The Wines Of Babass

Back in the late aughts I fell in love with natural, zero sulfur wines through Loire winemakers like Olivier Cousin, Thierry Puzelat, and René Mosse. These were irreverent, inexpensive, and just funky enough to provoke friends and colleagues.They were delicious and fearless; delicate and gluttonous at once.Sébastien Dervieux, known to all as Babass, is of this same generation of early natural winemakers, and his wines still hit this same spot. Located in the Anjou village of Rablay sur Layon, he's in the same small town as Mosse and Patrick Desplats: Babass' former winemaking partner in Les Griottes.Babass and Pat started in the early 2000s and were some of the "wildest rebels in the natural wine movement," per Bert Celce who wrote this profile of them back in 2010. Right after this they went separate ways, splitting up their nine hectares. Today Babass is still working with just around four hectares. I've visited Pat a few times, and he is truly a wild man, living in a corrugated metal shed and speaking with the fire of the prophet Ezekiel. Babass is a bit tamer (only by comparison), but he has never wavered from their original rebellious stance.New vintages of Babass' Gamay, Grolleau, and Cabernet Franc landed in NYC recently and are all I want to drink right now, chilled down with friends and celebrating the sun staying out past 8pm.Fearless, delicious, and irreverent, Babass is still delivering on the risky (and ultimately hopeful) promise of zero sulfur wines.

Gamay vines planted in the 1950s, fermented and aged in cement and fiberglass tank with zero sulfur or any additions. Light and bright with notes of pluot, blueberry, basil, vetiver, and lavender. Tangy and alive with a deliciously unique profile, it's natty wine but without any signs of microbial takeover even after being open four hours. Chill it down a bit and share it if you're feeling generous.

Grolleau with zero sulfur added, it's super light but has darker aromas of sage, sassafras and smoked pepper with some subtle earth and tannin. If you're a Grolleau geek, this is the one sets the bar high.

A blend of 2022 and 2023 vintages, as the 2022 was still fermenting when the 2023 was coming into the cellar, so Babass just blended them together. This is a touch darker, with inky, wet earth, a hint of barnyard, and some grippy tannins. But it's still super gulp-able and energetic with overtones of violet candy to give it some lift.