Pauline Broqua.

Greetings from sunny and idyllic Maine, where Jennifer Green and I are slaving away on tasting notes for all the great new wines that have been arriving the past few weeks. Today is a bright and easy one from everybody’s favorite winemaker: Pauline Broqua. I love, you love, he/she/they loves these delicate wines from the Aveyron, which are only getting better year after year. Pauline is settling into her estate and coming up with bolder, more energetic wines. Two new ones today: one juicy, young red, and another more serious wine to float on a summer breeze. 

AOP Entraygues e Le Fel “Prima Vera” 2020 (Fer Servadou/Cab Franc)

Very short maceration (primeur-style) of these two cousin varieties. This is a garden wine to cool you off with some crunchy red fruit all summer long. We got as much as we can, so definitely something you can work with for a longer stretch.

AOP Entraygues e Le Fel “De toute façon le vent Souffle” 2019 (Fer Servadou/Cab Franc/Negret de Banhars)

Anyway the wind blows. Pretty, no? So is the wine. Whole clusters are placed in a vat, then trampled by foot. It macerates for 10 days, then slowly pressed to finish fermentation in cuve. After that? 12 months in demi-muid. One of her best, most realized cuvees yet.