Aubun, Carignan & Aramon, Languedoc, France

A zero-zero bottle of dark violet & frothy pet-nat from the sultry underworld of southern France. Winemaker Antony Tortul runs a cult natural winery in the Languedoc and he’s also a founder of the equally culty Barcelona wine bar Bar Brutal. Originally from Ariège with a conventional oenology background, Antony changed tack after witnessing a devastating fertilizer factory explosion that killed 31 and injured thousands in his nearby Toulouse. He moved immediately away from the chemical industry towards wines that were connected to the land and place, establishing his project in 2008 from his dad’s garage. His wines always tend to be super expressive and as raw as a Live Journal page from 2007. This vegetal & moshing blend of audbun (80%), carignan (10%) & aramon (10%) is no exception! Antony fussed over these grapes: less ripe ones were pressed ASAP, but more ripe, some which were still on their stems, were left to macerate for 23 days in a sandstone jar. The result is a peppery & punk rock glitter bomb that will remind you of Ed Scissorhands-style topiary. Structured yet ballooning. Just grass but it’s saying something full of feeling. Think gothic blueberry bunch, singed rosemary, dandelion greens, grave digger’s clothes, geosmin (look it up) & songs by Sonic Youth. Might be fun to paint your nails chipped black and swig this straight from the bottle before a music show in the basement of a YMCA.