L'Étranger — tucked into Roussillon, southern France, run by Paulo Almeida and Laura Rebeissi, and genuinely one of the more adventurous little natural wine projects going round that part of the world. Vines in conversion to organic, worked biodynamically though not yet certified — the philosophy clearly matters more to this pair than the paperwork.
Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Muscat Petit Grain, Maccabeu, Grenache Noir and Syrah make up the palette, all picked and handled with that classic low-fuss natural approach — most cuvées sitting under 10mg/L sulphites, several completely unadulterated. The names alone tell you this is a playful, personality-driven project — Babel, Fahrenheit, Porco Rosso, Solaris, L'avventura, Terre en Transe, La Belle Verte, Les Ailes du Désir. Half film reference, half poetry, all character.
What I love is the range of expression hiding under that umbrella — bright, skin-contact whites off Macabeu and Muscat, juicy, unforced reds built from Syrah and Grenache Noir, nothing chasing polish, everything chasing honesty. Roussillon's old bush vines and sun-baked soils doing a lot of the heavy lifting, with Paulo and Laura simply getting out of the way.
Proper natural wine spirit — a little wild, a little romantic, completely unfiltered in attitude as much as in the glass.
L'Étranger — tucked into Roussillon, southern France, run by Paulo Almeida and Laura Rebeissi, and genuinely one of the more adventurous little natural wine projects going round that part of the world. Vines in conversion to organic, worked biodynamically though not yet certified — the philosophy clearly matters more to this pair than the paperwork.
Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Muscat Petit Grain, Maccabeu, Grenache Noir and Syrah make up the palette, all picked and handled with that classic low-fuss natural approach — most cuvées sitting under 10mg/L sulphites, several completely unadulterated. The names alone tell you this is a playful, personality-driven project — Babel, Fahrenheit, Porco Rosso, Solaris, L'avventura, Terre en Transe, La Belle Verte, Les Ailes du Désir. Half film reference, half poetry, all character.
What I love is the range of expression hiding under that umbrella — bright, skin-contact whites off Macabeu and Muscat, juicy, unforced reds built from Syrah and Grenache Noir, nothing chasing polish, everything chasing honesty. Roussillon's old bush vines and sun-baked soils doing a lot of the heavy lifting, with Paulo and Laura simply getting out of the way.
Proper natural wine spirit — a little wild, a little romantic, completely unfiltered in attitude as much as in the glass.
