Troteligotte "K-Barre" 2023

Press 4 Mix/Red • July 2025 Direct Press Selection

Emmanuel Rybinski of Troteligotte has turned the one hectare vineyard his father bought in the 1980s and turned it into a beautiful, 14-hectare self-sufficient biodynamic farm. The Rybinski family quite literally lives off the land. They even have a homemade windmill they use to mill grains they also grow. There are vines, fruits, vegetables, livestock, and beehives. Because of Emmanuel's background in agroforestry, he manages his surrounding forests to supply wood for heat. The farm is at higher elevation on an iron-rich plateau above Cahors, and being above the fog line is helpful for farming biodynamically since they have far less of the mildew issues that typically require more use of chemicals. 

Despite the extreme commitment to natural farming and winemaking, the wines from Emmanuel are not that freaky. His K-Barré is what some call "blouge" — somewhere between blanc and rouge — that is a cofermentation of whole bunch, direct press Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Merlot, Tannat, and Malbec. It drinks like a lighter red, with some pleasant viscosity and notes of ruby red grapefruit, Alpine strawberry, and raspberry sorbet. There's a slight touch of barnyard but it is mainly a vibrant, smooth, delicious example of the pleasure that can result from working with nature instead of against it. Jonathan Kemp