Les Enfants Sauvages Bouche Bee Cotes Catalanes Rouge 2020
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Why Les Enfants Sauvages? Simply put, as a tribute to Jim Morrison and The Doors. The duo behind the wines drew inspiration from The Doors’ song “Wild Child”—about finding salvation in the wild state of nature—and they took the French translation for their name.
Nikolaus and Carolin Bantlin are originally from Germany but fell in love with the south, rock climbing and biking. They discovered a large sheep pasture in Fitou, France with a small number of vines around that inspired them to start making wines.
Nikolaus has been studying anthroposophy for a long time and had worked on biodynamic farms after studying at one of Rudolf Steiner’s schools in Germany. The conversion to organic in 2001 was very smooth and they released their first vintage in 2003 with access to Olivier Pithon’s cellar.
2004 marked a new phase for Les Enfants Sauvages; their craft winery was ready for full production and 9 hectares of vines had come to maturity. The vineyards at Les Enfants Sauvages are hidden by the surrounding garigue and with no neighbors in sight. The only threat is the overgrowth of vegetation, as well as wild pigs that are kept out of the vineyards by kilometers of stone walls that the Bantlin’s built.
With the vibrant growth around the vineyard, beneficial insects and birds naturally maintain the pest populations. Freshness and finesse are the key terms at Les Enfants Sauvages. The wines are never over-extracted as there is no pumping and only gentle handling of fruit and wines. This means the wines are full of energy and very approachable.
The freshness is due in part to their proximity to the Mediterranean five kilometers away. Goblet pruning protects the clusters and ensures that the berries achieve an even ripeness and never get cooked by the sun and lose their natural acidity – all key factors because Les Enfants Sauvages never adds to their wines except a small amount of sulfites.
Full of ripe fruit, and robust, earthy goodness, Mourvèdre is actually of Spanish provenance, where it still goes by the name Monastrell or Mataro. It is better associated however, with the Red Blends of the Rhône, namely Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Mourvèdre shines on its own in Bandol and is popular both as a single varietal wine in blends in the New World regions of Australia, California and Washington. Somm Secret—While Mourvèdre has been in California for many years, it didn’t gain momentum until the 1980s when a group of California winemakers inspired by the wines of the Rhône Valley finally began to renew a focus on it.
A sunny land braced by the influence of the Mediterranean Sea, the South of France extends from the French Riviera in the East to the rugged and mountainous Spanish border in the West. This expansive and stunning region remains the source of France's finest rosé and fortified wines, while the red and white wines continue to gain respect.
Provence, located farthest east, is revered for dry, elegant and quenching rosé wines, which make up the vast majority of the region’s production. These are typically blends of Mourvèdre, Grenache, Cinsault, Tibouren and other varieties.
Moving west from the Rhône Valley, spanning the Mediterranean coast to the Pyrenees mountains of Roussillon, Languedoc’s terrain is generally flat coastal plains. Virtually every style of wine is made in Languedoc; most dry wines are blends with varietal choice strongly influenced by the neighboring Rhône Valley.
Bordered by the rugged eastern edge of the Pyrenees Mountains and intense sunshine, Roussillon is largely defined by Spanish influence. The arid, exposed, steep and uneven valleys of the Pyrénées-Orientales zone guarantee that grape yields are low and berries are small and concentrated. While historically recognized for the vins doux naturels of Rivesaltes, Banyuls and Maury, the region’s dry reds are beginning to achieve the notoriety the deserve.
A catchall term for the area surrounding the Languedoc and Roussillon, Pays d’Oc is the most important IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée) in France, producing nearly all of France’s wine under the IGP designation.