This advertising content was produced in collaboration with SevenFifty and our partner, FAT bastard.
The British colloquialism “fat bastard” does not conjure up images of bucolic southern French vineyards. Yet for over two decades—thanks to two friends with a passion for flavor, style, and a little irreverence—the term has become synonymous with quality, varietal French wine. Now, the unmistakable FAT bastard brand is paying homage to this pioneering duo with the launch of les FRÈRES Bastards, a line of wines that embraces the brand’s heritage and reputation for quality.
Les frères (“the brothers”) themselves are French winemaker Thierry Boudinaud and his friend Guy Anderson, a British wine industry rebel who believed quality wine need not be snobby and unapproachable. After tasting hundreds of good, but not mind-blowing, barrel samples back in 1998, the duo tasted one of Boudinaud’s experimental barrels, which had been aging on its lees.
Upon tasting the wine—deeply colored and rich on the palate—Boudinaud dubbed the experiment a “phet bast-ard!”—and the brand was born. Though many U.S. consumers and trade members were originally drawn to the wine for its name, they keep returning for the quality and value, thrilled to find an approachable French wine with full flavor and satisfying mouthfeel.
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The next chapter of FAT bastard sees the brand reclaiming and reinforcing its definitively French roots through les FRÈRES Bastards. Featuring a white, red, and rosé, the FRÈRES Bastards wines are very well-balanced and a bit more classically French in style, meticulously crafted by Véronique Torcolacci, the head winemaker at Gabriel Meffre, the winery that produces FAT bastard.
In typically quirky FAT bastard fashion, all three les FRÈRES Bastards wines are GSM blends—for the red, that means Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, of course, while for the rosé it’s Grenache, Syrah, and Merlot, and for the white it nods to Grenache Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Marsanne. Torcolacci often travels from the Gigondas winery to the Languedoc vineyards from which the wines are made to ensure that the grapes meet FAT bastard’s quality standards.
The brand’s signature hippo comes to life on the new labels in a playful way, but don’t mistake the brand’s cheekiness for lack of quality. Les FRÈRES Bastards represents a fresh and fun take on excellent French wine, offering today’s young wine drinkers exactly what FAT bastard did 20 years ago: Delicious, well-made wine at an affordable price, this time with its French identity front and center.
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Get to know the latest members of the FAT bastard family:
Les FRÈRES Bastards White
An aromatic medley of ripe fruit, white flowers, fresh herbs, and crushed stone leads to a round palate and lean, acid-driven finish.
Les FRÈRES Bastards Rosé
Rose-petal pink in the glass, this crisp and refreshing rosé features notes of strawberry, peach, and orange blossom.
Les FRÈRES Bastards Red
Layers of dark red fruit, warm spice, violets, and fresh tobacco give way to a rich but structured palate, with a smooth finish.
