Mas Lau, Clin d'Oeil, IGP Cévennes, Languedoc, France

Who - Laurent Bagnol, Mas Lau
Where - Souvignargues, Languedoc, France
What - Red Wine - Oeillades
When - 2021
How  - Organic, whole bunch maceration for five days with no pumpovers or extraction. Fermentation with indigenous yeast. Aged for 7 months in enamelled steel tanks. unfined, unfiltered, No added sulphites, Vegan

Ex-sommellier, Laurent Bagnol organically farms eleven hectares of old goblet vines and olive trees around the village of Souvignargues, overlooking the foothills of the Cévennes. Coming from a family of farmers with his grandfather having goats and his father growing fruit it was only natural for him to return to work directly with the land.

In 2011, Laurent came across an abandoned vineyard containing over 100 year old vines of Oeillades, a indigenous variety that had been almost forgotten and set about bringing it back to life. In the winery he likes to let the grapes speak for themselves with a hands off approach with whole bunch maceration for five days without any pumpovers or extraction and no additions. It's aged for seven months in an enamel coated stainless steel tank before bottling without fining or filtration or any added sulphur.

The result is dark fruited and spicy with plenty of garrigue, a little rustic and full of character. 'Clin d'Oeil' means a wink in french and a cheeky play on words for a nod to Laurent's  Oeillades.