Clement & Florian Berthier are always trying new things at their eponymous family winery in the Centre-Loire and being fastidious about both farming and winemaking they often succeed. 'Gro-low' represents their first attempt at producing a lower ABV wine and it is excellent. Clement chose grolleau, a classic thin-skinned red variety that nonetheless produces a full fruit expression even when picked early. Made from purchased fruit farmed by a friend of Clement in Anjou, from schist soils, the early-harvested fruit is pressed immediately at cold temperatures and fermented dry over two weeks, with occasional lees stirring to emphasize the aromatics of the fruit. The wine spends about 6 months in tank before bottling, at just 8.5% ABV.
There is a tremendous expression of fruit here considering the ripeness level, focused on citrus, pineapple and peach. The acidity is crunchy and fresh and the wine feels complete and full of energy.
