2021 La Lanterne Rouge

The twenty-year-old Clos Fantine in Faugères is run by the three siblings Corine, Carole and Olivier Andrieu. Most of the domaine was founded by their father, who never made use of conventional agriculture and its pesticides. After the father’s death, the children released their first vintage in 2000.

Clos Fantine consists of a total of 33 hectares. The vines are up to 100 years old with local varieties such as Carignan, Cinsault, Aramon, Terret etc. on slate soil at an altitude of 100-300 meters. The soil is not plowed, which introduces insects and other living organisms thus creating a natural ecosystem. The exposure of the vineyards varies, which means that the grapes ripen and are hand-harvested at different times.

In the cellar, work is done in the same way as in the vineyards. 80% is destemmed and the maceration lasts about seven days with the help of naturally occurring yeast from the various micro-terroirs. After this the wine ferments for 10 to 45 days depending on the grape variety and the vintage itself. All varieties are vinified separately and only blended after 12 months of aging, after which they aged for another 6-12 months. The wine is neither fined nor filtered.

The three siblings rely on the terroir, the work in the vineyards and the simple vinification. It gives them confidence that the wine, no matter what, will reach a perfect balance when it has been in the bottle for long enough. The wines are pure and made completely without manipulation perfectly expressing the terroir that they come from in their own distinct way.