Gaspard Pineau d'Aunis Rosé 2022

Gaspard is a house label created by Jenny Lefcourt of Jenny & François Selections. The Pineau d'Aunis Rosé comes from sustainably or organically farmed vineyards across the central Loire Valley, primarily in the Touraine area. Soils are clay-limestone. Vines range from 10 to 35 years old.

Grapes are hand-harvested, pressed immediately, and fermented with indigenous yeasts — a direct-press approach that limits color extraction and keeps the wine pale and fresh. The wine spends approximately 6 months on its fine lees in tank, then receives light filtration. It is not fined. Sulfite additions are minimal.

Pineau d'Aunis is one of the Loire's oldest red varieties, now most concentrated in Touraine and the Coteaux du Vendômois. As a rosé, it tends toward pale salmon-pink with a signature white pepper note layered over red fruit — cranberry, raspberry, and wild strawberry — and a brisk, saline finish.

This is a dry, light-bodied rosé with lively acidity and a slightly tannic grip that sets it apart from most Provence-style pinks. Drink young and slightly chilled.