Sulauze Super Schluck

Karina and Guillaume farm thirty hectares biodynamically at Sulauze, in the western Bouches-du-Rhone near Arles, Aix-en-Provence and the Alpilles, working without chemical treatments and largely by hand. Super Schluck, whose name means a sip in German, is their natural orange wine from Vermentino, the bright Mediterranean white grape. Made as an orange wine with skin contact, the juice takes light colour, gentle tannin and texture from the skins, though the wine stays delicate and low in alcohol at ten and a half percent. Ageing for six months in stainless steel rather than wood preserves the primary fruit and the floral freshness, keeping the style light and immediate. Biodynamic farming and native yeast fermentation keep the focus on the fruit. The wine is pale amber. The nose is intense and floral, with apricot and white peach over white flowers, citrus and a clear note of fennel. The palate is light, fresh and dry, the skin contact giving subtle grip while crisp acidity and a herbal edge carry a clean finish. Serve well chilled at 8 to 10 degrees.