2023 Domaine Du Facteur "Le Facteur Su'l'Vélo" Vouvray, Loire Valley, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

‘Le Facteur’ (‘The Postman’) is a range of low-intervention wines made by Fabien Brutout and Mathieu Cosme at the biodynamically farmed Domaine de Beaumont in Vouvray. Named after the tradition of offering the postman a glass of wine when he comes by, these are the domain’s most convivial bottlings, meant to be enjoyed young and with abandon.

Bone-dry and laserbeam-precise, with a slightly oxidative core of honey, baked apple and yeast with a refreshingly chalky finish. Hand-harvested Chenin Blanc grapes fermented spontaneously in tank and barrel without additions. Second fermentation in bottle through added fresh grape must, 12 months aging sur lees.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Le Facteur is the brainchild of Fabien Brutout, working in collaboration with Mathieu Cosme. Fabien began working with Mathieu full-time in 2008, following two years of apprenticeship with Sebastien Brunet in Vouvray. In 2013, after drinking and talking with friends, Fabien had the idea of creating a range of wines that would be complementary to what Mathieu was producing. The goal was to create “vins de copains,” or “wines for friends”–light, refreshing wines with a focus on drinkability, the kind of wine for which one glass leads to another, and another…

Initially, the Le Facteur cuvées were blended wines from a variety of parcels owned by Mathieu. In 2018, Fabien was able to settle in Noizay, acquiring 4ha of vineyards in Vouvray and Touraine. At the same time, he worked with his brother, a farmer who had reclaimed the family property, to plant another two hectares of vines north of Indre-et-Loire. This land had been planted with vines before phylloxera, but had been left abandoned for a hundred years, allowing biodiversity to thrive. On the calcareous bedrock, they planted mostly Chenin Blanc, along with Sauvignon Bkanc, Chardonnay, Pineau d’Aunis, and Gamay.

Fabien has “carte blanche” when it comes to vinification. Healthy grapes are fermented with indigenous yeast and without additives besides a small dose of sulfur. His wines never exceed 50mg/L SO2. Fabien’s philosophy is to guide the wines “without artifice,” to show the best of the terroir.