Nicolas Gonin Mondeuse 2012
IGP Isère, 11% abv
On paper, Gonin looks like just the producer for me: he's resurrecting interesting autochthonous grape varieties and making "natural" wines with low alcohol at relatively cheap prices.
This Mondeuse is the first of his wines that I've tried and it certainly lived up to what I had hyped these in my mind. The aromatics are darkly fruity and stemmy. The palate is light, high in acidity and tannins, quite austere with its sour cherry sensations. With its elegantly sparse textures and flavours and lack of anything extra it reminds me of the equally sparse and austere music of Anton Webern - also in how both the wine and the music can seem a bit harsh and off-putting at first. But Webern has become a firm favourite of mine and I wouldn't be surprised if Gonin will become one, too.