Ogereau - ‘L’enjouée’, Rouge, Loire, France (2023)

“Enjouée” means playful or joyful, a perfect descriptor for this vibrant, fresh wine. Vincent and Emmanuel Ogereau both play the tuba, thus the nod to their preferred instrument on the label.

This cuvée used to be called "L'Anjouée Rouge," when the blend consisted only of Anjou's AOP-allowed varieties. As of the 2019 vintage, this wine is a Vin de France due to the inclusion of other local varieties that are not allowed by the official AOP.

Gamay (15%): 6-day maceration with whole clusters. Cabernet Franc (55%), Grolleau (15%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (15%): de-stemmed but not crushed, 5-8 day maceration. 95% from Domaine vineyards and 5% purchased from neighbouring growers.

The domaine was born in the late 1890s, when Emmanuel’s great-great grandfather, a miller and a farmer, planted vines after the phylloxera crisis to further diversify his production. Two generations later, Emmanuel’s grandfather was able to focus fully on the vineyards and the sales of his wine in bulk to a private clientele. Emmanuel’s father, Vincent, began estate-bottling.

Emmanuel was born in 1989. He grew up in the cellar and loved everything about it; he never thought of trying his hand at anything else. After high school, he studied winemaking and viticulture in Angers. He interned at the Côtes de Buzet cooperative, and at Carrick, a biodynamic winery in Central Otago.