Grapes: Syrah + Grenache + Marsanne
Region: Ardeche, France
Vintage: 2021
Viticulture: Biodynamic
Soils: Clay + Limestone
Yeasts: Native
Vinification: Carbonic fermentation
Aging: 6 months
Fining or Filtering: None
Notes from the Importer: Thomas and Jean Daniel are the brothers and winemakers behind Domaine Ozil, a family estate located in the Ardèche department in the Northern Rhone known for its forests, trails, gorges, and impressive natural rock arch, Pont d'Arc. The idyllic estate with 16 hectares of vines, three hectares of lavender, and two hectares of olive trees has been in the Daniel family for five generations. Take us there! The wine cellar is dug into the same rock that carved out the gorges, and the brothers' office is in the old pigsty. Jean took over the family farm in 2002, and Thomas joined him in 2013. Up until that point, the farm contributed their grapes to a co-op, but the brothers left in order to make natural wine their own way —to express the taste of the grapes and the terroir.
Gourmandise is joyful glou glou, Northern Rhone style — vibrant, fruity, lifted by a little VA, with crushed raspberries, black cherries, pink peppercorns — but the brothers gave us a little extra kick, softening the body and adding spice with a splash of the white grape Marsanne in the mix.
