u/glouglouguy

First time trying Gilles' wines and this was simply stunning!

This is a cuvee from Ardèche winemaker Gilles Azzoni who had been making zero/zero wine since 2000 under his Le Raisin et l’Ange project. Gilles originally worked in the Beaune in the late 70s before moving to the Ardèche to take over a farm growing hybrid vines in 1983 that happened to be on a really nice layer of limestone. He planted some vines of Viognier, Grenache and Syrah and by 2000 he was farming everything organically and using no chemicals including sulphur in the wines. Gilles ended his estate wine production in 2023 and currently make negoce wines sourced from organic co-ops in Auvergne and Ardèche with Gilles' son Antonin taking charge.

This wine ‘Monteau’ is a lightly macerated white blend of Marsanne, Muscat and Petit Manseng made with no fining, filtering or other additions. It was tart and juicy with tons of citrus fruit, pureed apple, new leather and a bouquet of white flowers followed by a long fruity and freshwater lake mineral finish. 

A really unique style of skin-contact white that felt insanely fresh and nuanced like a saltier Matassa skin-contact with the aromatics leaning more into orchard fruits. I wish I could have bought more of this wine when I did because this was spectacular stuff!

Been meaning to try J-Cs wines for a while and they are fantastic. The knowledge gained from working with Mark Angeli definitely shows in how nuanced and structured both cuvees show in their youth and J-C shows a great balance of nuanced terroir and intensity in his recent wines.

'24 Roche Bezigon: Whole bunch pressed with 10% of grapes seeing skin contact for 19 days and then 7 months of elevage in concrete on its own lees. Banana candies, tart yellow plum and daffodils with a touch of wool and oiliness that lies somewhere fatter than, say, Damien Bureau but a touch less sleek than Babass' Brutal Chenin. Still very young and has a lot of potential even in such a tough year for the Layon.

'25 Nouettes: Estate Pineau D'Aunis blended with Babass' estate Grolleau done 'Nouveau' style with bottling shortly after fermentation ended. Plum and currant jelly, almost like a Polish Pączki donut filling, fresh and dried herbs and some dusty tannin. So much depth for the ABV and goes to show that '25 Layon reds are going to be a vintage to remember by the middle of the next decade and beyond.