Mas Coutelou Mise de Printemps 2019

Mise de Printemps is a 100% Grenache Noir red wine made by Jean-François "Jeff" Coutelou at Mas Coutelou in Puimisson, a village in the Hérault department of the Languedoc, just north of Béziers. It is labeled as Vin de France, which gives Jeff the flexibility to work outside the constraints of the regional AOC system. The wine is made from organically farmed fruit grown on the estate's clay and limestone soils.

In the cellar, Jeff uses indigenous yeasts for spontaneous fermentation and adds no sulfur at any stage — a practice he applies consistently across his entire range. Vinification methods at Mas Coutelou vary by variety and vintage, with choices around maceration length and destemming made according to the character of each harvest. The result is a light, fresh Grenache built for early drinking, with bright red fruit and lively acidity.

Grenache from the warm, Mediterranean-influenced Hérault tends toward red cherry, wild strawberry, and subtle garrigue character when farmed at low yields and fermented without additions. Mise de Printemps sits firmly in that lighter, more transparent style of southern French Grenache — closer in weight to a Beaujolais than to a Châteauneuf.