We first met the great folks behind Kaban one dusty morning in French Catalonia. Coming up the sandy roads to the farm at Saint Génis des Fontaines, one can’t help but feel the charm, warmth, and confidence all exuding from this promising upstart. We were immediately captured by their magic. The domaine is led by a talented trio - brothers Antoine and Henri Jonquères, along with their childhood friend, Helio Godefroy. The three former roommates relocated to the south of France from Paris after purchasing the farm from Antoine and Henri’s uncle. The estate included 10 ha of farmland and a mill for processing grain. Today, the land is planted to about 4.5 ha of grenache, syrah, and muscat vines and 5 ha of peach orchards. The name Kaban comes from the eponymous lieu-dit on which the property is situated, and originates from the French, cabane, a term for the old, rudimentary shacks built on farmland. After the group took over the property, they undertook conversion to organic farming and received certification in 2020. They started making wine for themselves rather informally in 2019 and 2020 and soon discovered one of the many virtues of natural winemaking: they could produce handcrafted wine to their own liking, which in turn brought many friends around for tastings. Combining their passion for natural farming and newfound enthusiasm for winemaking with their adrenaline-junkie obsession with motorbikes, they embarked on a grand tour of natural winemakers across France and Spain on the backs of their motorcycles, seeking mentorship, inspiration, and adventure. Having found what they were looking for, they returned to the farm and produced their first commercial vintage in 2021, putting out 6,000 bottles for a limited clientele. Since then, they have added 0.5 ha of muscat to their holdings, gradually ramped production, built a new winery, and experimented with beneficial natural farming techniques. All three friends contribute to winemaking and vineyard care. Helio also heads up the commercial side of the wine business, Antoine leads viticulture, and Henri manages orchard sales and technical maintenance. At heart, all three are impassioned farmers, gardeners, and creators. Their idea is simple: to produce wine and fruit as naturally as possible. In this vein, vinification is done using indigenous yeasts without fining or filtration. Only minuscule amounts of sulfur are added when necessary. The results are wines of great purity, healthy fruit, and energetic nerve. All for our drinking pleasure, Visca Catalunya!!