Etienne Courtois Les Cailloux Cuvée des Etourneaux 2015

Etienne Courtois makes this Gamay at Soings-en-Sologne in the Loire, farming biodynamically and following the low-intervention approach of his father Claude Courtois. No chemicals are used in the vineyard, and work in the cellar is kept to a minimum, with native yeasts carrying the fermentation and little or no added sulphur. The wine is aged in barrel and released with time in bottle, so the 2015 vintage arrives already developed rather than in its first flush of fruit. Gamay on the sandy and flinty soils of the Sologne gives a lighter framed red, and the extended ageing has softened the tannins and taken the fruit towards a savoury register. The colour shows some evolution at the rim. The nose combines red cherry and cranberry with dried herbs, undergrowth and a touch of leather. The palate is medium bodied, with gentle tannins, bright acidity and an earthy, peppery finish typical of a natural wine given age. Serve at 14 to 15 degrees, and decant if the fruit is shy on opening. It suits roast pork, game birds and mushroom dishes.