2021 Skin-Contact - Rafling

Frédéric Cossard is not just an extremely entertaining person with a huge personality. His talent as a winemaker is also undeniable and his perfectionism is almost manic when he produces top Burgundies year after year completely without the addition of sulphur.

Fred worked for many years as a “courtier” in Burgundy (the intermediary between winegrowers and négociants), which has given him an impressive network and has built up long-standing relationships of trust with the winegrowers that he buys grapes from. This ensures him continuity from year to year and grapes of an exceptional quality. Fred has a background in dairy production and has applied the precision and hygiene standards of his former trade into his wine production to make wine without the use of sulphur.

Whole clusters are pressed directly for his white wines that undergo fermentation and subsequent storage in cement eggs or qvevris without stirring of the lees (batônnage). The red wines are also always made from whole clusters that undergo a long but very gentle maceration in large open wooden barrels without temperature control (up to 42 days provided that the vintage allows it) with subsequent storage in cement eggs or qvevris. The style is juicy, vibrant and unmanipulated and the wines are easily drinkable in their youth, but at the same time show great potential for storing.