Return of Les Enfants Sauvages

7/10/17 -

We wouldn't mind being in the Côtes Catalanes right now, drinking regional wines outside under the summer sun. Since that won't be happening any time soon, at least we can share some new arrivals from our friends Carolin and Niko Bantlin, from Domaine Les Enfants Sauvages! This is the second year we've been working with the Bantlins, so some of our customers are already big fans of their reds. We're looking forward to sharing the new vintages, but we're also excited to introduce their dry white - Cool Moon - which has become an instant favorite of the staff here at Chambers.

Carolin and Niko have been making wine since 2002, in a town called Fitou, near the border with Spain in the Côtes Catalanes region of France. They came to the area from Germany, originally to visit friends, and then, after they fell in love with the region, to settle down and continue their life together. When they purchased an old estate with 7.5 hectares of vines, the idea of working the land and making wine immediately appealed to them. Carolin studied winemaking in France, and she and Niko began revitalizing their vineyards by applying Biodynamic methods, and integrating the vines into a natural organic cycle. After selling their grapes in 2000 and 2001, Carolin interned with Olivier Pithon, who encouraged them to make their own wine rather than selling to the co-op. So the story of Les Enfants Sauvages began!

In the vineyard there are no pesticides or herbicides. Instead, they apply self-made preparations of nettle, chamomile and horsetail. Their vines are cultivated in the traditional "goblet" style, on a terroir of clay and limestone. Grapes are harvested by hand into small crates and wines are aged in cement or barrel, depending on the cuvée. They may not be French, but Carolin and Niko are as open, friendly, and passionate as any of our favorite French winemakers, and the wines are as authentic as they get.