Plaisance-Penavayre Le Rouge Fronton '24

Louis Penavayre, a self-taught winegrower, converted his family’s entire farm—about seven hectares of vines, animals, and fruit trees—to viticulture and winemaking in 1971. The estate is located in Vacquiers, in southwestern France. His son Marc, the current owner, took over in 1991 with a focus on gentle cultivation and the health of the vineyards and grapes. The 2006 vintage was the first under organic conversion, with certification achieved in 2011, and the estate also follows biodynamic principles. The vineyard area now totals around 26 hectares, and Marc works alongside his son, Thibaut.

The name Plaisance refers to the vineyards Marc started with, most of which were located in the lieu-dit Plaisance. The southeast-facing vineyards are planted on the highest terraces of the Tarn, at an altitude of 220 meters, within the Fronton AOP. The old, heavily eroded clay, gravel, and pebbly soils contain a high proportion of silica and quartz. Vinification is carried out with indigenous yeasts, and the wines are neither fined nor filtered. The red varieties grown include an array of local grapes, such as Négrette, Négret Pounjut, Jurançon Noir, Abouriou, Alicante, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Gamay.

The 2024 Rouge is a blend of 68% Négrette, 24% Syrah, and 8% Cabernet Franc, from vines planted between 1963 and 2001. The varieties are destemmed, then vinified and aged separately in stainless steel tanks before final blending. Fermentation is carried out with ambient yeasts. The wine is aged for 18 months in concrete tanks, then bottled unfiltered and unfined.

A classic nose combines red and dark fruit notes with baking spices and mineral tones. Earthy and rustic on the palate, with dark fruit, hints of wild mushroom, and soft tannins. This is a true bistro wine, perfect with seared hanger steak and potatoes dauphinoise.