# Déferlante Orangée (2025)

- **Producer:** Olivier Cohen
- **Colour:** orange
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Clairette, Cinsault, Terret
- **Region:** Languedoc-Roussillon, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 11.5%
- **Average price:** €22
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** peach, apricot, nectarine, orange, blossom, melon

## About this wine

Olivier Cohen originally trained as a sommelier and natural wine merchant in Nice before learning winemaking from iconic minimal-intervention masters like Thierry Allemand in Cornas and Antoine Arena in Corsica. Based in Argelliers, Languedoc, he is celebrated for crafting highly expressive, fresh, and dynamic wines. The 'Déferlante' project, meaning 'breaking wave,' was born out of crisis in 2018 when Cohen lost nearly his entire crop to downy mildew. To survive, he established a négociant line, partnering with organic-growing friends in the Languedoc to source grapes.

## Interesting facts

- The name 'Déferlante' means 'breaking wave' or 'surge,' symbolizing a fresh wave of natural wine.
- Born out of a 2018 crisis when mildew destroyed Olivier's crops, prompting him to start this négociant project.
- Features a light, natural carbon dioxide prickle (délicatement perlant) because it is bottled so early and fresh.

## Food pairing

This skin-contact wine thrives on its vibrant acidity, light tannic grip, and stone fruit aromatics. The light tannins cut through the creaminess of goat cheese and the oils of grilled meats, while the high acidity beautifully complements tangy tomato salads and balances the aromatic spices of Thai green curry or chicken yassa.

## Wine making process

The 2025 vintage is a co-fermented blend of Clairette, Cinsault, and Terret. The Clairette grapes undergo whole-cluster maceration for about a week with skin contact to extract color and light tannins. Meanwhile, the Cinsault and Terret components are directly pressed. Fermentation occurs spontaneously using only native, indigenous yeasts. The wine undergoes no aging ('aucun élevage') and is bottled very early to preserve its fresh, vibrant, and casual character. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulfur added only at bottling.