Le Temps des Cerises Jalava 2023

Le Temps des Cerises is a small, highly regarded natural wine estate based in the Languedoc region of southern France. Founded by Axel Prüfer, a German-born winemaker, the estate has become a prominent name in the natural wine movement. Prüfer established the winery in 2003 after leaving his native East Germany in search of a life closer to nature. His winemaking approach is rooted in minimal intervention, allowing the grapes and terroir to express themselves with as little manipulation as possible.

Axel farms about 8.5 hectares of vineyards, focusing on grape varieties such as Cinsault, Carignan, and Grenache, which thrive in the granite and quartz-rich soils of the Upper Languedoc. The estate is situated near La Tour-sur-Orb, in the wild, forested hills that serve as a natural buffer against chemical sprays from neighboring vineyards. The philosophy at Le Temps des Cerises is extreme in its dedication to organic and biodynamic practices. Axel's unwavering commitment to using no synthetic chemicals in the vineyard and allowing the wines to ferment spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, with no filtration, no fining, and zero added sulfur, ensures that his wines are a pure reflection of the land and vintage​.

Prüfer's wines, such as La Capitulation Ne Paie Pas! and Avanti Popolo, are known for their light, fresh, and vibrant character, often made with short carbonic maceration to preserve fruitiness and minimize tannic extraction. These wines are loved for their playful energy, low alcohol content, and easy drinkability, often served chilled like a rosé.

One of France's more overlooked wine-growing regions, Languedoc-Roussillion — a massive historical territory that spans from the coastal border with Spain to the coastline of Provence in southeastern France — now offers some of the highest-quality red and white wines. An area once known for generic bulk wine production – more than a third of French wine output is here – viticulture in the Languedoc-Roussillion (also known simply as "The Languedoc") has evolved significantly over the past 30 years. At the same time, winemakers have maintained their historic focus on varietal blending without the strict winemaking rules and with creative freedom not found in Burgundy and Bordeaux.