The Wine: Entre Chats 2019

This blend of light & bright juices is what Vincent calls “the little cuvée.” He blends a little bit of tannin and extraction with a little bit of crunch and spice, resulting in a demure bombshell of strawberry & dusty cherry notes. The name of the cuvée translates to an interweaving of distinct elements into something seamless and unified, in this case the assemblage of white and red grapes that change from vintage to vintage. Similarly, the classic ballet jump entrechat refers to the sensational crossing of the legs back and forth in rapid succession, a movement that evokes the way our hearts fluttered the first time we tasted this wine. Fittingly for a team of cat lovers, Entre Chats continues to make us purr. (source: Superglou)

The Producer: Les Maou'

In the heart of Gordes, an area better known for breezy vacationers than for soulful wines, Vincent and Aurélie Garreta are producing some of the most earnest, balanced, super glou glou we’ve ever tasted.

The couple is a true team whose warmth and radiance translates directly to the grapes they farm—Grenache, Clairette, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Aubun (a local variety on the verge of extinction), Cinsaut (spelled the ancient way, taking the lead of renowned ampélographe Pierre Galet)—and the people who help them. Come harvest, they employ eleven workers (eight women, three men) from 8am to 4pm for a period of 10-15 days, depending on the year.

The workers break for a pause at 10am (café and pâté, wine on “special days”) and then lunch in the vines a few hours later (“real local proper food + tasting wine”). After they’re done in the vines, they take turns accompanying Vincent to the chai in groups of 3-4. In the chai, they add grapes to the tanks and footstomp before they wash the boxes, relax with a cold beer around 7pm, and return to their campsite on a nearby farm (paid for by the Garretas). Vincent finishes the day by cleaning the chai and is usually home to Aurélie by 9pm.

Much of the juice undergoes semi-carbonic maceration and ferments in cement, at which point it is left to age until blended and bottled in the spring. The results are jewels of varying degrees of ruby-red: from the light and bright “Entre Chats” + “Au P’tit Bonheur” to the fresh and lively “Vaste Programme” + “L’un Dans L’autre” to the deeper, darker “Entre Les Gouttes” + “Hauts Les Coeurs !” — all sure to deliver un coup de foudre. (source: Superglou)

The Region: Provence