LA BOUTANCHE!
Roughly translated, La Boutanche means ‘pure,’ ‘unadulterated,’ ‘glou glou,’ and ‘a good buzz’ wine; essentially, wine meant to be grabbed from a cooler full of ice and promptly guzzled. Californian wine importer Selection Massale launched the La Boutanche series in 2012. They partner with organic winemakers throughout Europe with the mission of creating natural wines at affordable prices, all under screw caps and in liter bottles. Today, there are quite a few La Boutanche labels made by individual winemakers who each have a different animal on their labels - the Fish from Frantz Saumon, the Pig from Olivier Minot, the French Bulldog from Quentin Bourse, the Gorilla from Martin Texier, the Maltese Falcon from Thomas Santamaria, and this week’s feature, the Grasshopper from Andi Knauss.
Andi Knauss is at the helm of Weingut Knauss, an organic, family-run, 18 hectare German estate. Andi chooses grapes from different plots in this region of Baden-Württemberg in the southwest of Germany and around the river Rems. Ancient limestone can be found layered beneath the surface of the rolling hills of vines imparting a distinct stoniness to his natural wines.
La Boutanche Trollinger, which Andi compares to a Jura Poulsard, is a light ruby red color with soaring aromas of cherry and berries, a grippy mouthfeel, and a ton of refreshing acidity. Sipping this wine is like biting into a fresh slice of cherry pie.
La Boutanche Trollinger Rosé is young-vine Trollinger directly pressed into stainless steel tanks resulting in a salmon-pink wine with an edgy, spicy backbone and a wave of electric acidity. It has less peachiness and more strawberry field notes.
La Boutanche Riesling is zippy, dry, fresh, and lemony with a bright acidity and notes of nectarine peel on the finish. It’s the Riesling that pleases both the Riesling fans and those who still think they don’t like Riesling - trust us, you just haven’t tasted Andi’s yet!
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