Domaine du Mortier La P'tit Vadrouille 2016

La P'tit Vadrouille ("a lil' stroll") was born from disaster. A catastrophic spring frost in April 2016 wiped out roughly 75% of Domaine du Mortier's crop in Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. Rather than skip the vintage, brothers Cyril and Fabien Boisard sourced organic fruit from a friend's 5-hectare plot near Bergerac in Dordogne, harvested the grapes themselves across three trips in September, and drove them back to their cellar in a refrigerated truck. The result is a one-time, frost-response cuvée labeled Vin de France — not AOC — because the grapes came from outside the appellation.

The 2016 is a blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Franc, fermented via 12-day semi-carbonic maceration without pump-overs, keeping the grapes still in tank the entire time to preserve fruit aromatics. After pressing, the wine aged in concrete tanks before being bottled with approximately 10ppm of sulfur — the only additive used. No fining, no filtration, native yeast throughout.

Domaine du Mortier has been certified organic since 1999 (Ecocert) and has practiced biodynamics since 2007. The estate sits at the northern edge of the Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AOC in the hamlet of La Gardière, above the village of St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil and close to the treeline. Their home vineyards sit on diverse soils: gravel, sand, clay, and flint over tuffeau chalk. This wine carries the Vin Méthode Nature label.

In the glass, expect a lighter-bodied, fruit-forward red with the juicy, low-tannin character that semi-carbonic maceration produces in Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The Dordogne fruit shows ripe dark cherry and plum alongside violet and a touch of white pepper. Best served with a slight chill.