Region: Ardeche, FRA

Variety: Syrah

Farming: Organic

The internet is awash with stories about Andrea Calek. Did you know he was a deserter from the Czech army, then went to jail before returning to France?? That he has a fleet of vintage Citroen CX! That he has a mohawk and smokes cigarettes! Wild stuff. Because we all love nothing more than to paint someone as the punk of an industry like wine. But it’s all noise that detracts from the truth and purity of what’s in the glass, the honest product of four hectares of vines in the commune of Alba-la-Romaine. The wines he makes are almost entirely from estate-grown fruit, biodynamic and made without additives. 

Powerful, robust Syrah from Ardeche.