# Passages (2023)

- **Producer:** L'Enclos des Braves
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Mauzac Rose, Verdanel, Bouysselet, Sauvignon Blanc
- **Region:** South West France, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 13.0%
- **Average price:** €17
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** rose, apple, lemon, orange, apricot, fennel, cedar, smoke, dried apricot, cinnamon, almond

## About this wine

L'Enclos des Braves was founded in 2005 by Nicolas Lebrun in Rabastens, within the Gaillac region of South-West France. The 8-hectare estate is dedicated to biodynamic and organic viticulture, focusing on rare local grape varieties. Today, Nicolas manages the property alongside his daughter Marion. The cuvée name 'Passages' reflects both the generational transition between father and daughter and the passage of the wine through large oval Alsatian oak foudres.

## Interesting facts

- Features rare ancestral South-West French grape varieties like Mauzac Rose, Verdanel, and Bouysselet.
- 'Passages' symbolizes both generational family transmission and aging in oval Alsatian oak foudres.
- The estate has been certified organic and biodynamic since 2011.

## Food pairing

This structured macerated white wine features subtle skin-contact phenolics, fresh acidity, and layered aromatics. It excels alongside rich white meats, creamy stewed poultry, textured oily fish, and aged semi-hard cheeses.

## Wine making process

Grapes are harvested by hand from clay-limestone soils. Mauzac Rose undergoes direct pressing, while Verdanel, Bouysselet, and Sauvignon Blanc undergo skin maceration. Fermentation takes place spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in large oak casks. The wine is aged on fine lees for 9 months in oval Alsatian oak foudres, crafted with minimal intervention and minimal added sulfites.