NV Manoir Tête de la Rouge ‘Free Mousse’ Pétillant Naturel

Region: Saumur < Loire Valley < France Grapes: 80% Cabernet Franc, 20% Chenin BlancVineyard/Cellar Stats: Farming: certified organic since 1998 and certified biodynamic since 2010; clay-limestone soils; fermentation begins with native yeasts in vats, then transferred to bottles to continue for 10 months; bottled under screwcap with no added So2; 12.5% ABVWinemaker: Guillaume ReynouardLe Manoir de la Tête Rouge has been around for a minute or two (ahem, 1649), based in the Saumur region of the Loire Valley.  Certified since 2010, they are all in on the biodynamic farming.  Proprietor Guillaume says, "We consider our 18-hectare area as a living being, the cultivated soil and the surrounding air become the energy base of the vine. Our goal is to provide the plant the best possible environment to grow.”  We love it when he talks dirt like this.    Almost as much as we love this pretty orange-gold sparkler that glows like the setting sun, which drinks more like a champagne than pet’na