Pierre-Olivier Bonhomme, a protégé of Loire natural wine leader Thierry Puzelat, organically farms 10 hectares of vines on the edge of the Touraine. This wine is 100% pineau d’aunis, one of those light, peppery, über-interesting red varieties that all (or most) of us love to drink these days. La Boissière is the name of the vineyard. There are two weeks of whole-cluster maceration, with fermentation and aging in old 225-liter barrels for eight months. Very low S02 additions. 11.5% alcohol. The wine smells of pepper and rocks and delicate red fruits. It’s light-bodied, pretty, and tangy, with a kiss of tannin. Pineau d’aunis is great with charcuterie and especially fun to drink with all kinds of spicy, peppery, and herby dishes: Szechuan and Hunan dishes, cacio e pepe, nettle soup….
