Nicolas Carmarans Maximus 2023

Nicolas Carmarans Maximus 2023

Nicolas Carmarans
$40.00

Grape: Fer Servadou
Vintage: 2023
Type: Red

This red wine is a pure expression of fer servadou grown on the steep rugged terraces of the remote Aveyron region. Winemaker Nicolas Carmarans manages the old vines manually across a patchwork of granitic schist, clay, and limestone. The winemaking involves a gentle, one-week whole-bunch carbonic maceration inside concrete vats to prioritize high-toned aromatics over harsh seed bitters. The wine matures naturally in old neutral French oak barriques and is bottled entirely without added sulfur.

It pours a translucent ruby color, opening with aromas of tart cranberry, sour cherry, and crushed violet petals. A light-to-medium-bodied frame pairs crunchy fruit flavors with an assertive dash of cracked black pepper. A crystalline current of cool-mountain acidity cuts directly through the mouthfeel, keeping the texture fluid and weightless. A subtle, rustic grip of fine-grained tannin provides an understated framework across the mid-palate. It finishes completely bone-dry, leaving a trail of graphite.

Winery

Nicolas Carmarans is a pioneer of the natural wine movement who left his role as owner of the famed Paris wine bar Café de la Nouvelle Mairie to become a vigneron in the remote Aveyron region of Southwest France. Settling near Campuac in the Lot River valley, Carmarans restored steep, abandoned terraced vineyards planted between 400 and 500 meters of elevation. His 4.5 hectares of organically farmed vines sit on nutrient-poor granite and schist soils, where dramatic diurnal temperature shifts yield fruit with bright natural acidity and wild, rustic charm.

Working with local varieties like fer servadou, alongside chenin blanc, cabernet franc, and cabernet sauvignon, Carmarans applies a low-intervention approach in the cellar. Red grapes undergo gentle, whole-cluster fermentations with native yeasts in neutral vats, followed by maturation in old oak barrels to preserve energetic fruit and mineral tension.