Apparente Rouge, Ch. Puech Redon - 2021

There's a guy who's always on the subway with me on my morning commute. I recognize him, but he mostly blends into the sea of New Yorkers. One morning recently, he had on a one of a kind pair of rainbow quilted pants, and I thought, "now, that's who he is." Kind of like Cinsault. Usually a blending grape in the quaffable reds and rosés of the Languedoc and Rhone, we rarely get to see it's true nature. Well, here it is. In the hands of Cyril Cuche and natural winemaking icon, Eric Texier, this is a pure, raw expression of the low tannin, high acid grape. Unfined, unfiltered, with no sulphur added, the ripe strawberry, stewed blueberry, lavender, spice, and lightly mossy notes are its signature. This will easily pair with any gamey dish. And while you're unlikely to see Cinsault on the R train, you can always find it here.