Chenin Blanc, Loire, France

If a season could actually be bottled, this pet-nat full of verve, life, energy and electricity would list its sole ingredient as “(organic) Summer”. Our beloved Saumur-based darlings Sebastien Bobinet and Emeline Calvez have teamed up with longtime friend and grower Bruno Richard to capture the pure joy of summer in the form of organic sparkling wines. The medium here is the message - pet-nat (short for pétillant naturel) was the original sparkling wine and was thus, kind of a happy accident as wines bottled in the winter began to re-ferment in spring. This transformation of dormant wine into a bubbly cascade can only be described as ‘joie de vie’. Under the Summertime label, this crew doesn’t take itself too seriously with wines that are as much fun to drink as they are surely to make. Bletting quince in the cellar, cotton ball, eating a lilac stamen, lanolin undertones, honeysuckle meets fungi, chalk holding tight like a free solo rock climber & early morning Loire air. Lay on a towel with a cold glass while humming verses from Isabelle Pierre’s song….”Le temps est bon, Le ciel est bleu, Nous n'avons rien à faire, rien que d'être heureux”.