2024 Mary Taylor Rosé IGP Agenais, Southwest France, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

This wine is composed of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc from vines no more than 20 years old grown in the sandy, limestone-rich soils of Laplume, south of the Garonne River. The vineyards experience a nice spring, not too rainy: just what was needed for the vine to blossom, followed by a very dry summer. September was particularly dry, but the wait for the rains at the end of September was very beneficial. The grapes picked up after this one and gained in richness and balance. In summary, it was a stressful year but one that knew how to wait for the rains: a great vintage.

The vineyard is farmed sustainably under High Environmental Value (HVE 3) practices, avoiding harsh chemicals. The juice is fermented with native, natural yeasts and aged in neutral oak barrels. The wine receives only light filtration prior to bottling to preserve its natural minerality

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Mary Taylor finds small growers across Europe and bottles their wine under the name of the place it comes from. No invented brand, no gloss, just the appellation, a local producer, and what the place actually tastes like. 

IGP Agenais was established in 2011 to capture the typicity of the wines from the Lot-et-Garonne area of Southwest France. This rosé from the lovely Christophe Avi, Mary Taylor's source of Buzet wines, is made from his younger Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon vines. 

Christophe Avi is a farmer with a passion for biodynamic viticulture. In his 40s, he runs his ancestor’s farm that borders AOC Buzet and AOC Cotes de Bruhlois. Since 1992, after a degree in oenology and viticulture, Christophe has honed his skills cultivating what is called ‘the blood of the Garonne,'  a poetic, historical nickname often given to the deeply colored Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat grapevines cultivated along the banks of the Garonne River in Southwest France.