Matthieu, a cuddly bear of a man, sits alone with his Vallée du Coulet parcels, his cement eggs and a deference to the purity of his wild, natural surroundings. His biosphere is in Cornas where he is a 7th generation vigneron who started working alongside his grandfather in 1997. Biodynamic since 2001, he switched to concrete eggs for fermentation in 2007 and eliminated all machines by 2012, replacing them with mules, horses and manual labor. His vines are now much happier, surrounded by forest, meadows and woodlands. This rosé is 100% Grenache, pressed slowly and gently over 18 hours before a 2 week native yeast fermentation. Bottled unfined and lightly filtered with a micro dose of sulphur, it’s crisp and clean but a little more substantial than a typical Provençal rosé. Wild berries with a savory, mineral note, it’s a great pairing for summer salads, picnic sandwiches and an array of quiche.