From: IGP Cotes Catalanes, Languedoc, France
Blend: Macabeu, Grenache gris, Grenache blanc
Taste: This friendly, mineral white wine from the IGP Cotes Catalanes shows flavors of juicy pear, stone fruit, honey, verbena, and wet stone. The perfect wine to share with friends as this wine holds fruit, freshness and a mineral texture on the palate that leaves the finish dry and lifted, calling for another sip, another glass.
Pairing: We love pairing this wine with appetizers, crab cakes, grilled/baked/fried seafood or light poultry, light pasta dishes, fish soups/stews, flatbreads or pizza with white sauce and olive oil, and summery risotto. A recipe we’re highlighting today, for Crispy Bean Cakes with Harissa, Lemon and Herbs by Yewande Komolafe would hit the spot with this wine, and you can serve them up as a starter course to share with friends and family.
About. Olivier Pithon is no stranger to the vines. His older brother, Jo Pithon, settled in the hills of Layon when he was just four years old. It was here that Olivier first found himself frolicking amongst fruit, as well as playing around in the cellar. Olivier began tending vines his family’s vines at the young age of 14. Craving a deeper experience and a broader expansion of his winemaking knowledge, Olivier left the Loire for Bordeaux four years later, which led him to other internships in Jurancon and Beaujolais.
Olivier’s time in Bordeaux led him to meet Stéphane Derenoncourt, a self-taught winemaker to whom Olivier credits much or his winemaking style and inspiration. Olivier was immediately taken by Stéphane’s pursuit of balance, lightness and a simple job well done, all inspired by passion and creativity. “These are things they do not teach you at school,” says Olivier. “Stéphane made me aware of these things.”
In the year 2000, Olivier began searching for a place to call his own. He was immediately attracted by Calce, a small village in the Pyrénées-Orientales. Today, Olivier is proud to farm 8.5 hectares of vines all biodynamically, as he believes this is the best way to respect the natural resources given to him by Mother Earth. His vines are rooted into schist and limestone soils at high elevations, which lead to concentrated and healthy fruit that immensely reflect the place from which it comes.
The terroir of Calce. Calce (calcar) is a unique village between the Mediterranean, the Pyrénées and the Corbières. Located at a 300 meters’ height, the vines are situated on terroir of limestone and schist.
The farming & vinification. Olivier is an adept of Biodynamic farming and as little intervention during the wine-making. From the ground to the bottle, Olivier Pithon is focused on one simple rule: making wines the most naturally possible and in the respect of the environment. Which means that not only without any chemicals but also with the environmental cycle as natural as possible, including the use of cows, bees and sowing.
This cuvée is the result of a partnership with half a dozen winemakers from neighboring villages who also practice organic agriculture or who are converting to organic. It is a wine to drink with friends, in the sun, while eating a pleasant meal. Fruit, roundness and pleasure. The simple pleasures of life like eating, drinking, and laughing best describe this P’tit Pithon.
