Domaine Philippe Tessier Cheverny Rouge 2020

What with all the radical natural wine exploding from every nook and cranny it can be easy to forget about a humble Loire winery like this. Vigneron Philippe Tessier’s quietly profound creations are the answer to every natural wine critic’s claim that natural means were unprofessional, unpolished, imperfect, and flawed. Year after year, despite a decade of harsh weather and brutally lean harvests, Tessier has executed a level of quality and consistency that marks him as a master of his craft. Tessier’s wines do not inspire slavish fandom; they’re much too modest and precise. Unconcerned with impressing anyone, these wines are far more interested in documenting the quiet glories of life pastoral. In short, a minimalist’s elevation of terroir!