Josée Vanucci seems every bit Italian as she is French, and her English carries a British accent—what a mix! From the first moment her enologist Emmanuel (Manu) Gagnepain and I met up with her, she abounded with tireless energy and impressive agility as she moved about her rustic and densely packed cellar. Their winemaking practice is straightforward and lends itself to a style that speaks of the place with a clear voice of each grape’s primary characteristics, with little intervention. The fermentations are all natural and the wines are bottled after a short time in a vat with sulfites kept to a minimum.

To simply say it’s elegant and delicious is stopping far too short. This full-tilt seductress is robed in transparent barberry red with a sleek frame and only the right amount of suppleness to polish its angles and bring a beautiful aesthetic to its curvature. In some ways, it’s just too good and too charming and you won’t want to finish the bottle unless you have another one in the queue—be careful with this one; if your significant other is with you in the room, don’t forget they’re there.