1683 Wines 'Loin du Clos' Cabernet Franc 2020

Upon earning his master's degree in winemaking, Gordes Frobenius embarked on a journey of vinicultural enlightenment, immersing himself in the art of farming, grape harvesting, and the meticulous vinification of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. He honed his craft over several vintages under the tutelage of two luminaries of the Burgundy wine world: the venerable Eric Rousseau of Domaine Armand Rousseau and the revered Jean-François Germain, affectionately known as 'the grower's grower,' at Henri Germain.

Seasonality and terroir are the defining qualities of 1683 Wines, which are expressive yet delicately austere, always striving for the perfect balance of intensity and elegance. And in the tradition of Burgundy, the lucidity of single varieties is prized over blends. Not quite Old World and not quite New World, our wines display the best qualities of both.

Grown in breezy Wilyabrup, the grapes are picked and sorted by hand, to ensure only the best-quality fruit goes into the wine. Each harvest is de-stemmed and gently cold-soaked in steel vats. Infusion, not over-extraction, is always the aim.

A medley of indigenous yeasts already living on the grapes begin fermentation, tamed by the smallest amount of sulphur possible. With wild yeasts it’s impossible to predict when this process will start and when it will end, but we’ve gotten pretty good at waiting for nature to do what it needs to. Then there’s a second, much longer wait, as the wine matures in selected Burgundian barrels prior to bottling. There’s no telling when it’ll be ready – sometimes it takes up to 24 months.

Only 768 bottles.