Julie & Toby Bainbridge "Crush" Box, Loire Valley, France 2023

FROM STEVEN GRAF:

THE WINE: 100% Grolleau. Black schist bedrock, iron and calcium rich, sandy soils. Certified organic. Grapes de-stemmed, 3 day maceration, 6 months élevage in stainless / fiberglass.

THE PRODUCER: Toby and Julie are incredible friends who have the most kind and endearing spirit of anyone I know. They are honest, hardworking, winemakers who look at their trade with the patience and serenity of a master craftsman, and the humbleness and tenacity of your neighborhood milkman. Toby's an ex-pat from the UK, and Julie found him working on a harvest crew in Protection, Kansas. After a long courtship they have settled in Anjou with their two young children. In the early 2000s, Toby started working with Didier Chaffardon and the couple made their first wine in 2007, the same year they gave birth to their first son. Approximately 6.5 hectares of their 8ha are currently under vine with drought resistant soil, rich in calcium.

All their vineyards are worked organically. They focus on wines for drinking: fresh, bright and natural. In the cellar, macerations are generally short and neutral vessels are always used, whether fiberglass or stainless steel.