Le Batossay Ouech Cousin 2022

Baptiste Cousin farms in the village of Martigné Briand, in Anjou in the Loire Valley, making totally natural wines from biodynamic vineyards with minimal intervention in the cellar. Ouech Cousin is built on Grolleau, an old, lightly coloured Loire variety prized for freshness rather than power. Anjou's schist and sandstone soils and its cool, maritime influenced climate suit Grolleau well, preserving acidity and giving the grape its bright red fruit and floral character over a light frame. The wine is fermented with native yeasts and made with little or no added sulphur, then aged in wood, where slow oxygen exchange softens an already gentle tannin structure without adding obvious oak. The colour is pale, luminous ruby. The nose is fresh and floral, with wild strawberry, redcurrant, cherry, rose and white flowers. The palate is light and juicy, with crisp acidity, barely there tannins and a clean, savoury finish. This is an easy, thirst quenching natural red made for early drinking. Serve at 13 to 15 degrees, well chilled, in a standard glass. It suits charcuterie, roast chicken, grilled fish and summer salads.