LES ÂNES AILÉS
Ticchè 2022
Roussillon, France
From a fifty year old, south-facing parcel planted over sand and schist above the village of Banyuls. Mostly Carignan, which spent just a day on skins, the balance was made up of Grenache Noir, Gris and Blanc, which were destemmed by hand and macerated for ten days. After pressing, everything was assembled into vats until the following spring. Compact and elegant, you really feel the structure lent by the schist here, with fine tannins framing complex notes of red berries, sea salt and stones. An immense wine with a wonderful sense of place.
Carignan, Grenache, Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
We are very excited to introduce the work of the latest grower to make a name for himself in the hotbed of talent that is Banyuls-sur-Mer, Francesco Pesci of Les Ânes Ailés.
Originally from Naples, Francesco grew up in Rome and discovered wine whilst working in the city’s trattorie. In 2017 he moved to France to work alongside Manuel of Vinyer de la Ruca in Banyuls, falling in love with the dramatic Mediterranean landscape and the strong personality it imbues upon wines.
Francesco farms two hectares spread out across ancient stone terraces high in the hills above the village. The old bush vines of Carignan, Grenache Blanc, Gris and Noir are planted over pure schist in an extreme climate heady with sunlight, wind and heat. It is a challenging place to grow grapes and whilst yields are painfully low, the wines display profound depth and intensity.
Working organically and entirely by hand, Francesco wishes for his parcels to remain as wild as possible, and due to the stiff winds and arid climate he is rarely required to treat the vines. In the future, he hopes that the work he is doing to introduce plants and herbs amongst the vines will create a topsoil that is capable of nourishing them throughout the increasingly warm growing seasons.
To supplement his small production, Francesco harvests grapes from like minded growers elsewhere in the region, treating the grapes with the same attention to detail in the cellar. Here, Francesco does things the old fashioned way, working without temperature control, pumps or additions of any kind.
The results are thoughtful, original expressions of one of France’s most unique terroirs.