ANDERS FREDERIK STEEN
I Can See You From the Other Side of the Valley 2019
Ardèche, France
A blend of Grenache Blanc from their own vineyards and Viognier from Gérald and Jocelyn Oustric, pressed slowly over four days with an old vertical press before a year of élevage in old foudre. This was bottled with a little residual sugar and has re-fermented in the bottle, rendering a dry, vibrant wine with a gentle spritz that carries flavours of jasmine and apricot. With just the right amount of fizz, flesh and grip to marry beautifully with the plush stone fruits on display, this is an incredibly energising wine.
Grenache Blanc, Viognier
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Anders Frederik Steen and Anne Bruun Blauert make wine from “grapes and only grapes”.
Anders began making wine in 2013 when he first started purchasing fruit from winemakers he admired and making wine alongside legendary Jura winemaker, Jean-Marc Brignot.
The couple and their young family have now settled in the beautiful village of Valvignères in the Ardèche, a beautiful spot amidst a wide, open valley. The many varieties grown here thrive on a perfect mix of clay and limestone and the vineyards are full of life, having been tended organically for decades. As well as their own vineyards, the two also harvest grapes with the Ousrics in Valvignères and further afield with the Bannwarth family in Obermorschwihr, Alsace.
In his previous life Anders was both a chef and sommelier, working at the best restaurants in his native Denmark. This experience informs the couple’s winemaking in that they do not seek to follow rules or conventions and do not feel the need to do the same thing every year. Instead, as they harvest, they taste the grapes and begin to imagine the kind of wine they might be able to make.
This refreshingly free, creative approach yields wines that are truly one of a kind.