This beautiful expression of Pineau d’Aunis comes from vines both young and old, planted over a complex blend of clay, limestone and silex. The grapes were fermented as whole bunches for a couple of weeks before being pressed off to old barrels for a year of élevage. From a cooler vintage, this is lighter, brighter and more delicately perfumed than in recent years. Compact and elegant, it is heady with pink peppercorns and wild strawberries, the fruit framed by the neatest of tannins and a cascade of minerals. This is the grape at its most immediate and compelling.