# Romain Le Bars Pousse Cailloux (2024)

- **Producer:** Domaine Romain Le Bars
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Cinsault
- **Region:** Rhône, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 13.0%
- **Average price:** €20
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 14–16 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** raspberry, cherry, strawberry, mint, cedar

## About this wine

Domaine Romain Le Bars was founded in 2018 in the Southern Rhône Valley by Romain Le Bars, who previously worked for seven years alongside legendary natural winemaker Éric Pfifferling at Domaine de l'Anglore. Initially starting in a small garage in Tavel with just over one hectare of vines, Romain has built a reputation for producing ethereal, highly expressive natural wines. The cuvée name 'Pousse Cailloux' translates to 'push pebbles', paying homage to the region's famous galets roulés and gravel soils that force vine roots deep into the ground.

## Interesting facts

- Romain Le Bars trained for seven years under natural wine icon Éric Pfifferling of Domaine de l'Anglore.
- The cuvée name 'Pousse Cailloux' translates to 'push pebbles', referencing the stony galets roulés soils.
- The estate began in 2018 inside a small garage with only 1.2 hectares of vineyards.

## Food pairing

The bright acidity, moderate alcohol, and silky, low tannins from carbonic maceration make this energetic red exceptionally food-friendly. It shines alongside raw or light meat preparations, savory charcuterie, and rustic tomato- or mushroom-based pastas where its fresh red fruit cuts nicely through fat.

## Wine making process

The grapes are organically farmed and hand-harvested from vines over 40 years old. Fermentation takes place via 10 to 14 days of whole-bunch carbonic maceration using indigenous yeasts, without chemical inputs or synthetic additions. Extraction is intentionally soft and gentle to preserve high aromatic purity and minimal harsh tannins. The wine ages for 6 to 8 months, split between 60% neutral vats and 40% old oak barrels, before being bottled unfined and unfiltered with a very low sulfur addition.