Distillerie Cazottes "Champêtre" Rouge 2017

Producer: Distillerie Cazottes

Region: Tarn, France

Varietal: Braucol, Duras, Syrah

Distillerie Cazottes is a force of nature, crafting works of beauty in both the still and the barrel. Their diversified operation is organically farmed, incorporating both viticulture and traditional agriculture. In addition to vines, they cultivate pear trees, truffle oaks (for wild-harvested truffles), saffron, sunflowers, wheat, barley, oats, hay, and aromatic botanicals for the production of essential oils.

The vines themselves vary in age, averaging around 20 years. Cazottes focuses its attention on native varietals, including Braucol, Duras, and the better known Syrah (the official origins of the latter are up to debate, but Syrah has had a home in France for long enough to consider it a staple feature).

In addition to wine, Cazottes crafts artisanal and eccentric liqueurs and aperitifs. Some are made from unexpected ingredients, such as cedrat (an ancient, cold-hardy citrus) and quince, while others are more traditional, featuring elderflower and black walnut.

Their Champêtre takes its name from the French word for "rural" or "Pastoral". It speaks to rustic, everyday charm, to the appreciation of small things, and to the beauty of hard work. Fermented using native yeasts in stainless steel, like is a fruit-forward, lighter-bodied rendition of a classic Southern French red blend.