Maxime Francois Laurent Côtes du Rhône Il Fait Soif 2023
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The Land
This is southern Rhône wine, but not the heavy, sun-baked kind the region is known for. Maxime-François Laurent farms clay-limestone vineyards around Montbrison-sur-Lez and Valréas, in the cooler, higher Drôme provençale corner of the Côtes du Rhône, with vines between 15 and 30 years old. The name says it all: il fait soif, roughly it's thirsty weather. This is a wine built for freshness and drinkability rather than power, and the site, the farming, and the winemaking all pull in that direction. Higher ground and limestone soils keep the fruit lively where lower, warmer parts of the Rhône give richness instead.
The Wine
A Côtes du Rhône built for pure refreshment, roughly 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Cinsault. Made in a whole-cluster, semi-carbonic style: hand-picked, partially destemmed, macerated about 15 days in concrete on native yeasts, with only a light touch of sulfur added after malolactic fermentation. No oak. The result is bright, juicy, and low in tannin, full of fresh raspberry, cherry, cranberry, black pepper, and a floral, garrigue lift. Serve it with a chill and it practically vanishes from the glass. This is natural southern Rhône at its most joyful and easy. The 2023 vintage was warm in the southern Rhône, giving ripe but lively fruit.
The People
Maxime-François Laurent is the son of Michèle Aubéry-Laurent, who runs the legendary Domaine Gramenon, one of the pioneers of natural wine in the Rhône. He launched his own project in 2006, carrying the same philosophy: certified organic and biodynamic farming from the start, native-yeast fermentations, and as little intervention in the cellar as possible. Il Fait Soif is his most immediate, easygoing wine, but it is made with the same care as the serious bottlings. This is natural wine done with real skill rather than as a gimmick.
Food Pairing
This is the ultimate casual, all-purpose red. Serve it lightly chilled with charcuterie and cheese, with pizza or a burger, with roast chicken, or with grilled vegetables and sausages. It is a natural for a picnic or a warm evening on the porch, and it happily handles spiced or grilled food where heavier reds struggle. The kind of bottle that disappears at a party and leaves everyone asking what it was.
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The Rhône Valley is a diverse and historic wine region, divided into two distinct areas. The Northern Rhône is the birthplace of Syrah, with steep, terraced vineyards that produce some of the world's most revered wines, such as those from Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie. The Southern Rhône is much more expansive, offering a wider range of styles, but typically based around Grenache-based blends, with wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape known for their complexity and power. While the region is celebrated for its reds, it also produces incredible textured whites, and as a whole the region displays the spectrum of French wine and the incredible differences that can come from small geographic changes.
Rhone Valley
Grenache is a widely planted grape variety that thrives in its Mediterranean home. In Spain, it's known as Garnacha, where it reaches its peak in the Sierra de Gredos as a pure varietal wine, while also being a key blending component in Rioja. France's Southern Rhône, notably Châteauneuf-du-Pape, is another well-known region, where Grenache is often the base of a blended wine. Grenache also finds a home in Sardinia as Cannonau, and it has spread beyond its Mediterranean origins, most famously to Australia's Barossa Valley. The resulting wines are typically light in color, yet they possess a full body and flavor, displaying mature red fruit notes, herbal spices, and often a hint of orange peel, along with soft tannins and moderate acidity. It is an incredibly versatile grape, showing different expressions based on its terroir and the winemaking style employed.
