Bon de Commande
Old Grenache at Rouge-Bleu vineyard
Dear wine lovers,
Unfortunately, I have no time to continue french wine a day which stops after two years. You can always consult archives and I invite you now to follow my wine ventures with Rouge-Bleu, the vineyard we just bought.
Cheers,
Jean-Marc
My collection of 1967 before the party...
Dear wine lovers,
Last week, I had the chance to celebrate my 40th birthday with 5 bottles of "millésime" 1967 (don't worry, I got some help for that). I thought I would take advantage of this special tasting to tell you more about the meaning of vintage.
The vintage is the year of the grape harvest and, in France, it should represent at least 95% of of the volume.
Even if it takes 365 days for a vine to produce grapes (and this is actually even more complex since old vines don't actually react the same way as young ones), the last days before the harvest time are the ones that condition the quality of the future wine. Depending on the way the "vigneron" has worked all year long and mostly the yields produced, the grapes can react very differently from one parcel to its neighbor on similar weather conditions.
Of course, the vintage will reflect the big image of a region area (Loire, Champagne, Languedoc...) but please keep in mind that you can't judge a wine just by its vintage as many magazine and mark people which pretend to know everything about all the wines in the world want to impose us. 2002 was very wet in the South Rhône but I know some producers that made some much better 2002 than 2003 which vintage was initially told to be outstanding in the south because it was hot, but which also created lots of fermentation issues since a lot of grapes suffered from hydric stress. On the other hand, 2003 has been "banned" in the Loire because it was too hot but the vineyards which have old vines with deep roots did not suffer from drought and actually made their best vintage ever.
I was born in 1967 which was "supposed" to be a "bad" vintage... Well, even if the Médoc and Canon Fronsac (two wines from the Bordeaux area) I had were not good, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape was quite interesting, the Alsace Muscat was great and I have no words to describe the Sauternes...which actually located...in Bordeaux !
So please, don't be fooled by those people who want to sell wine with just scores. A wine, I mean not an industrial product, deserves more respect than an unflavored mark vintage...
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That was the last edition so for the last time : "Cheers" to french wine a day !
I had a lot of fun writing about wine and sharing my passion with you. For those who want to follow my venture with Rouge-Bleu, I will now be posting about my work in the vines and in the cellars.
Jean-Marc Espinasse
PS : If you don't want to be part of the Rouge-Bleu listing, please email me.
Vines in Roussillon, near the big bleu
Dear wine lovers,
Since I am now going to be surrounded by Carignan, Grenache and Syrah grapes, I feel that I should tell you more about an appellation where these grapes form the blend of its red wine : Côtes du Roussillon.
Located around Perpignan, near the Spanish border, this appellation is quite wide and produces white, rosé, and red wines. Planted on shists which are very poor soils, the vines suffer on very hot sumers but produce mature grapes with lots of tannins and high alcohol potential. That's why I prefer the red wines in this area as I think the whites and rosés lack acidity.
On the other hand, red wines often need a way to reduce their tannins if we want to enjoy them young and the way to do so is to use carbonic maceration. Also, the best "terroirs" have been allowed to use a village mention like Tautavel where you will also discover pre-historal caves.
There are a lot of Côtes du Roussillon wineries. Like always in this figure case, stay away from cheap ones which often come from coops. The ones I know and enjoy are Domaine Piquemal, Moulin du Breuil, Mas Rous and my preferred is, once again, a small family vineyard, located in Tautavel : Domaine Mounié
Cheers,
Jean-Marc Espinasse
Any comments, edits are very welcome at [email protected]
My preferred book on Roussillon which also include the great Languedoc wines :
See Côtes du Roussillon on a French wine map
Update on our vineyard project....
As you may know, we have finally signed the final deal 10 days ago.
Since we are now owners, we have started right away the remodelling of the house in order to create the cellar entry door.
Regarding the works on the vine, pruning is over, I have also crushed the vine shoots thanks to my pre-historical crushing machine and I have put on the soil the first bio-dynamie preparation made from cow dung ! In fact, whereas most of the local "vignerons" around me use their tractors to kill the soil with pesticides, this preparation is going to reinforce its microbial life... Do you think that a healthy vine prefer a living ground or a dead one ?
At last, today, I digged the soil in order to put it in contact with air also to permit the hopefully future rains to be better drained as deep as possible.
The invitation card for the 5th edition of "Incontournable" wine tasting at La Mère Germaine
Dear wine lovers,
I am very sorry but days are flying and I have no time for a classic edition this week. I had a quite busy week and the next will be very special since we are signing the final papers for the acquisition of our vineyard...tomorrow !
Therefore, you will find below some pictures of my past week around the Rhône vines and wines. While I am still pruning our future vines which are now blooming, I found a lot of ladybugs. I also attended some great wine tasting since it was the week of "Découvertes en Vallée du Rhône" and had the privilege to attend the one of "Incontournables" in Châteauneuf-du-Pape that I have tried to share with you thanks to the wine stains I put on the invitation card.
I will be back with you next week with a more classic edition.
Cheers,
Jean-Marc Espinasse
March 13th
Found some lots of ladybugs while pruning in the vines...which means that they have been treated with respect and that live is there !
March 14th
Vines are blooming...too early. Hope we won't get frost in a few weeks !
March 15th
Wine tasting of Cairanne wines in Avignon and, as usual, the wines from Domaine Rabasse Charavin have delighted me. Then I went to the super tasting of Rhône Vignobles.
March 16th
The big event of Châteauneuf-du-Pape: "Les incontournables". Guess which wine was my preferred between these 3 big bottles ?
At the tasting, I met with Jacqueline Friedrich, a wonderful Francophile woman writer who made this great book on French wines :
A typical Provencal Batisse in the vines...
Dear wine lovers,
Surrounded East and West by Côtes de Provence vineyards and on the highest part of the Var Department are the vines which produce Coteaux Varois.
This recent controlled appellation (1993) has and is still struggling to find its place among the Ocean of Côtes de Provence. But if it has been given a distinctive name, it is not only because some old family histories which has not initially permitted to include this area inside the Côtes de Provence. The main reason comes from terroir, of course. Most of them are colder and - or North oriented which enables to get more natural acidity.
The 3 colors are produced here and the rose is not over predominant. With reds, they are mainly made from Grenache and Syrah - Cinsault in addition. Whites are mainly based on Rolle where this superb grape variety finds here a perfect place to express its best. That's the one I will recommend to drink with some sea bass just cooked with big salt and that you will simply enjoy, once cooked, dipped in an olive oil - lemon juice sauce.
The wines I like here are Château la Calisse, Domaine du Deffends, Château Routas and my preferred is Château Miraval which produces this famous white based on Rolle I was telling you about earlier.
Cheers,
Jean-Marc Espinasse
Any comments, edits are very welcome at [email protected]
This book is also on my kitchen table :
See Coteaux Varois on a French wine map
Update on our vineyard project....
Our business plan has been approved by two banks and we are now sure to close the deal which is scheduled March 19th. So I won't cry even if the vines do, but this is actually normal. We say that "la vigne pleure" when vegetation re-starts at spring time. This year, it is quite early given the warm temperatures we have had this winter.
Last week, I also had my first tractor drive lesson...
A view on Mont Ventoux from our vineyard
PODCASTS :
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Dear wine lovers,
Since the majestic top of Mount Ventoux will be my future natural window view, I have the pleasure to introduce you the wines of Côtes du Ventoux.
Actually, this controlled appellation covers a large area around the Mount Ventoux from Dentelles de Montmirail, near Vacqueyras, to the North slopes of Lubéron, near Apt.
As a result, there are many different terroirs with some areas that have more assets to produce white grapes (mainly Clairette, Bourboulenc and Grenache Blanc) and some which will be better for making red and rosé wines thanks to the famous Grenache, blent with Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan and Mourvèdre.
These wines are most of the times made to be drunk young, on the fruit side. You will also enjoy some light reds poured a little cool with some salads or barbequed white meats.
There are a lot of producers and not all of them are 100% reliable. Cheap prices (less than 10 US $) should light on a red signal but you can find some good ones around 15 US $. The ones I know and that I trust are Domaine de Font-Sane for their reds, Château de l'Isolette for their rosés and Domaine de Tara for their whites.
Cheers,
Jean-Marc Espinasse
Any comments, edits are very welcome at [email protected]
PODCASTS :
Listen to this whole edition in French (allow some delay depending on your speed internet connection)
Listen to this whole edition in English (allow some delay depending on your speed internet connection)
My N°1 book on Rhône wines which include the ones of Mont Ventoux :
See Cotes du Ventoux on a French wine map
*Listen to Cotes du Ventoux
Update on our vineyard project....
Not much new this week...pruning is still the master word. I did receive our first biodynamie preparation that we will pour on the soil once we finish pruning, which should hopefully happen before the end of February.
Vines in Irouleguy facing the Pyrénées Mountains
PODCASTS :
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Dear wine lovers,
Just by the Spanish border, not far away form Bayonne and on the steep slopes facing the majestic Pyrénées Mountains are the vines of Irouléguy.
This small appellation is the only French "Basque" (there are Spanish Basque vineyards)and reveals a lot the strong personality of this area which has always claimed its own identity.
The 3 colors are produced here with a majority of red wines made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Tannat. The whites are made with more "exotic" grapes like Courbu, Gros and Petit Menseng that produce a deep and complex wine that you will enjoy with the local "Charcuteries" like the famous "Jambon de Bayonne". Note that the rosés, with their deep colors, are very interesting especially since I think the reds are sometimes a bit rustic when they are young.
Besides the Cave Coop which produces most of the volumes and which makes a good job here, there are not a lot of producers and they are all working well. Domaine Brana is the most famous; I also enjoy the rosés from Abotia and my preferred is Domaine Ilarria imported in the US by Charles Neal whose selections are always great. Since this area is just beautiful with all the elements gathered (Ocean, Mountains, Valleys), with great food and with such a strong identity, I would highly recommend a visit.
Cheers,
Jean-Marc Espinasse
Any comments, edits are very welcome at [email protected]
PODCASTS :
Listen to this whole edition in French (allow some delay depending on your speed internet connection)
Listen to this whole edition in English (allow some delay depending on your speed internet connection)
Talking about Basque food, this book will teach you all you need to know :
See Irouléguy on a French wine map
*Listen to Irouléguy
Update on our vineyard project....
Because of a few rain drops, we have not been able to prepare one of the two parcels for its plantation and have decided to postpone this to the end of 2007. For this, we will plant some vegetation in order to regenerate the ground and let it graze this fall with sheep which will then produce some great natural dung.
Under and after the rain, we have continued pruning with the help of Laurent (video - 1 MO), a friend who tried the traditional pruning way with shears, and the more efficient one of Jérome (video - 2 MO) who speeds much more…
Encouraging harvest machine...
Dear wine lovers,
While I keep on pruning our vines with the great help of Jérome who owns vines in Cairanne and bring the grapes to the coop, I learn interesting things about all kinds of help that vine owners can get from the government.
The first that stroke me is the help for planting vines. In this overproduction times, one could wonder about it. But the most not-understandable part is that depending if you are a private vine owner or if you belong to a coop, help can double and almost pay for the costs of plantation. As everybody knows, it is the coops that generally produce the best wines so it is normal to encourage them...
Then I heard about help that has been given a few years ago to turn the vines pruned in "Gobelet" into tying them up on wires in order to be able to harvest with a machine. This will permit to lower the harvest cost and in the same, the quality !
Since I have been thinking about this vineyard project for a long time, I know that the government help to get started young farmers. For this, you must be under 40 (which I am still for the next 2 months) and you also must have an agricultural diploma, no matter your academic school level and no matter your experience in the wine business. Of course, this will benefit to farmers who are from generations to generations and who will, for most of them, continue to give their grapes to the coop. On the other hand, new qualitative projects like mine can't find help here.
At last and even if this is not help, the coop system also seems to be protected from the competition of private wineries by the fact that one needs average 2 years of exploitation before you can reasonably think about building a cellar. In the meantime, you have most of the times no other solution than bringing your grapes to the coop...
In this difficult times for some French wines which face the international competition, the question is to know if we want to help organizations that produce wines mostly produced by coops and that don't sell or is it better to encourage new private projects oriented on quality and terroir having in mind that in this category of wines, there is no real competition.
True is that coops represent a lot of people behind and that's when politic interests pollute the debate... Also, true is that the big negociant system need to buy at low cost... But true is that this system does not work, except a few coops that I know and which are completely dedicated to quality. Eventually, all those wines don't sell (and are distilled with, once again, the government budget) simply because we have encouraged to mass produce some wines that can't compete financially and “marketingly” with the ones from the new world, whereas the same vines could have given a much better result if we had encouraged the quality.
The private vineyards which create wealth don't ask for help but the least would understand that there is no longer this discrimination which eventually can block private initiative, the only way for France to "wine" the battle against globalization.
Cheers,
Jean-Marc Espinasse
Any comments, edits are very welcome at [email protected]
The best way to understand my point :
Update on our vineyard project....
Under a cold and very windy weather but with hopefully the sun, I continue pruning (video 2 MO).
This week, we will prepare a vine parcel for a future plantation, even if I am not sure to get some financial help for this project...
The small village of Volnay
Dear wine lovers,
In the South of Beaune, very close to Pommard and Meursault is the village of Volnay*.
Planted on very poor clay and argyle soils, the vines of this village only produce red Volnay and a 15% 1er Crus with the famous Pinot Noir grape.
Mostly known as very elegant, these wines express a red fruit bouquet in the nose like violet, raspberries and a lovely creamy sensation in the mouth. I think they should be drunk young even if the 1er Crus have a better potential to be kept in your cellar. Currently, the 2002 vintage drinks very well as the one I had last Friday with some wild "grives" cooked beside the fireplace.
Most of the wines are very reasonably priced in this small appellation. The ones that I trust the most are Château de la Charrière, Antonin Guyon, Domaine Leroy (very expensive by the way but just great) and my preferred is Hubert de Montille, a great caracter that you will enjoy watching on the very best movie made on wine : Mondovino
Cheers,
Jean-Marc Espinasse
Any comments, edits are very welcome at [email protected]
PODCASTS :
Listen to this whole edition in French (allow some delay depending on your speed internet connection)
Listen to this whole edition in English (allow some delay depending on your speed internet connection)
My very preferred book on Burgundy wines :
Berries hold by the stem
Dear wine lovers,
Since I am right in the process of buying cellar equipments for the coming harvest of our vineyard, there is a debate that is really important to understand nowadays and which concerns the stem of the grape.
This green or yellow part of the grape which holds the berries contains in itself lots of minerals which eventually participate to the tannins of the wines, besides the skin of the berries. If the winemaking of a white or rose naturally separate immediately the stem from the berries since the maceration between the juice and the solid part is very short, the red process poses the problem of how long this solid should stay in contacts with the must.
Before men event machines to separate the stem from the berries, there was no way of considering it. True is, the stem can bring green flavors to the wines, especially if the grape are harvested before maturity and if the wine is drunk young. But 40 years ago, the red wines were much more aged before being put on the market than now and eventually, this green and acid addition brought by the stem would melt.
With the explosion of wine consumption and a new generation of drinkers, it has been necessary to smooth down tannins in order to be able to drink red wines when they are still babies. I remember a visit to Château Margaux a few years ago where the winemaker, in order to give us a message of old tradition, told us that they have always de-stemed...which is not true since it was not technically possible 50 years ago. But in order to be able to offer the market a 1,000 Euros bottle of wine that can be drunk and enjoyed young, that's nowadays the only way to do it.
I am not saying here that a de-stemed wine is not good. Some of them that I love like Mas de Martin for example do it 100%. But in the long run, I think those wines will not hold on the same way they would have if the stem would have been kept during the fermentation.
4 years ago, I have been lucky enough to drink a Château Rauzan Gassies 1961 (surely one of the best vintage of the century) and 10 years ago, I was also enjoyed a Châteauneuf du Pape with an unreadable label 1957. Those wines which had not been de-stemed had kept an outstanding freshness. On the other hand, when I drink now some great vintages 1989 of Bordeaux or even a Beaucatel 1990, I find those wines in their end of life...
So, here is the dilemma I now have to face. The way I will solve it is with using a manual de-stemer if the stem are very green, which happens most of the times with young vines. But when the grapes are very mature and when the vines are old, the stem is yellow brown, brings all the sediments and acidity that the wine needs for a good balance and this tannin addition is compensated by the alcohol level.
Like always in the wine, each year is different and if you want to make the best possible wine, you have to be flexible...and that's what I will try to be.
Cheers,
Jean-Marc
Any comments, edits are very welcome at [email protected]
This legendary winemaker will explain you that making wine is not so difficult. His books is just great :
* Listen to "Egrapper" Téléchargement Egrapper.mp3
Update on our vineyard project....
last week, I have continued to prune our vines and we finished the 2,5 Ha of old Grenache parcel. I also had the pleasure to be proposed to maintain another 2,5 Ha of the same parcel which had been divided in two a few years ago. These 51 years old Grenache will definitely form the base of the future vine which insures even more its quality.
This week will be exciting since we are buying the tanks. As a commercial, I have always sold and buying can be fun sometimes...More on this next week.
