Penultieme 2022

Name: Andrea Calek - Penultieme 2022
Brand: Andrea Calek
SKU: MORE-5543-SKU
Price: 32.07 GBP
Availability: InStock

Andrea Calek

MORE Natural Wine

Grapes: Merlot, Viognier

Country: France

Regions:Ardeche

Wine Type:Red

Vintage: 2022

Bottle Size: 750ml

Alcohol: 13%

£41.15 incl. UK VAT & duty fee | £32.07 due at checkout | est. £9.08 to be paid to courier, with a small customs handling fee

IMPORTANT: We operate from Germany and therefore you are not paying any tax to us, but instead you will need to pay all UK taxes to the courier after receiving your delivery. Read about UK shipping, VAT and Duty Taxes.

The second-to-last — that's what "Pénultième" means. Calek's most contemplative red, and the one that surprises people the most. 90% Merlot with 10% Viognier co-fermented, from his estate in Alba-la-Romaine, Ardèche. The Viognier is not here for flavour — it's a structural lift that tightens what might otherwise be a very heavy wine.

Andrea Calek trained under Gérald Oustric and has farmed the same 5 hectares in southern Ardèche since 2007 without chemical input of any kind. His philosophy: let the vintage speak, add nothing, remove nothing.

The Pénultième gets a long 30-day maceration followed by 12 months in old 228-litre barrels — the longest élevage of any wine in the range.

What makes Andrea Calek's Pénultième Merlot different?

The result is not the fruit-forward, plush Merlot you might expect.

This is a rustier, wilder animal. Less fruit than you'd predict, more mineral — there's an iron-laced earthiness running through the mid-palate that feels like Ardèche limestone rather than ripe Bordeaux.

Ripe red and black fruits in the background plus wood spice but it's the structure that dominates: firm tannins, real length, and a finish that lingers long after the glass is empty.

A wine for ageing. Ideally hold until 2027–2029 for peak drinking, or open now alongside a rich cassoulet and give it time in the glass to breathe. But finish in one sitting, as it will unlikely hold open overnight

We ship every Wednesday. Order by Tuesday 10am.

Prices include taxes, but not delivery.

Andrea Calek - Penultieme 2022

£41.15 incl. UK VAT & duty fee | £32.07 due at checkout | est. £9.08 to be paid to courier, with a small customs handling fee

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NATURAL WINES BY ANDREA CALEK

Andrea Calek was born in Czechoslovakia and came to wine after several other careers. He worked with Dominique Hauvette in Provence and learned from Gérald Oustric of Domaine du Mazel, a founding figure of Ardèche natural wine, before settling in Alba-la-Romaine, famously living in a caravan beside his vines. He has worked his 5 hectares since 2007, joined in 2016 by his partner Stéfana Nicolescu. They grow Syrah, Grenache and Merlot, plus some Chardonnay and Viognier.

Everything is done by hand with nothing added, using carbonic maceration for some cuvées and longer macerations for others. A Toi Nous is Syrah and Grenache, half pressed straight away for a lighter, crunchier red, while Babiole adds Merlot for more weight. Chatons de Garde and Pénultième are the more serious reds. Fair prices throughout, and plan to finish the bottle in one sitting, as they rarely hold overnight.

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