The new wines of Thierry Forestier are here! Among our favourite expressions of the Gard, Thierry continues to produce nimble, energetic wines without sacrificing depth of fruit.
2023 was a year with a bad frost and further bad hailstorms in Souvignargues, meaning we have a smaller range of wines from Thierry this year - the surviving fruit from the Altissima and Les Planques parcels has been blended into the Anatheme Rouge and Blanc cuvées, and we also have a brand new wine: Coquin De Sort.
With hail severely diminishing yields in the oldest-vine parcels Thierry picks for Puech Coucou and Altissima, he macerated fruit from these two parcels (80-year-old Cinsault and 70-year-old Grenache) together as whole bunches for 6 days before ageing on the lees in tank for 9 months.
The new arrivals are detailed below.
In the village of Souvignargues on clay and limestone, Thierry farms 12 hectares of native Gard varieties, having traded in his career in IT for that of a vigneron back in 2004. A friendship with Eric Pfifferling was the catalyst for working as gently as possible, minimal intervention in every sense of the word.
Farming old vines organically in co-planted parcels surrounded by forest, prioritising soil health and diversity, Thierry has become something of a luminary in the area. Now nearly twenty years into his journey, he's a champion of zero-sulphur winemaking and careful farming, he's helped fledgling growers with vinifications, lends a hand in re-training their vines back to traditional goblet pruning, or helping sourcing grapes when growers hit hard vintages.
In the cellar, Thierry keeps macerations short, whole bunches rarely stay in tanks for more than 5 days, presses are gentle, ageing is simple. A light touch is the order of the day in the cellar.
WHITE
2023 - Anatheme Blanc - Ugni Blanc, Carignan Gris
Featuring the old-vine Carignan Gris usually picked for Les Planques due to hail damage reducing yields. Pressed directly, aged on the lees in 400L barrels. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, a small addition of sulphur.
RED
2023 - Anatheme Rouge - Carignan, Aramon
Featuring the old-vine Aramon usually picked for Aramonix due to hail damage reducing yields. 5 day whole bunch maceration in fibreglass, aged 9 months in concrete before bottling with no additions.
2023 - Salve Ager - Grenache, Cinsault
(Magnums available)
From a single parcel, 5 day whole bunch maceration in fibreglass, aged 9 months in stainless steel before bottling unfined and unfiltered with a small addition of sulphur.
2023 - Coquin des Sorts - Cinsault, Grenache - 18.47
(Magnums available)
As detailed above, hand-harvested from the parcels usually picked Puech Coucou and Altissima due to hail damage reducing yields. Bringing together fruit from these two old-vine parcels (80 year-old Cinsault and 70-year-old Grenache) the two macerated as whole bunches for 6 days before ageing in tank for 9 months, bottled with no additions.