Sylvain Bock 'Agathe de Blouge' 2023
The vibe: New producer alert! Sylvain Bock is a relative newcomer to the French winemaking scene, part of a new wave of natural winemakers, many based in Ardéche, focused on bringing winemaking back to its roots (so to speak) with a farmer-first approach and minimal intervention in the cellar. Though we’re debuting his wines in the club this month, he’s been on our radar for some time as he’s worked alongside the legend, Gerald Oustric at Le Mazel. Sylvain takes a similar approach, focusing on drinkability, freshness and purity of fruit, the wines serving as a liquid magnifying glass into each season’s yields and growing conditions, rather than an attempt at controlling nature. Blends can be and often are shifted around to bring balance, rather than taking more invasive measures as conventionally practiced. Here, we have a blend of volcanic basalt soil Syrah with a splash of Sauvignon Blanc providing a welcome herbaceous lift.
A note on BGE:
Syrah can sometimes fall victim to ~Big Grape Energy~, or BGE for short. BGE is becoming more and more prolific as the earth continues to swelter away summer after summer. Not so with this Syrah, as Sylvain refers to Ardéche as the North of the South of France, allowing for longer ripening seasons and cooler microclimates. It’s definitely Syrah, and it’s got the telltale black pepper and violet-floral-meets-smoked-meat profile, but the big scary BGE is hiding under the bed. It’s slumbering away, its snores barely audible in the background of your light red-hued dreamscape.
The winemaker: Sylvain Bock is based in the southern Ardéchoise town of Alba-la-Romaine where he has been running his domaine since 2010. After years of experience working with local legend Gerald Oustric of Le Mazel he set off on his own and has now amassed 7 hectares of organically certified vines planted nearby to his cellar. Over the years he has learned how to get the best from these plots, and now will most often opt to ferment the grapes on their stems ensuring a perfect balance of fruit, freshness and drinkability, often belying the ‘glou glou’ traits commonly associated with carbonic maceration. Other work in the cellar is minimal, with élevage taking place in a mixture of cuve and barrique, and wines bottled with no additions.
The geeky details: Two-thirds Syrah and one-third Sauvignon Blanc. After a five-day whole-bunch maceration, the wine underwent a brief élevage in stainless steel, preserving its lively character.
Serve: With a light chill.
Food pairing: Wowowow so this wine is pretty complex in its notes but also light enough that you could throw a lot at it. Being spicy and meaty, the classic Syrah pairings usually have bold, strong flavors like spicy, gamey, herby, grilled dishes, which could totally work here. You don’t have to go big or go home though because, well this wine isn’t big! BBQ fare and lighter plates like seafoods and tart vinaigrette-based salads would be equally at home next to this bottle.
Album pairing: Adrian Quesada - Boleros Psicodélicos II