{"title":"Marcel Richaud","description":"\u003cp\u003eNestled in the high-elevation southern Rhône village of Cairanne, Marcel Richaud and his family produce some of the most energetic, soulful, and profoundly delicious wines you’ll find anywhere in the world. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWith an enviable collection of old vines on prime terroirs and a long-term commitment to natural farming and vinification, Marcel captures stunning wines of freshness, detail, and lift — in a region where overripe and over-extracted is too often the standard. His wines deliver a unique balance of ripeness, cut, and pure drinkability. Open a bottle at your summer table and watch how easily it disappears.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMarcel first set up shop in 1974. He was inspired to be the first in his family to estate-bottle and dropped out of high school to study viticulture and enology. His aunt gifted him an old parcel of Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Grenache in the limestone- and clay-rich hills above Cairanne, and he set out to produce wine in a mode not seen in the region since before the postwar rise of industrial farming. This meant no chemical treatments in the vineyard, natural fermentation and long maceration in cement vats, and extended aging in neutral barrels before bottling with just a gentle kiss of sulfur.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the time, this approach was a radical departure from the norm. He explains, “I fundamentally changed everything about the estate...and for the first ten years my family was very worried that I wasn’t making wine like everyone else.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSlowly but surely, though, the wines found a receptive audience. By the early ’90s, Richaud’s wines were being poured at the new wave of wine-focused bistros popping up around Paris, including the legendary La Courtille, where sommelier Bernard Pontonnier was one of the first to shine a light on the work of emerging avant-garde growers like Lapierre, Foillard, and Gramenon, to name a few.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe’ve been huge fans of Richaud for more than 20 years, and today—with Marcel’s children Thomas and Claire working closely alongside him—the wines are as good as ever. Best of all, unlike some of his more famous contemporaries, the prices remain extremely approachable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhether you’re curious to taste the work of one of the true pioneers of the natural wine scene or simply want to enjoy a bottle of gorgeous, energetic, spicy, sun-kissed southern French goodness, these wines are not to be missed. \u003c\/p\u003e","products":[],"url":"https:\/\/sf.flatiron-wines.com\/collections\/marcel-richaud.oembed","provider":"Flatiron SF","version":"1.0","type":"link"}