Christian Venier Cheverny Rouge 'Les Hauts de Madon' 2022

Christian Venier is one of the warmest, most humble Frenchmen you can find. A farmer first and foremost, and then a winemaker; preferring as little intervention in the cellar as possible. He wants each vintage to speak to the conditions that year rather than conform to a certain “house style” but the through line is somehow always an ease on the palate. The 'Hauts de Madon' is ~70% Pinot Noir, 30% Gamay fermented as whole bunches in cement and resin tanks through carbonic maceration making the wine brighter and softer. Bottled as is, no filtration, no sulfur. The wine has soft, velvety tannins, supple black and red fruits with plenty of savory forest floor.