# Etienne Courtois Quartz (2023)

- **Producer:** Domaine Les Cailloux du Paradis
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Menu Pineau, Sauvignon Blanc
- **Region:** Loire, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.0%
- **Average price:** €39
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** No
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** peach, lemon, pear, apricot, butter, almond

## About this wine

Domaine Les Cailloux du Paradis was established by Claude Courtois, a founding pioneer of the French natural wine movement. Located in Soings-en-Sologne in the Loire Valley, the estate functions as an autonomous, biodiverse farm where vines grow alongside wheat fields, livestock, and orchards. Winemaking leadership has transitioned to his son, Etienne Courtois, who continues the estate strictly non-interventionist approach while bringing heightened precision and linear drive to the cuvées.

## Interesting facts

- Named Quartz after the quartz-rich flint stones in the Sologne soils.
- The estate operates as a self-sustaining farm with vines, wheat, and livestock.
- Pressed using a traditional 100-year-old manual wooden press.

## Food pairing

The vibrant natural acidity and textured mid-palate cut through moderate fats in poultry and pork while harmonizing with cured meats and goats cheese.

## Wine making process

Grapes are organically and biodynamically grown on quartz-rich clay and limestone soils, harvested by hand with strict vineyard sorting. Whole clusters undergo gentle direct pressing using a century-old manual wooden press. Spontaneous fermentation occurs with native yeasts in older neutral oak barrels without temperature control. The wine ages on fine lees in neutral barriques for 12 to 18 months and is bottled unfined, unfiltered, and without added sulfur.