Join us Tuesday August 12 for an evening of wine exploration. Free for Club Members, $10 for anyone else. Here’s what you can expect this week in the words of our wine director, Ivan:

“I think one of the most beautiful aspects of natural wine is the profound sense of community amongst vignerons. Despite the encouraging growth in demand over the years, the folks making wine this way still represent a small demographic and the support they extend to one another is inspiring. Each region of France has had a torchbearer of sorts that challenged the status quo of industrialization, advocating for the natural way of doing things and mentoring aspiring winemakers in any way they could. 

This is where the Beaujolais and the likes of Marcel Lapierre get mentioned a lot, a story that has been well covered. With this lens in mind, I find it an incredible opportunity to share the story and wines of Le Mazel in the Ardeche. A small, but mighty region of the natural wine world filled with spirited vignerons doing things by hand, with love, and an open mind. 

Le Mazel is run by sister-brother duo, Jocelyne and Gérald Oustric, who were introduced to the vines at a young age through their father. It wasn’t until their first encounters with the aforementioned Marcel Lapierre that Jocelyne and Gérald began visualizing the kind of domaine they wanted to run: one that treats the land with care and produces wines of great transparency and nuance, free of any additions. And much like the folks that inspired them, they’ve helped nurture the rich natural winemaking community in the Adreche by renting out their vines to young winemakers, supplying fruit to neighbors, and even offering their cellar space and equipment.

We’ll have the following wines open: a fresh and airy Cinsault, ‘Paulou’; a textural, yet focused Viognier, ‘Mias’; and a slightly spritzy, honey-flecked Chardonnay, ‘Charbonnieres’. These bottles have an authenticity to them that reflect the humble and community-oriented nature of Jocelyne and Gérald. The textures and flavors are vibrant, but they linger on the palate with a special finesse. I hope these bottles find their way onto your dinner tables the way they’ll be on ours.”

- Ivan