates directly to the grapes they farm—Grenache, Clairette, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Aubun (a local variety on the verge of extinction), Cinsaut (spelled the ancient way, taking the lead of renowned ampélographe Pierre Galet)—and the people who help them. Come harvest, they employ eleven workers (eight women, three men) from 8am to 4pm for a period of 10-15 days, depending on the year.
The workers break for a pause at 10am (café and pâté, wine on “special days”) and then lunch in the vines a few hours later (“real local proper food + tasting wine”). After they’re done in the vines, they take turns accompanying Vincent to the chai in groups of 3-4. In the chai, they add grapes to the tanks and footstomp before they wash the boxes, relax with a cold beer around 7pm, and return to their campsite on a nearby farm (paid for by the Garretas). Vincent finishes the day by cleaning the chai and is usually home to Aurélie by 9pm.
Much of the juice undergoes semi-carbonic maceration and ferments in cement, at which point it is left to age until blended and bottled in the spring. The results are jewels of varying degrees of ruby-red: from the light and bright “Entre Chats” + “Au P’tit Bonheur” to the fresh and lively “Vaste Programme” + “L’un Dans L’autre” to the deeper, darker “Entre Les Gouttes” + “Hauts Les Coeurs !” — all sure to deliver un coup de foudre.
Location: France, Rhône
Winemaker: Vincent & Aurélie Garreta
Grapes: 70% Cinsault (50 years), 30% Grenache (30 years)
Soil: Alluvial soil, mixed
Winemaking: Indigenous yeasts. Grapes are crushed and macerate/ferment for three days before pressing. Aged for 2-3 months in stainless steel or resin tanks. No Fining or Filtering.
From the Importer Super Glou: ‘Au P’tit Bonheur’ is a very light expression of the Cinsaut grape variety (spelled the ancient way). Vincent believes a short maceration allows for the grape’s distinct flowery nose to finally take its seat at the proverbial table, balancing delicate aromas with intensely juicy, slightly carbonic notes on the palate. The slight sprinkle of Grenache serves as a sort of fairy dust, adding length to guarantee a happy finish in your mouth.
In the heart of Gordes, an area better known for breezy vacationers than for soulful wines, Vincent and Aurélie Garreta are producing some of the most earnest, balanced, super glou glou we’ve ever tasted.
The couple is a true team whose warmth and radiance translates directly to the grapes they farm—Grenache, Clairette, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Aubun (a local variety on the verge of extinction), Cinsaut (spelled the ancient way, taking the lead of renowned ampélographe Pierre Galet)—and the people who help them. Come harvest, they employ eleven workers (eight women, three men) from 8am to 4pm for a period of 10-15 days, depending on the year.
The workers break for a pause at 10am (café and pâté, wine on “special days”) and then lunch in the vines a few hours later (“real local proper food + tasting wine”). After they’re done in the vines, they take turns accompanying Vincent to the chai in groups of 3-4. In the chai, they add grapes to the tanks and footstomp before they wash the boxes, relax with a cold beer around 7pm, and return to their campsite on a nearby farm (paid for by the Garretas). Vincent finishes the day by cleaning the chai and is usually home to Aurélie by 9pm.
Much of the juice undergoes semi-carbonic maceration and ferments in cement, at which point it is left to age until blended and bottled in the spring. The results are jewels of varying degrees of ruby-red: from the light and bright “Entre Chats” + “Au P’tit Bonheur” to the fresh and lively “Vaste Programme” + “L’un Dans L’autre” to the deeper, darker “Entre Les Gouttes” + “Hauts Les Coeurs !” — all sure to deliver un coup de foudre.
Location: France, Rhône
Winemaker: Vincent & Aurélie Garreta
Grapes: 70% Cinsault (50 years), 30% Grenache (30 years)
Soil: Alluvial soil, mixed
Winemaking: Indigenous yeasts. Grapes are crushed and macerate/ferment for three days before pressing. Aged for 2-3 months in stainless steel or resin tanks. No Fining or Filtering.
From the Importer Super Glou: ‘Au P’tit Bonheur’ is a very light expression of the Cinsaut grape variety (spelled the ancient way). Vincent believes a short maceration allows for the grape’s distinct flowery nose to finally take its seat at the proverbial table, balancing delicate aromas with intensely juicy, slightly carbonic notes on the palate. The slight sprinkle of Grenache serves as a sort of fairy dust, adding length to guarantee a happy finish in your mouth.
In the heart of Gordes, an area better known for breezy vacationers than for soulful wines, Vincent and Aurélie Garreta are producing some of the most earnest, balanced, super glou glou we’ve ever tasted.
The couple is a true team whose warmth and radiance translates directly to the grapes they farm—Grenache, Clairette, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Aubun (a local variety on the verge of extinction), Cinsaut (spelled the ancient way, taking the lead of renowned ampélographe Pierre Galet)—and the people who help them. Come harvest, they employ eleven workers (eight women, three men) from 8am to 4pm for a period of 10-15 days, depending on the year.
The workers break for a pause at 10am (café and pâté, wine on “special days”) and then lunch in the vines a few hours later (“real local proper food + tasting wine”). After they’re done in the vines, they take turns accompanying Vincent to the chai in groups of 3-4. In the chai, they add grapes to the tanks and footstomp before they wash the boxes, relax with a cold beer around 7pm, and return to their campsite on a nearby farm (paid for by the Garretas). Vincent finishes the day by cleaning the chai and is usually home to Aurélie by 9pm.
Much of the juice undergoes semi-carbonic maceration and ferments in cement, at which point it is left to age until blended and bottled in the spring. The results are jewels of varying degrees of ruby-red: from the light and bright “Entre Chats” + “Au P’tit Bonheur” to the fresh and lively “Vaste Programme” + “L’un Dans L’autre” to the deeper, darker “Entre Les Gouttes” + “Hauts Les Coeurs !” — all sure to deliver un coup de foudre.