MAS COUTELOU

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Located in the remote Languedoc village of Puimisson, outside of any appellation and surrounded by farmers that sell their anaemic crops to the local co-operative, Jean-Francois (‘Jeff’) Coutelou has long been a beacon of natural winemaking. Taking over the estate from his father, Mas Coutelou was officially certified organic in 1987, when only 200 hectares in the Hérault department were farmed this way (today 20,000ha are organic). In the following years, Jeff reduced his area under vine from 20ha to around 13ha, replacing some vineyards with olive groves and other plants to increase biodiversity. The varieties Jeff grows are all southern French, and part of the estate has been turned into a nursery of forgotten indigenous grapes (rarities such as Castets, Servant, Picardin, and obscure clones of Muscat). Today, Jeff is renowned as being one of the most dedicated viticulturists in France, and young winemakers come from all over Europe to visit him and learn about his methods in both vineyard and winery.
 
Jeff’s wines, fermented and aged in tank, made with zero SO2 or any other additions, and bottled unfined and unfiltered, are among the purest in the natural wine world, with the inventive label artwork reflecting the creativity of the man himself. Perhaps the best known is ‘Vin des Amis’, a vibrant, juicy wine that is hugely moreish. Beyond that, each vintage offers a range of unique cuvées, although Jeff sometimes doesn’t bottle all of them if he doesn’t feel they are representative of the wines’ character. Perennial favourites like ‘Flambadou’, ‘PM’ rosé and ‘7 Rue de la Pompe’ are, when conditions suit, joined in the range by various white bottlings and red wines such as ‘Vigne Haute’, ‘5 SO’ and ‘On Peut Pas Vraiment Dire Que…’, though Jeff is known to invent a new cuvée at a moment’s notice!

LOCATION: MAS COUTELOU

MAS COUTELOU
GENERAL INFO PRODUCER APPELLATIONS FOUNDED ANNUAL PRODUCTION FARMING
MAS COUTELOU N/A Biodynamic (certified organic)
TECHNICAL INFO WINE BLEND VINE AGE SOIL TYPE VINEYARD AREA
Blanc Muscat Petits Grains N/A Limestone/clay N/A
Grenache Gris
Macabeu
‘PM’ rosé Gris N/A Limestone/clay N/A
Ribeyrenc Noir
Grenache
Syrah
Cinsault
‘Vin des Amis’ Grenache (15%) N/A Limestone/clay N/A
Syrah (35%)
Cinsault (50%)
‘On Peut Pas Vraiment Dire Que…’ Mourvedre N/A Limestone/clay N/A
‘Flambadou’ Carignan 30 years Limestone/clay 0.5 ha
Classe 2017 Grenache N/A N/A N/A
Syrah
Vin de Table NV Vin de table N/A N/A N/A
Syrah
Merlot
Amphore Castets N/A N/A N/A
Carignan
Orange Wine Muscat of Alexandria N/A N/A N/A
Vieux Grenache Grenache N/A N/A N/A

GENERAL INFO

  • PRODUCER: MAS COUTELOU
  • APPELLATIONS:
  • FOUNDED: N/A
  • ANNUAL PRODUCTION: N/A
  • FARMING: Biodynamic (certified organic)

TECHNICAL INFO

  • Blanc
  • BLEND: Macabeu, Grenache Gris, Muscat Petits Grains
  • WINE AGE: N/A
  • SOIL TYPE: Limestone/clay
  • VINEYARD AREA: N/A
  • ‘PM’ rosé
  • BLEND: Cinsault, Syrah, Grenache, Ribeyrenc Noir, Gris
  • WINE AGE: N/A
  • SOIL TYPE: Limestone/clay
  • VINEYARD AREA: N/A
  • ‘Vin des Amis’
  • BLEND: Cinsault (50%), Syrah (35%), Grenache (15%)
  • WINE AGE: N/A
  • SOIL TYPE: Limestone/clay
  • VINEYARD AREA: N/A
  • ‘On Peut Pas Vraiment Dire Que…’
  • BLEND: Mourvedre
  • WINE AGE: N/A
  • SOIL TYPE: Limestone/clay
  • VINEYARD AREA: N/A
  • ‘Flambadou’
  • BLEND: Carignan
  • WINE AGE: 30 years
  • SOIL TYPE: Limestone/clay
  • VINEYARD AREA: 0.5 ha
  • Classe 2017
  • BLEND: Syrah, Grenache
  • WINE AGE: N/A
  • SOIL TYPE: N/A
  • VINEYARD AREA: N/A
  • Vin de Table NV
  • BLEND: Merlot, Syrah, Vin de table
  • WINE AGE: N/A
  • SOIL TYPE: N/A
  • VINEYARD AREA: N/A
  • Amphore
  • BLEND: Carignan, Castets
  • WINE AGE: N/A
  • SOIL TYPE: N/A
  • VINEYARD AREA: N/A
  • Orange Wine
  • BLEND: Muscat of Alexandria
  • WINE AGE: N/A
  • SOIL TYPE: N/A
  • VINEYARD AREA: N/A
  • Vieux Grenache
  • BLEND: Grenache
  • WINE AGE: N/A
  • SOIL TYPE: N/A
  • VINEYARD AREA: N/A