Lestignac Pagaille 2024
Lestignac Pagaille 2024 – alternate view 2
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Lestignac Pagaille 2024

Chateau Lestignac
$16.50 $22.00

Grape: Merlot
Vintage: 2024
Type: Red

This natural red wine is a pure varietal expression of merlot produced under low-intervention guidelines by Mathias and Camille Marquet in Southwest France. The hand-harvested grapes are vinified using short maceration techniques to prioritize high-toned aromatics and soft extractions over dark color. Spontaneous fermentation relies entirely on native wild yeasts in neutral concrete and stainless steel tanks, completely avoiding wood barrels. The wine settles naturally using gravity flow and is bottled unfiltered with minimal sulfur additions.

It radiates a clear ruby color, releasing clean, expressive aromas of ripe cherry, cranberry, and wild raspberry. On the palate, the light-bodied frame is exceptionally juicy and direct, focusing on an effortless, low-extraction fruit presentation. Soft, fine-grained tannins integrate smoothly with a clean wave of natural acidity that keeps the mouthfeel refreshed. A light touch of salinity adds a savory depth across the fluid core. It concludes with a crisp, dry finish.

Winery

Camille and Mathias Marquet took over the family farm at Lestignac in 2008, near Sigoulès in the Bergerac countryside. Their work has gradually moved beyond the idea of a vineyard as a single crop toward a more diverse agricultural place. Thousands of planted trees, a reduction in soil disturbance and attention to indigenous microorganisms are part of that transformation. The aim is to build a landscape in which the vines live alongside a broader community of plants and animals.

The same patience carries into the cellar, where fermentations begin spontaneously and the wines are given time to develop before release. Lestignac bottlings come from the couple’s own vineyards, while Hors les Murs uses purchased grapes to broaden the range and respond to the challenges of difficult harvests. Cuvées such as Tempête, Pagaille and Blizzard reflect different sides of that work. What connects them is a preference for natural fermentation, considered aging and a style shaped by the farm and the season rather than a fixed formula.