Jeremy Quastana Syrah 2017

Jeremy Quastana's 2017 Syrah is a Vin de France red made from 100% Syrah grapes sourced from certified organic vineyards in the Languedoc, near Pic Saint-Loup. Frost in 2017 wiped out much of his Loire estate, so Quastana purchased grapes from outside the region under a special administrative exemption, then transported them back to his farm in Fresnes, Loir-et-Cher, to vinify. The source grapes come from sandy soils and carry organic certification.

Vinification follows Quastana's standard low-intervention approach: carbonic maceration, native yeasts, no added sulfites, unfined, and unfiltered. The carbonic technique, which Quastana refined working alongside Marcel Lapierre in Beaujolais, produces a wine that is fruit-forward and soft-textured rather than extracted or tannic. No new wood is used.

Syrah from the Languedoc grown on sandy soils tends toward a lighter, more aromatic style than the dense, structured expression of the northern Rhone. Handled carbonically, the result leans toward dark fruit, garrigue, and violet rather than the peppery power often expected from the grape. Drink now with a slight chill.