Valérie Courreges "Zinzolin" Vin de France '21

This is the type of “French country red” that we are always looking out for. The Quercy sits just north of Cahors in Southwest France, a gently rolling, limestone-driven landscape where warm days are tempered by cooler nights and breezes.

Valérie Courrèges came to the region after working as an oenologist in Provence, ultimately planting her flag in Cahors and the surrounding Quercy because she found the kind of old-vine terroir she’d been searching for. Today she’s part of the exciting new wave here, bringing a precise, low-intervention sensibility and a strong commitment to farming in a more holistic direction, including organic and biodynamic work in the vineyards.

“Zinzolin” Vin de France 2021 is her freer, more playful red, and the name itself nods to an old-fashioned word for a deep red-purple hue. It’s an assemblage of 40% Malbec, 30% Syrah, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Merlot, drawn from hillside vineyards on marl and limestone. The lots are vinified separately with native yeasts in small concrete tanks, with gentle extraction and a cuvaison that can range roughly 9 to 21 days, then aged about 12 months in concrete and stoneware jars, with no fining and no filtration.

In the glass, it’s vivid and juicy with dark berry and plum fruit, a hint of spice, and a fresh, food-ready structure. Reach for it with a classic pâté en croûte, or for the perfect kebab pairing.