# Domaine Bertin-Delatte Rabatière Pineau d'Aunis (2021)

- **Producer:** Domaine Bertin-Delatte
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Pineau d'Aunis
- **Region:** Loire, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 11.0%
- **Average price:** €24
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 14–16 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, raspberry, strawberry, rose, black pepper, white pepper

## About this wine

Domaine Bertin-Delatte was founded in 2008 by Geneviève Delatte and Nicolas Bertin in Rablay-sur-Layon, located in the heart of Anjou in the Loire Valley. Starting with just 1.5 hectares of land, the duo expanded their estate to around 4.5 hectares, focusing on organic and biodynamic farming. Operating alongside other pioneering low-intervention producers in the Layon region, Bertin and Delatte view themselves as gardener-winemakers, carefully crafting artisanal wines that reflect their unique soils of red schist, quartz, and clay-limestone. The Rabatière cuvée celebrates Pineau d'Aunis, an ancient native red grape variety of the Loire.

## Interesting facts

- Co-winemaker Nicolas Bertin is an avid cultivator of bonsai trees, bringing the same patience and precision to his micro-vineyards.
- Pineau d'Aunis is one of the oldest traditional red grape varieties in the Loire Valley, famous for its distinctive white pepper notes.
- Annual production of Rabatière is extremely limited, usually capped at around 4,000 bottles per release.

## Food pairing

The light body, elevated acidity, and signature pepperiness of Pineau d'Aunis make it an extraordinarily flexible food wine. It cuts effortlessly through cured fats in charcuterie and sausage, pairs harmoniously with earthy mushrooms, and provides a refreshing balance to savory cheese dishes without crushing light poultry.

## Wine making process

Crafted with minimal intervention, the grapes for Rabatière are organically farmed and harvested entirely by hand. In the cellar, fermentations occur spontaneously using wild, indigenous yeasts. The grapes undergo a short, six-day carbonic maceration in neutral tanks to preserve vibrant primary fruit and extract delicate tannins. The wine ages for six months in stainless steel or fiberglass vats, avoiding any oak influence. It is bottled completely unfined and unfiltered, with minimal to zero added sulfur.