{"title":"Andrea Calek","description":"\u003cp\u003eAndrea Calek did not set out to become a winemaker. Born in Czechoslovakia, he left to avoid military service in 1989, drifted across Europe, and only stayed in France because he met someone there. The Ardèche kept him.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCalek learned the craft from some of natural wine's most respected names. He trained under Gérald Oustric at Domaine du Mazel, the godfather of Ardèche natural wine, and worked with Guy Breton in Beaujolais and Dominique Hauvette in Provence, where he helped convert the estate to biodynamics. He began farming his own land in Alba-la-Romaine in 2007. His partner Stephana Nicolescu joined the project in 2016.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore on how they farm and work in the cellar in our \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/natural-wine-producers-primal-wine\/andrea-calek-czech-winemaker-ardeche-natural-wine-pioneer\"\u003eAndrea Calek producer profile\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"babiole-andrea-calek-rhone-natural-wine-primal-wine","title":"Andrea Calek Babiole 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003eBabiole is a red blend from Andrea Calek's estate in Alba-la-Romaine, in the southern Ardèche. The 2018 is made from Grenache and Syrah grown on calcareous clay soils, with vines ranging from 20 to 60 years old. It carries the IGP Coteaux de l'Ardèche designation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrapes are hand-harvested and macerated on skins for approximately 10 days, then fermented spontaneously with native yeasts. No sulfites are added at any point. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered, keeping it as close to the vineyard as possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe name Babiole translates roughly as 'bauble' or 'trifle' in French — a self-deprecating label for a wine that punches well above that description. Expect bright red fruit, earthy undertones, a savory spice note, and enough grip to hold the wine together through a meal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrink soon after opening. Like most zero-zero wines from Calek, it does not hold well overnight.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Andrea Calek","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34693545263256,"sku":"CALEBABI18C","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/products\/andrea-calek-babiole-natural-wine-primal-wine.jpg?v=1780187117"},{"product_id":"chatons-de-garde-andrea-calek-syrah-natural-wine","title":"Andrea Calek Chatons de Garde 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003eChatons de Garde is Andrea Calek's barrel-aged Syrah from his 5-hectare estate in Alba-la-Romaine, southern Ardeche. The vines are 25 to 55 years old, planted in calcareous clay soils between the villages of Valvigneres and Alba-la-Romaine. The estate is Ecocert certified and farmed without synthetic inputs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhole bunches undergo a 21-day carbonic maceration, then the wine is aged in old 228-litre Burgundy barrels that have seen anywhere from 12 to 20 previous uses. This approach extracts texture and fruit without imposing oak character. No sulfites are added at any stage; the wine goes to bottle unfined and unfiltered.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 2018 is labeled Vin de France, giving Calek flexibility outside the IGP framework. It shows the structured, food-driven side of his range: firm but fine tannins, lively acidity, and a profile that lands somewhere between a northern Rhone Syrah and something wilder and more immediate.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChatons de Garde translates loosely as 'guardian kittens,' named for the cats that roam the estate. The back label reads 'Deconseille aux chiennes' ('Not recommended for female dogs') a characteristic provocation from Calek.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Andrea Calek","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":34693670174872,"sku":"CALEGARD18C","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/products\/andrea-calek-chatons-de-garde-natural-wine-primal-wine.jpg?v=1630818024"}],"url":"https:\/\/primalwine.com\/collections\/andrea-calek.oembed","provider":"Primal Wine","version":"1.0","type":"link"}