{"title":"Le Sot de l'Ange","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe name Le Sot de l'Ange translates roughly as the Idiot Angel, a self-deprecating joke that contains a real truth: Quentin Bourse works with a kind of guileless commitment to his vines and cellar that most winemakers would consider impractical. He sorts his grapes four times. He presses for five hours or more. He is, by most accounts, a force of nature in the small Touraine village of Azay-le-Rideau.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eQuentin Bourse arrived in Azay-le-Rideau in 2013 when he took over a friend's estate in time for that year's harvest. Before that, he had worked widely in the wine world, including internships with both natural and conventional producers and a formative six-month stage at Domaine Huet in Vouvray, one of the Loire's most celebrated Chenin Blanc estates. His wife Angélique works alongside him as co-owner of the domaine.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore on how they farm and work in the cellar in our \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/natural-wine-producers-primal-wine\/le-sot-de-lange\"\u003eLe Sot de l'Ange producer profile\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"aziaum-rouge-le-sot-de-lange-cot-loire-france-natural-wine","title":"Le Sot de l'Ange Aziaum Rouge 2015","description":"\u003cp\u003eAziaum Rouge is a single-parcel wine from the Jardin à la Boulaudière vineyard in Azay-le-Rideau, Touraine. It is made from 100% Côt — the Loire Valley name for Malbec — grown on clay over silica soils above a tuffeau limestone bedrock. The estate is certified biodynamic under Demeter and AB France. Sold as Vin de France, as the Touraine Azay-le-Rideau AOC covers only white and rosé wines.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eQuentin Bourse harvests by hand in multiple passes with a crew of around 25, sorting the grapes four times before fermentation. All reds at Le Sot de l'Ange undergo whole-cluster fermentation with indigenous yeasts, and zero sulfur is added during the winemaking process. This cuvée is aged in terracotta amphora, which imparts texture and oxygen micro-exchange without introducing wood tannins or oak flavor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 2015 vintage in the Loire delivered warm, dry conditions that produced ripe, concentrated fruit with good structure. At 14% ABV, this is a fuller expression of Loire Côt — darker and more structured than the entry-level blends from the domaine — reflecting both the specific Jardin à la Boulaudière parcel and the warmth of the growing season.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Le Sot de l'Ange","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":13233192992823,"sku":"LESOAZRO15C","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/aziaum-rouge-le-sot-de-lange-cot-loire-france-natural-wine_49dd7486-1a8a-4c0f-aaef-712cde00e3c4.jpg?v=1780659905"},{"product_id":"malolactix-rouge-le-sot-de-lange-red-wine-loire-france-natural-wine","title":"Le Sot de l'Ange Malolactix Rouge 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003eMalolactix Rouge is a Gamay and Grolleau blend from Quentin Bourse's biodynamic estate in Azay-le-Rideau, a small commune in the Touraine subzone of the Loire Valley. Because Grolleau is not permitted in any Loire red wine AOC, this wine is bottled as Vin de France. It is fermented in tank with no sulfur added at any stage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrolleau is one of the Loire's only truly indigenous red grapes. In most hands it produces high-acid, light-bodied wine best suited to rosé. At low yields and in natural winemaking settings, it delivers sour-cherry brightness and a slightly herbaceous grip that works well with the rounder fruit of Gamay. The combination here stays lean and tart rather than plush.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the cellar, Bourse sorts grapes four times before whole-cluster fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Aging takes place in tank, keeping the wine fresh and unencumbered by oak. The result is light-bodied, high-acid, and drinks best with a slight chill. The 2018 vintage produced a wine that tasters describe as crunchy, tart, and juicy with mild earthiness and a touch of funkiness typical of no-sulfur reds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe estate covers approximately twelve hectares on clay and silica soils over a Tuffeau limestone bedrock, the same geology that characterizes the Touraine region. Bourse obtained biodynamic certification, which is rare in Azay-le-Rideau, and limits copper sulfur sprayings to 500 grams per year, roughly 75 percent less than the regional norm.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Le Sot de l'Ange","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":13715709034551,"sku":"LESOROUG18C","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/malolactix-rouge-le-sot-de-lange-red-wine-loire-france-natural-wine.jpg?v=1780662816"},{"product_id":"pinot-noir-le-sot-de-lange-loire-valley-france-natural-wine","title":"Le Sot de l'Ange Pinot Noir 2016","description":"\u003cp\u003eQuentin and Angélique Bourse produce this Pinot Noir from their estate in Azay-le-Rideau, a village in the Touraine sub-region of the Loire Valley. The vines grow in clay over silica soils with exposed silex stones, over a Tuffeau limestone bedrock that regulates water and mineral supply. The estate is certified biodynamic under Demeter and AB France, with copper sulfur use limited to 500 grams per year.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe wine is made entirely without added sulfur. After hand-harvesting in multiple passes and four rounds of sorting, the grapes undergo a ten-day maceration without carbonic technique, followed by élevage in tronconic vats. Indigenous yeasts are used throughout fermentation. The result is a Vin de France-labeled Pinot Noir that carries the cool-climate mineral character of the Loire rather than the richness of Burgundy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the glass, the wine shows a pale ruby with bright red fruit, earthy undertones, and a lively, food-friendly acidity. Tannins are fine-grained and supple. At 12% ABV, it is light on its feet and easy to drink young, though the clay-silex terroir adds enough structure for a few years of cellaring.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Le Sot de l'Ange","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":13715737509943,"sku":"LESOPINONVC","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/pinot-noir-le-sot-de-lange-loire-valley-france-natural-wine.jpg?v=1780662880"},{"product_id":"trollinger-le-sot-de-lange-loire-france-natural-wine","title":"Le Sot de l'Ange Trollinger 2016","description":"\u003cp\u003eTrollinger, also known as Schiava or Vernatsch, is a grape with roots in South Tyrol that found its most prominent home in Germany's Württemberg region. Quentin Bourse of Le Sot de l'Ange planted it as Vin de France in Azay-le-Rideau, Touraine, where the soils shift between perruches (flinty clay), aubuis (warm clay-limestone), and aeolian sands over a Tuffeau limestone bedrock. Growing Trollinger outside its native Württemberg is a deliberate experiment in terroir translation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrapes are harvested by hand into small crates and destemmed by hand before pressing. Fermentation takes place in a tronconic vat using indigenous yeasts. Just 1g\/liter of SO2 is added at bottling, with nothing added during the winemaking process. The result is as unmanipulated as red wine gets.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the glass, this is a pale, transparent ruby. The nose leads with sour cherry, wild strawberry, and a thread of dried flowers. The palate is light-bodied with precise, electric acidity, minimal tannin, and a clean, dry finish. This is not a weighty wine; it is a precise one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBourse took over the estate in time for the 2013 vintage after stages at producers including Domaine Huet in Vouvray. His vineyards covering approximately 12 hectares are certified biodynamic, which is rare in Azay-le-Rideau. Copper sulfur spraying is limited to 500 grams per year, roughly 75% less than typical regional use.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Le Sot de l'Ange","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":13715791282231,"sku":"LESOTROLNVC","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/trollinger-le-sot-de-lange-loire-france-natural-wine.jpg?v=1780662941"},{"product_id":"la-boutanche-rose-le-sot-de-lange-natural-wine","title":"Le Sot de l'Ange La Boutanche Rosé 2020","description":"\u003cp\u003eLes Sot de l'Ange Rosé 2020.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Le Sot de l'Ange","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42122603299032,"sku":"BOUTROSE20C","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/products\/la-boutanche-white-natural-wine-primal-wine.jpg?v=1780185251"}],"url":"https:\/\/primalwine.com\/collections\/le-sot-de-l-ange.oembed","provider":"Primal Wine","version":"1.0","type":"link"}