Our technical director, Jean-Pierre Rodet, first made wine under the guidance of Jules Chauvet, recognised as the ‘father’ of the natural wine movements. RIFT 69 is crafted with absolutely no addition of sulphite from harvesting to bottling. Maceration of the partially de-stemmed grapes, that were hand-picked at peak ripeness, is in stainless steel vats and lasts around a fortnight. This is for optimal phenolic compounds that give real texture to the wine. 9-month maturing over fine lees protected from oxygen, feeds, give depth to and stabilises the wine conferring on it its original spice and mineral feel.
Many millions of years ago, a north-south rift formed in the earth’s crust giving rise to the highland that today forms the Beaujolais-Villages appellation area. Here, the steep and complex terroirs that made up of granatic, magmatic and metamorphic rock allow the Gamay Noir grape to brilliantly express its personality.
