Albert Conti Bergerac La Vigne d'Albert

Albert Conti's Bergerac La Vigne d'Albert is a seven-grape field blend anchored by rare southwestern French varieties Abouriou and Périgord, alongside Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Côt, and Fer Servadou, all organically farmed in the Bergerac appellation. Named after the grandfather of the current generation, this red is vinified for immediate drinkability—juicy, light on extraction, and built around red-berry fruit rather than structure. It's the sort of wine that belongs on bistro tables in Chicago's Lincoln Park as much as it does in the Dordogne, where the Conti family has farmed for generations. The Conti family works hillside parcels in Bergerac, the left-bank extension of Bordeaux where limestone and clay soils favor early-ripening varieties and bright acidity. Organic certification here means hand-harvesting, minimal intervention in the cellar, and a reliance on indigenous yeast fermentation. The decision to co-ferment seven varieties rather than vinify separately is deliberate—it yields a wine that tastes like a place rather than a single grape, with each variety contributing aromatics, tannin, or mid-palate weight. Abouriou, nearly extinct outside this corner of the southwest, adds a peppery snap that Merlot alone would never deliver. The wine pours a clear ruby and smells of crushed raspberries, wild strawberry, and a hint of black pepper. The palate is soft and fruit-forward, with red-berry flavors framed by fine-grained tannins and a seam of tight acidity that keeps everything fresh. There's no oak, no weight, no attempt at gravitas—just clean, gulpable red fruit. Serve it lightly chilled with charcuterie, roast chicken, or a simple pasta with tomato and basil. It's the kind of bottle that disappears before you notice, which is the point. Available for pickup at our Lincoln Park bottle shop at 1128 W Armitage Ave, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.