# Caves des Vignerons d'Estézargues Kermit Lynch Cuvée Côtes-du-Rhône Villages (2024)

- **Producer:** Les Vignerons d'Estézargues
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Cinsault, Counoise
- **Region:** Rhône, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 14.5%
- **Average price:** €17
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 14–16 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, plum, raspberry, blackberry, violet, lavender, herbaceous, black pepper

## About this wine

Les Vignerons d'Estézargues is a pioneering winemaking cooperative in the Gard department of the southern Rhône Valley, established in 1965. Unlike traditional cooperatives that combine harvests into massive anonymous blends, Estézargues works with just ten member families who farm organically and sustainably. Each vineyard parcel is vinified separately, preserving local terroir distinctions. This specific red cuvée is a special collaboration with renowned Berkeley wine merchant Kermit Lynch, sourcing fruit grown on ancient galets roulés stones on the Signargues plateau.

## Interesting facts

- Les Vignerons d'Estézargues is one of France's few winemaking co-ops to bottle single-vineyard natural wines.
- The front label features original artwork by legendary French natural wine artist Michel Tolmer.
- Vines grow in galets roulés—large smooth river stones that absorb Mediterranean heat during the day and warm the vines at night.

## Food pairing

This vibrant, medium-to-full-bodied red combines ripe black and red fruit with savory Provençal herb notes and smooth tannins. It harmonizes wonderfully with rich, grilled meats, herbs like thyme and rosemary, and charred wood-fired flavors that mirror its garrigue and earthy qualities.

## Wine making process

Harvested entirely by hand, the grapes undergo natural fermentation using only wild indigenous yeasts in concrete tanks (cuves béton). The winemaking process adheres strictly to natural practices: zero chaptalization, no commercial enzymes, no synthetic acid adjustments, and zero oak influence. The wine is aged in concrete tanks for 8 to 12 months to retain vibrant fruit purity and mineral clarity before being bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with minimal added sulfur.