Ampelidae Alias Pinot Noir No Added Sulphur

Straight and pure as a Pinot Noir can be and without the addition of sulphur dioxide. At its heart is kirsch and walnut and on the nose it’s subtle and not obvious. It is smoky and then fruity and draws you in as it blossoms. Red fruit abundance and ripe soft tannins explode on the palate – this no sulphur added red can have a delicate natural petillance that dissipates with aeration.

• “I have to confess that if I’d been given this blind I would have confidently said it was Loire Cabernet Franc. Pencil shavings, graphite, blackcurrant bud, a charcoal smudge of tart raspberry. Pinot Noir? Not that I would have found. Super-fine tannins, super-fresh. It’s a little argumentative and peppery and intense and murderously addictive; like that very very bright very, very young, skinny, academic, high-wired person you couldn’t help falling in love with who also drove you insane with his/her issues, naivety, angsting and inability to take life as it comes”. – Tamlyn Currin for Jancisrobinson.com, 2021
• 89 Points – The Wine Gang, ‘Made by the talented Frédéric Brochet, with no added sulphur, this is ultra-fresh, herby with a touch of twiggy briar. The palate has a lean, juicy and crunchy appeal, really very lively and crisp, but with a delightfully smooth lick of black fruit concentration. Fine Loire Pinot.‘ August 2016 (2014 vintage)

Ampelidae

Ampelidae takes its name from the Greek word ‘Ampelos’ meaning the vine. The company is the brainchild of Frédéric Brochet, born to winemaking in a relatively unknown sub-region of the Loire, Haut Poitou. Frédéric remembers having helped replant a vineyard of Pinot Noir in 1981 when he was just 9 years old! A couple of years later in 1983, he took part in the first harvest of the same plot. He made his first wine alone at the age of 15, and wrote his first wine book at the tender age of 14. With a doctorate in Oenology from Bordeaux, Brochet teaches at the International University of Gastronomy dedicating the rest of his time to the perfection of his “BROCHET” wine range. Starting out in 1995 Ampelidae combines the genius of modernity with traditional talent, where Frédéric fashions a range of contemporary wines that marry style with the vitality of innovation, whilst also maintaining a deep respect for the environment. The vineyards are maintained according to strict organic farming specifications certified by AB and ECOCERT. In total, the company vinifies fruit sourced from 115 hectares of vineyard in and around the town of Marigny-Brizay. The variety of terroirs allows Frédéric to work with a wide range of premium grape varieties. His attention to detail across all his work - from old vine selecton massale, hand harvesting, temperature control, oxygen and fermentation control - lend Ampelidae a hallmark of fine acidity, purity, minerality and true terroir expression. The cellars at Chateau des Roches are among the most modern and sophisticated in France, yet are housed in huge chalk caves, dating back to the 11th century. A new series of Brochet wines shows Frederic’s creativity and flair. The label depicting a Pike is a play on Frédéric's surname, Brochet, which is also French for Pike. Brochet Facile, that we are delighted to list, is a premium slection of Sauvignon Blanc from the southern parts of the Loire Valley. Our red wine listing, The Alias Pinot Noir, is of course from selected vineyards farmed organically without the use of insecticides or herbicides. Furthermore, there is no addition at all of enzymes, yeast or sulphur.

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