Babiole 2024

Babiole translates roughly as "bauble" or "trifle" in French — there is nothing trifling about this wine. 60% Syrah, with 30% Grenache and 10% Merlot from Andrea Calek's estate in Alba-la-Romaine, Ardèche. This is Calek with his foot on the gas, showcasing Ardeche in a new light.

Andrea Calek has farmed the same 5 hectares in the southern Ardèche since 2007 — no chemicals in the vineyard, no additions in the cellar, not even a drop of sulphites. He trained under Gérald Oustric, Ardèche's godfather of natural wine, and his wines carry that same combination of structural seriousness and genuine drinkability. Babiole gets a longer maceration than his lighter cuvées — you feel it immediately.

What does Andrea Calek's Babiole taste like?

Big fruit energy right from the off. The nose is concentrated cherry, almost like cherry car sweets, with real depth behind it. On the palate: blueberry, violets, baked apple — and then the tannins arrive. Bold, grippy, and sticky in the best sense. Clearly Syrah-dominant.

This is a beautiful red wine with structure and soul, excellent value!

Carafe for 20 minutes if you want the edges to soften slightly. Or don't — the grip is part of the point. Pair with something robust: lamb, aged cheese, or a stew that's been going for three hours.

FINISH IN ONE SITTING, as this zero-zero wine will not survive for a second opening.