When Matthieu Barret took over the 16 hectares winery in Cornas from his grandfather, he knew he wanted to change everything to organic agriculture. Fairly soon he switched to bio-dynamic farming, as he wasn’t happy with the outcome of just organic farming. Later on, Matthieu even stopped using machines in favor of mules, horses, and manual work. He is an expert in making some of the purest Syrahs and uses concrete eggs for aging or heavily used barrels.
Many of my very early wine experiences were Côtes du Rhône wines, so I tend to like them. So this one I love very much not just for its disco-little-bear looks. The grapes don’t come directly from Cornas, but Visan, which is pretty close. It was aged for nine months in concrete eggs and bottled with a tiny bit of sulfur. You will smell lots of cherries and berries with a little bit of tea. Taste wise it offers more cherries and chocolate combined with perfect acidity and many herbal notes. If you can, open it for an hour or even a day before. This should pair well with grilled vegetables and lamb.