On 23rd June this year Gary Vaynerchuk had a guest on Episode 491 of his regular WLTV show - Frédéric Chaudière of Château Pesquié in the Côtes du Ventoux with two of his wines for tasting, the 2004 Quintessence and Cuvee Artemia.
This wasn’t the first time the Château has been mentioned on the show, its 2003 Quintessence was featured in Episode 200, but this time Frederic was there in person with a special announcement – a competition where 4 lucky winners would spend a week in September working in the vineyards and at the winery. A month later and Episode 506 rolled around with the results of the competition – 1 winner each already picked by Frédéric (Laura Gellman) and Gary (Heather Weid), and two random picks “live” on the show.
Gary dug deep to pull out…Karl Laczko…. yes, yours truly (honest, it’s me - Greybeard’s not my real name you know!). Of course I was travelling at the time so didn’t find out for another day, but watching the show back again I heard the surprise in the voice of long-time WLTV producer and cameraman Chris Mott! Fourth out of the hat was Susan Spaulding, and again Gary was thrilled that another long-term “Vayniac” was picked (Susan and I have been loitering around WLTV and its forum for years now; I guess you can call us old-timers!).
I have since recovered from the shock and all the winners are working out with Frédéric the logistics of getting to the Ventoux for that September week, a once in a lifetime experience that I am looking forward to as much as anything else I’ve done in recent memory. This is an opportunity to experience first-hand the day to day life, good and bad, of working the harvest and getting a vintage ready, and to do this in the beautiful surroundings of Southern Rhône is a bonus. In preparation for the trip, and to set the scene for the Reign of Terroir article that will undoubtedly follow, here is some background on Château Pesquié and what we lucky 4 have set ourselves up for.
In 1985 Edith & Paul Chaudière took over the family property outside Mormoiron, 15 miles northeast of Avignon. They spent the next 4 years improving the vineyards, continuing on from Edith’s parents, Odette & René Bastide, who had bought the Château in the early 70s, before the Côtes du Ventoux received Appellation status in 1973.
After attending the Université du Vin in Suze-La-Rousse and the Wine Institute in Orange (where Paul’s father, Charles, was professor of oenology) they set up the Château Pesquié winery in 1989 - previously they had supplied their grapes to a local co-operative – and produced their first first vintage in 1990, at a time when the number of independent wineries in the region was in single figures. The reigns of the Château passed to the younger generation in the early years of the millennium with Paul’s nephew, Renaud Chaudière and his sons Alexandre and Frédéric.
The modern winery and vineyards cover more than 70 hectares and the AOC wines produced are predominantly (>80%) red; the entry level Les Terrasses, the Artemia Red, the Prestige and the renowned Quintessence. Some Rose and white are also produced, including non AOC Viognier and Chardonnay. The winery exports over 60% of its production, 10 times more than average for the region and they have received many press accolades and favourable critic ratings, especially from a certain Robert Parker.
From what I’ve seen and heard so far I think Laura, Heather, Susan and I are in for a fantastic and memorable week, not only for the experience but also for the chance to taste some wonderful wine and enjoy a slice of Rhône life. I also intend to ask Paul and Frédéric about a side venture of theirs I came across researching this piece – the “Rhône Gang”, which appears to be a light-hearted collaboration between Pesquié and some other wineries in the region, Louis Barruol of Château St Cosme, Rodolphe de Pins of Château Montfaucon and Arnaud de la Chanonie of wholesalers and marketing company Avitus. I look forward to meeting a winemaker who enjoys life enough to share the Rhone Gang song!
To quote, it ”is all about having fun, making great wines and never taking oneself too seriously”.
In anticipation, Greybeard.
On July 8th the French govt. revealed the release of 7,900 gallons of liquid containing an estimated 12 grams per liter of non-enriched uranium from the Tricastin Nuclear Power Center near Bollene. Of the total 7,900 gallons spilled around 4,700 gallons made its way into the Gaffiere and Lauzon rivers, both of which empty into the Rhone.
July 10 brought this news: “Residents in the Vaucluse, a popular southern French tourist destination, were banned yesterday from drinking well-water or swimming or fishing in two rivers after a uranium leak from one of France’s nuclear power plants.”
Other communities have followed with bans of their own. (However, as of this writing the bans have been lifted. Govt. tests of tap water and urine samples have found radiation levels consistent with normal background exposure.)
A second leak was subsequently discovered in an underground pipe. It appears the pipe may have been leaking for quite some time. This development had forced the French govt. to call for the testing of the ground water at all nuclear facilities throughout the country.
July 27th brought an excellent summation of the social upset caused by these recent events. It may be found here.
Of specific interest to Reign of Terroir is the use of the water from the Rhone and affected tributaries on the multitude of downriver vineyards throughout the region’s AOCs. Update to come.
Admin
My local wine warehouse, Spanish Spirit, invited me to a tasting recently to introduce their new line of Spanish wines from Bodegas Heredad Ugarte, based in Vitoria-Logroño near Laguardia in the Rioja Alavesa region. Presenting the wines was Maier Rico-Salinas, Export Manager for the Bodegas, and during the evening I managed to ask her a few questions and get a feel for the company and what they do, as well as trying the wines and some delicious Chorizo, ham and cheese provided by Spanish Spirit’s founder, Oliver Ojikutu.
Rioja Alavesa is the smallest and most Northern of the three Rioja areas, the other two being Rioja Alta and Rioja Baja) and is culturally Basque, with the geography of the Toloño mountain range to the southern Ebro valley providing a unique micro-climate with high temperature variations between hot day and cold night, the condensation created by such variation essential to provide water in an area where irrigation is banned under DOC regulations.
Don Amancio Ugarte started wine production in 1870 and in 1957 his grandson, Anastasio Jesús Victorino Eguren Ugarte (Victorino), founded Bodegas Heredad Ugarte, building a new winery in Laguardia in 1989. Maier highlighted these 3 years in the family history and described the now 74 year old Victorino as a “character” who dug the 2km of underground caves on which the impressive winery sits (the company website has good interactive panoramic views). His two daughters, Mercedes and Asunción play an active role in the family business and the company actually has two ranges - the main one under the La Rioja DOC and a second which produces two labels (Reinares and Mercedes Eguren) under the Vino de la Tierra de Castilla classification. These VdT Castilla wines use grapes purchased from La Mancha topped up with excess grapes from the companies own 115 hectares of Tempranillo, Malvasia and Viura vines that don’t make it into the Rioja wine.
Bodegas Ugarte produces about 700,000 bottles a year (Maier said they had capacity for nearly 1 million but choose not to go so high) and export nearly 40% of its wine (although I’ve read elsewhere it may be lower than this) - mainly to Germany with the U.K. and U.S. (mostly East Coast) each getting a lesser portion. This is similar to export trends for Spanish Wines in general with Germany being the biggest export market, the U.K. taking a respectable share and, although lagging behind, the US is on the up in recent years. The winery is run under an ethos of sustainable development and “putting the law of the five Rs into practice: reduce, reuse, repair, recover and recycle”.
Onto the wines, and first up were the Reinares and Mercedes Eguren (named for Victorino’s daughter who also designed the labels). Maier confirmed that the Eguren range was aimed primarily at the U.S. market, consisting of mainly single varietals in a New World style.
First was the Reinares Vendimia 2007 Blanco, 100% Viura, half from the Rioja vineyards. This had a clear nose of pear with a light start, nice mid-palate going fast into a very dry and bitter finish. It was a touch weak and the bitterness overpowered the promising start.
This was followed by the Mercedes Eguren 2007 Verdejo, a grape more famous in the neighbouring Rueda region. This had a floral but very light nose, not as aromatic as the Viura but with a creamier taste, less dry and a hint of pear - more enjoyable than the Blanco. As we moved onto the 2007 Mercedes Eguren Sauvignon Blanc Oliver commented that this is the first non-Spanish varietal he’s ever carried! Fitting in with the modern style of the range the grapes (from Albacete in La Mancha) are unoaked producing a very typical Sauvignon Blanc nose and style, not too bad, but nothing unique and I’d rather go to New Zealand or Chile for this variety.
Next to the 2007 Mercedes Eguren Chardonnay, the 2nd non-Spanish variety for Oliver! An unoaked Chardonnay with a fruity nose and a very dry, mineral taste and a long finish. This wine was very surprising, reminiscent of a white Burgundy, having an Old World style and noticeable minerality, definitely the best white of the evening. Before we moved onto the reds we had a palate cleansing Reinares Vendimia 2007 Rosado. This 50% Tempranillo and 50% Garnacha is made from the unpressed free-run juice and made a delicious dry drink with a strawberry cream nose, to be added to the list of excellent Rosados Spanish Spirit has on offer.
Things became more serious as we went red with Reinares Vendimia 2007 Tinto, 100% Tempranillo with half of the grapes from the Rioja vineyards and half from La Mancha. 3 months in American Oak Barriques have given it a rich, herby nose - in fact I’d have sworn there was some Garnacha in there. A medium Light wine with oak tannins at the front of the mouth, easy drinking – could have done with a touch less acidity and a little more structure, but very nice nonetheless. We finished with VdT Castilla on the Mercedes Eguren 2007 Shiraz Tempranillo, a blend that spends 6 months in American oak and has a deep rich nose, good depth of colour and richness in the mouth - another enjoyable, easy drinking wine.
The evening came to a close on the DOC Rioja trio of Tinto, Crianza and Reserva (Oliver had started slicing his Serrano Ham at this point and the other assorted cheese and meat selection made a great accompaniment for the wines). The 2006 Ugarte Tinto Cosecha is a blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha which has spent 6 months in American oak. A soft raspberry nose precedes a well balanced wine with moderate complexity and a light finish. This was good preparation for the Heredad Ugarte 2005 Crianza, 15 months in oak turning the 92% Tempranillo and 8% Garnacha into a very rich wine with good tannins, still slightly furry, and some mocha flavour – an extremely well made wine.
The final wine of the night was the Dominio de Ugarte 2003 Reserva, 95% Tempranillo and 5% Graciano. This has been in oak for at least 12 months (the website suggests 20) and then 22 months of bottle aging before release to give a full-flavoured “big” wine with good complexity and tannins. While the Reserva probably has the longest aging potential of the range I didn’t think it had as much elegance as the Crianza, which was, for me, by far the best red of the night and a guaranteed future member of my cellar!
I had an enjoyable evening tasting the range and talking to Maier, who was looking forward to some vacation time on the back of a lot of recent travelling (I know that feeling). I’m certain I’ll be visiting Oliver in the near future to top up my Spanish section of the cellar and three or four of the Heredad Ugarte range will now be added to the choices I have.
Greybeard.
It often happens that wine books especially those taking up scientific topics, plunge into the middle of the subject. An unrealized level of academic sophistication is required for many wine enthusiasts to get much out of them. And it is for this reason I welcome Brian J. Sommers’ fresh effort The Geography of Wine, How Landscapes, Cultures, Terroir, and the Weather Make a Good Drop.
Prof. Sommers works in the Geography Dept. at the Central Connecticut University. His discipline shows. He begins by providing necessary, positional knowledge. The first two chapters introduce readers to such important principles as ‘the morphology of landscape’, terroir, growing degree days, the ‘Köppen system’, and broad climatological distinctions. No need to worry! Prof. Sommers makes these concepts readily accessible. In fact, every chapter is capped by an international example so that a reader may pair a vinous experience they’ve had with geological notions they might not have imagined. The chapter on Microclimate and Wine ends with a gloss on the Rhine and its tributaries. That of Viticulture, Agriculture, and Natural Hazards, California, of course.
But beyond geology, geophysics and its cloud of related sciences we will also read about urbanization, communism, temperance, multinationals, and wine tourism. Each topic is conducted with the conversational ethic of a good teacher; no one gets left behind.
Indeed, I asked him a few questions about his book. Here is what Prof. Sommers himself had to say:
Admin How is it you became interested in the world of wine?
Brian J. Sommers I became interested in wine and its geography thanks to the teaching of John Dome. I was his graduate assistant at Miami University (Miami of Ohio). There is some background on this in the book. He taught a geography of wine course that involved nightly wine tastings. Through it I discovered two important things. First, I discovered that wine was a lot more than Manischevitz. Second, I learned that you can actually pursue academic studies of those things that you enjoy in daily life.
Have you ever worked in the wine industry?
B.J.S. I have not worked in the industry. I just kept going to school until I got a job teaching in one.
Do you provide vineyard consultation?
B.J.S. I do not provide vineyard consultation. My interests are more toward teaching about wine through classroom experiences or through study tours/travel. My colleagues and I have significant experience taking students abroad on geographic study tour. As a follow-up to the book’s publication, I had planned to turn my wine knowledge and travel experience into wine tours (for a general-not academic-audience). But given rising travel costs and the growing disparity between the Dollar and Euro, those aspirations have been put on the back burner.
Are you part of a larger oenology/viticultural program at Central Connecticut University?
B.J.S. In my wine interests I am all by myself here at CCSU. I did have a colleague in the History Department who was very active in wine research. But he got a great gig as a wine researcher at Cal-Berkeley.
Who is your target audience?
B.J.S. My target audience is those individuals whose interests in wine are such that they want to learn more about it. My target is not a person sitting in a classroom. It is the person sitting at home who enjoys reading about wine while they relax with a glass. Two weeks ago it might have been a wine history book. Last week it could have been a literary journey through Provence and its wine. Next week it might be a book on wine vintages or food pairings. Maybe some week it will be a book on wine and its geography. In doing so, I would hope that the readers would gain a greater appreciation for wine and a greater understanding of geography. Even though it is not aimed at a classroom audience, the book does touch upon all of the major subject areas that I would cover in an introductory geography course. We are just covering them using wine as the subject matter.
Do you have reading suggestions for those interested in transitionin to more technical texts?
B.J.S. There are no technical texts in the geography of wine that are comparable. That was why my original book proposal was for a textbook. I never envisioned doing a book for a general audience. That was the challenge that my publishers posed to me. I actually had a heck of a time trying NOT to write in a textbook/academic journal format. Tim Unwin has a nice historical geography of wine (ie. a little geography and a heck of a lot of history). There are some books which deal with geography in a couple of chapters and then go into the description of wine regions. But interestingly enough, most are from an earlier time and are out of print. Given the absence of a true textbook, I am working on a web accompaniment to my book that will allow for a classroom application of the book. My intention was to have it done by the end of the summer. The reality is that I probably need a New England winter to get through that task.
Can you tell me a bit more about your tasting evolution? Were you a part of Prof. Dome’s tasting group? Perhaps a bit on how it was organized? By country, variety, climate, terroir?
B.J.S. He was an emeritus professor when I arrived at Miami U in 1987. He has long since passed away. When I was given the assignment I thought it was a joke. But after a couple of weeks in the class I came around. There were two sections of 90 students each. About 1/5 were ‘townies’ from around Oxford (just NE of Cincinnati) who took the course every time it was offered. They were great because they brought in food–always a welcome addition for poor graduate students. Many of the other students were Business majors who saw the knowledge as useful for shmoozing with future bosses. A few were geography majors who wanted to get the geography out of the course. Most of the rest were the drinkers that thought a $50 lab fee paid by their parents would ensure them of 15 weeks of getting drunk. The last group were roadkill at the first test.
Each night John would deal with a different wine producing region. It was a lot of slides (two or three 80 slide trays a night), a fair amount of geography, and then wine tasting. He dealt a lot with terroir as it is a natural for geographers. After all, terroir tells us that geography matters. What is more important than that??? In the class we would learn what made the wine regions tick. We would then taste 4 or 5 wines from that region. This was, after all, the 1980’s on a residential campus. My job was to prepare enough bottles for 90 people and to make sure that the drinkers did not heist the bottles as they made their way around the room. After class I was left to clean up and ‘dispose’ of the remaining wine. For the opened bottles this usually involved emptying them in the company of the other grad students who were working down the hall in the computer lab. The unopened bottles ended up back at my apartment. So I had the opportunity to taste the wines in each of the two classes. I then tasted them again after class with the other grad students. I then repeated the process in the months that followed as I worked my way through all of the leftover bottles. So while it started as a joke, it turned out to be the best ‘job’ that I ever had!
Thank you, Prof. Sommers. I certainly hope your fine book will be found by those who might otherwise be anxious to ask the questions you easily answer.
Admin
I love Chenin Blanc, have done ever since my family vacation to the Loire Valley in 2006 where we had some delicious dry and semi-dry Vouvray, however for this tale I’m heading to Chenin’s winter home, South Africa. The spur for this was the drinking of two bottles from the same vintage this month, Bellingham’s 2005 The Maverick and Rijk’s Private Cellar 2005 Barrel fermented – more on those later.
Chenin Blanc looks to have been one of the original grape varieties planted in South Africa as far back as 1655 when it was then called Steen (a name that still lingers on today in South Africa), but it wasn’t until 1963 that Professor C. J. Orffer from the University of Stellenbosch identified Steen as Chenin . In the mid 1990s the variety made up nearly 30% of South Africa’s vineyards but a drop in popularity has seen that fall to less than 20% nowadays, however the best sites have had hundreds of years to be identified and produce world class white wines, a fact that a lot of the wine world has still to fully understand. My first ever South African Chenin was about 2 years ago with Stormhoek’s “African Storm” 2005 Reserve and I have been a fan ever since.
The Bellingham winery is in Wellington, in the Paarl region, but the grapes for the 2005 Maverick were from Stellenbosch just down the road on the way to Cape Town. I picked this up last year from my local Waitrose store for £8.99 ($18) and waited for 6 months before it came out to play when we had friends over for dinner a couple of weeks ago. 
While it was obviously a well made wine, with a heady, spicy nose, floral and fruity taste and a luscious and smooth texture, unfortunately the oak was overpowering. For those who like a lot of wood then you’ll enjoy this as a 4-star, but for me a little less oak would have made for a far more pleasurable glass and so I’m dropping it into the 3-star range (feel free to add a half point).
Two weeks later and a Chinese meal required a white to accompany it. The only one that seemed appropriate from my drinking list was the 2005 Rijk’s Private Cellar, Barrel Fermented. This is from Tulbagh, a region generally overshadowed by its neighbours Stellenbosch and Paarl, although not as much as the 3 mountain ranges which surround it – the western Obiqua Mountains, the Winterhoek Mountains in the north and the eastern Witzenberg Mountains.
The influence of these mountains and the open southern valley with its cooling winds, mean some varied terroir and climates in such a small area which should be worth looking out for if the quality of the Rijk’s is anything to go by. This was the second time I’ve had this wonderful wine, the first being last Christmas Eve (with the same friends we shared The Maverick with) where I was blown away by its honey aroma and complex, zesty taste. Both bottles were purchased in South Africa during separate trips to Johannesburg, this one for about 95 Rand ($13) last month, so it didn’t have long to recover from the jet-lag! The nose was of spicy honey, and floral in the mouth, dry and thick with some oak throughout, and honey at both the start and finish. There were similarities to The Maverick but I found this more complex and the honey aspect was delicious, while the oak was restrained enough not to overpower. This was a clear 4-star effort and backs up my impression of its sibling from Christmas.
I see both of these wines as training for the final Chenin in my cellar (at least for the moment) - The FMC (Forrester Meinert Chenin), 2005. This Stellenbosch wine has become something of an icon and I was quick to buy a bottle when it was on offer at Waitrose for £11.99 ($24) at the beginning of the year. Whilst my heart is sorely tempted to open this up in the next few weeks to contrast with the other two my head is pointing out the 2008-2014 drinking window I’ve assigned and it will likely be a few years yet before I can compare notes – I’ll post a comment when I do!
Meantime I recommend you seek out this much maligned grape and see what it can do in the hands of a good South African winemaker, and then maybe buy some Vouvray and see how the original Loire Valley view of Chenin Blanc compares.
Greybeard.
The dust of well over 500 energetic souls has only just settled. Last Thursday, not an auspicious day of the week for an Event, nevertheless it witnessed the filming of Gary Vaynerchuk’s 500th episode of his celebrated WLTV series before a packed house. When Mr. Vaynerchuk took time to breathe between passionate proclamations the crowd jumped in to further drown out the roar of Hwy 280 traffic streaming nearby. Yours truly and Brandon Miller, writers for this blog, had the pleasure of assisting the good folks at CrushPad, especially Stu Ake and the delightful Hayden Moulds, to make real the evening.
And the evening would not have been complete without the presence of Chris Mott, Gary’s gentleman filmmaker.
Many thanks go out to the excellent wineries who answered my invite to join in the mix.
In no particular order:
Duckhorn
Fort Ross
Edmunds St. John
Pelican Ranch
Sones Cellars
Twisted Oak
J. Lohr
New Zealand Winegrowers
Clos La Chance
To the wineries who either missed the deadline or could not attend: another gathering is planned for late Fall, early Winter.
The official 500th episode may be viewed on WLTV. (Brandon and I make an appearance.)
CrushPad has provided the following photo and video links.
Cheers
Admin
It is time once again for another Santa Cruz Mountains Passport event. This Saturday, July 19th, the AVA’s fine wineries are hosting tastings and offering educational insight into winegrowing in the diverse microclimates that inform the stylistic variety of the region.
Further:
“Some of our wineries are not open to the public except on Passport days and many pour special wines or barrel samples on these days.A lot of these wines are simply not available anywhere else, so if you find a wine that you like, please buy a bottle or two. Without sales, these special tastings cannot take place.” [Full text].
All tasting fees are waived provided the visitor is in possession of the Passport which may be purchased online (click link above), by calling (831) 685-VINE [8463], or at any of the participating wineries. Additionally, some local restaurants offer discounts for Passport holders.
Salud! Drive safely!
Admin
On this Bastille Day may I suggest few persons better sum up the independent esprit of the French vigneron than Aimé Guibert of Le Domaine de Daumas Gassac. Fixed in the popular imagination, for better or ill, by his dour utterances in the comédie humaine that is the film Mondovino, yet Monsieur Guibert is far more complex. Like most of us, for him love of family is the highest good. His deep feeling for country is no different than ours. He is well read, lives the life of the mind despite his advancing years.
But notoriety invites reaction or celebrity, and follows upon the public’s choosing of sides. Such has happened with Monsieur Guibert, no less than French wine itself. Vigorous debates swirl about the relative merits of Old and New World wines styles, rising alc levels, the niaiserie of scores, increasing dependance on organoleptic technologies in the winery, etc., all important discussions, to be sure, but very often they isolate lead characters given limited speaking rôles.
Reign of Terroir’s ethical position is to put people back into play, as it were. Here is a marvelous quote from Roland Barthes, the great French cultural critic, which gets at the heart of matter:
When I used to play prisoner’s base in the Luxembourg, what I liked best was not provoking the other team and boldly exposing myself to their right to take me prisoner; what I liked best was to free the prisoners–the effect of which was to put both teams back into circulation: the game started over again at zero.
In the great game of the powers of speech, we also play prisoner’s base: one language has only temporary rights over another; all it takes is for a third language to appear from the ranks for the assailant to be forced into retreat: in the conflict of rhetorics, the victory never goes to any but the third language. The task of this language is to release the prisoners: to scatter the signifieds, the catechisms. As in prisoner’s base, language upon language, to infinity, such is the law which governs the logosphere. Whence other images: that of choosing up hand over hand (the third hand returns, it is no longer the first one), that of scissors, paper, stone, that of the onion in its layers of skin without a core. That difference should not be paid for by any subjection: no last word. [emphasis added]
And now, the laconic interview.
Admin Would you tell us how you came to know Professor Enjalbert, the gentleman who initially discovered the unique terroir of the Daumas property?
Aimé Guibert Enjalbert is a personal friend from Aveyron. Aveyron is one of the truly Gallic department; one could say “gallic tribe”.
How is it you took him at his word? I mean to ask, given that you and Véronique had no experience with grapes how did you both decide on the vine?
A.G. As an “Aveyronnais”, he deserved my confidence.
Where did you find your first Cabernet Sauvignon vines? What Bordeaux properties were sourced for cuttings?
A.G. Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux 1910, came from a small collection, destroyed nowadays. Even in Bordeaux, it is quite hard today to find a Cabernet from before clone and massal selection.
Your first bottling, the 1980, when did you drink the last bottle? Or do you still have a few bottles left?
A.G. On Peynaud’s strong advice, we have kept a few hundred bottles of each of our vintage from 1978.
You began farming ‘organically’ back in the early ’80s. What were the rules in France then? Does ‘organic’ mean something different today?
A.G. Any natural product could be accepted. Any product of “man synthese” is not accepted.
And while we’re on the topic, what is your understanding of Biodynamics?
A.G. Traditionnal European farming is our unique rule.
How has the Languedoc benefited from your efforts? Have wineries responded to your innovations? Of course, in the early days quality improved, without a doubt. But now, in 2008, what may we say of the Languedoc as a whole?
A.G. Still alone in our respect for the traditional rules, but Languedoc has made tremendous progress towards quality wines.
Your resistance to globalization is well known. I, myself, find your’s the proper stance especially if one’s community hopes to preserve local knowledge. What is lost to technological innovation? What does a vigneron come to mean in a world dedicated to repetition, sameness?
A.G. Globalisation means big volume, big money and fascist like economic power. I am against any fascism. Read the bible.
And CRAV, the Comité regional d’action viticole, how do you understand their actions? Are they relevant?
A.G. No comment on any of the hundred “comité…”
Leaving abstractions behind, could you tell us about your vineyards? What actions do you employ? Irrigation? Copper? And in light of the recent poor weather around Aniane what do you intend to do?
A.G. Our vineyard is a genuine community vineyard of fifty of the best European historical varieties.
And in the winery, would you tell us a little about your barrel regimen, yeasts used, blending?
A.G. Read Emile Peynaud, he is the perfect answer to deal with natural conditions.
What do you do in a poor vintage?
A.G. When you pick from 20 to 35 hectolitres on average per hectare, from a non-cloned vineyard, you never have a really poor vintage; You have top quality ones and medium quality ones.
Is Global Warming apparent in the Languedoc?
A.G. What means “global warming”?
Climate change. Have you noticed it in the vineyard?
A.G. [No answer was given.]
The film Mondovino is an unavoidable topic. Have you spoken with Jonathan Nossiter in recent years?
A.G. I love the poet Jonathan. But I haven’t had any calls from him for years.
Have you read his book, Le Goût et le pouvoir? Your opinion?
A.G. A clever love declaration to Burgundy and Burgundy vignerons.
And I simply must ask, what is your present understanding of Michel Rolland?
A.G. A fine money maker like millions of people today.
Do you have any words upon the passing of Robert Mondavi?
A.G. Robert Mondavi was a real man who deserves respect.
What is Véronique’s role in Le Domaine Daumas Gassac?
A.G. Nothing could exist without Veronique’s influence and wisdom.
And Samuel, your eldest son, in what direction will he take the family winery?
A.G. I have three good sons involved in Daumas Gassac, Samuel, Gaël and Roman. Life will show their weight.
Do you plan to write a memoir? A book?
A.G. I have made for years research on wine and Christianity for lectures; but my decision is not to write anything.
My next lecture will be at the Political Science School in Paris called Sciences PO.
What will be your lasting contribution to the wine world?
A.G. The Gassac vineyard is more a poem to the Mediterranean world; what is the influence of poetry?
What should my American readers finally understand about Le Domaine de Daumas Gassac?
A.G. We have a few hundred nice American citizens visiting every year. They all share emotion and love for this valley, first planted as a vineyard by Saint Benoit II, minister of Charlemagne. There are still quite a few European valleys not destroyed by chemicals and religion of money and volume. To visit them is a good project.
Thank you, Monsieur Guibert. It has been an honor.
Viva la France!
Admin
It’s amazing how a simple comment can change influence someone’s life for a whole year. Towards the end of Episode 275 of Wine Library TV that hyperactive wine-champion of the Internet generation, Gary Vaynerchuk, got into a rant about people playing safe with wine and not being adventurous enough, saying “…are you ready to step up and try 365 different wines for the rest of the year”. After dropping that one-liner into the episode it was inevitable that the VaynerNation would rise to the call and almost immediately The 365 day Challenge was born. The rules were painfully simple - before 12th July 2008 you needed to have had 365 DIFFERENT wines, no duplicates allowed. Before claims of incitement to alcoholism get bandied around remember this is a wine enthusiasts community where visits to wineries, multiple tastings etc. are commonplace – no-one was saying drink a full bottle of wine every day for a year, I’m sure the Surgeon General would have something to say about THAT advice!
From my recent Centurion post you’ll probably already have gathered I like a challenge, however being in the UK I felt at a disadvantage. I don’t have any wineries within easy driving distance to visit and my average drinking was 2 bottles a week, which would take me to just over 100 - far short of the target. However I did have 2 advantages over my other U.K. based wine-loving friends;
-My work. Being shipped around the world on a regular basis, with access to Frequent Flyer lounges, meant a significant proportion of the total could be met in Airports and on-board flights. Hotels and restaurants can also quickly add to a total if you have a glass or two of something different each time round.
-The Newcastle Wine Fair. This twice yearly event has 40+ wines to taste your way through over the course of an evening, so assuming I could get through most of the wines on offer during each one then that’s nearly 80 wines on two separate nights!
Of course notes would be required to keep track of what had been tried and eliminate the chance of duplication (strictly against the rules!) so I reverted to type and started a spreadsheet with all the relevant information - although a little later fellow Reign of Terroir author Brandon Miller set up a dedicated Web-based database for anyone to use and keep track of their progress. My first red wine logged was a humble offering, the Concha y Toro Explorer 2005 Pinot Noir from the Casablanca valley, Chile, savoured on the 13th July 2007. This was a classic New World Pinot, very smooth and enjoyable. The first white was a day later, Tyrrell’s Old Winery 2005 Chardonnay from the Hunter Valley in Australia, with a buttery aroma, rich texture and a sweet citrus tang at the end. So began a year of new wines.
The first months progress was good with a large dinner party and business travel to move me just under the one-a-day target, moving into August with more business trips keeping me reasonably on track. Late September and the first Newcastle Wine Fair kicked in with 39 tasters to send me ahead of schedule, however after that progress stalled - I think I dropped to a 3 per week average, far behind what I needed to stand a chance at the Challenge, even Christmas and New Year couldn’t keep me ahead. By that time it was no longer a competition among the Vayniacs, that sub-plot had already been won when a little lady called Suzanna reached the 365 in November (much to everyone’s amazement and secret calls to AA!).
The business travel kept on coming and Israel in February ’08 added a boost, when I visited 3 wineries, and not much later the first of two visits to Turkey gave a healthy injection of middle-eastern wines and explains how both of these countries ended up in my final Top 10. Pretty soon it was April and the second NWF - another 37 wines to the totals and suddenly I was ahead of target again, and the home-stretch beckoned, with work throwing more hectic foreign trips at me, each with the bonus side-effect of wine exposure. It was Turkey again in May, followed by Australia and South Africa, meaning that June 28th saw me sitting on 364 - one wine to reach the Challenge total and 2 weeks to do it.
Number 365 coincided with an experimental tasting I carried out with 2 friends met on the Wine Forums, one in Japan, the other in the US. The event had been planned for months and was set for the 4th July, with the 2000 Vintage of Chateau Musar Rouge (Gaston Hochar). Earlier vintages of this wine, always a polarizing influence in the wine community, had been enjoyed by all 3 of the participants and in retrospect it was a fitting label for the 365th wine on my Challenge list. There is likely to be a future article on the great Musar simultasting, so I won’t go into any more detail of that here, but this was quickly followed by 366, also a Musar, this time the 2001 Blanc.
So with a week left to go before the end of the challenge there was room for another 12 wines, 10 from a mid-week Spanish tasting, to bring the final total for a year of novel wine tasting to 378. Keeping records of each wine means that I have a detailed insight into a year of my wine drinking life, and some wonderful statistical breakdowns of what, where, why and when.
Here are some of the key figures;
Red Wines = 189, White Wines = 138, Sparkling Wines = 17, Rose Wines = 13 and Fortified & Dessert Wines = 21.
Number of different countries = 24, including China, Cyprus, England, India and Mexico (1 each).
Top 10 countries;
France (85), Spain (53), Australia (49), Italy (36), South Africa (36), Chile (19), USA (17), Germany (14), Israel (12) and Turkey (11).
Most common regions;
California (15), Stellenbosch (14), Rioja (14) and the Loire Valley (13).
Number of wines drank = 271, number of wines tasted = 107.
Number of wines tried at airports or onboard flights = 53.
Oldest Vintage = 1967.
Thanks Gary, for (unintentionally) setting off this brilliant adventure I ended up on - along with the Wine Century Club these two “quests” have changed my wine buying and drinking habits. Whilst I will undoubtedly end up buying some of the better wines I tried last year for future drinking, and there are a few bottles in my cellar I’m bringing to the top of the lists now that the “no duplicate” ban is removed, I have definitely moved from the safe options of buying “whatever tasted good last month” and into the uncharted territories of novel grapes, regions and wine producers.
Greybeard.
La Scala Italian Restaurant
Montecasino Boulevard, Fourways, Johannesburg
South Africa
My 3rd visit to South Africa in a year saw me again at the Montecasino complex in Fourways, north of Johannesburg. For the weeks sole wine & dine night La Scala came recommended through my friend Caroline who shared a table with me. The restaurant is inside the kitchy faux-Tuscan complex and we got a table on the balcony overlooking the Casino itself. The wine list made for good reading and I’d mentally prepared a few different selections for over the evening, but was then disappointed to find that the by-the-glass selection was limited to a single house white & red not on the menu. We agreed on a bottle of red with the main meal and started with a glass of Chenin Blanc from Basson Family Wines, their 2007 Babylon’s Peak from Swartland . This arrived refreshingly cold, but still providing a rich floral aroma which remained through the first taste. A nice example of a variety South Africa is justifiably famous for, light and refreshing with moderate length, it was a good 3-star start to the evening.
The menu had a wonderful choice and I was already having trouble deciding on what to go for, but then the waitress came by and started to list the specials, and kept on listing! There was at least a dozen and all sounded wonderful enough for us to reconsider our initial choices.
Eventually Caroline went for line-caught fish Carpaccio (sorry, can’t remember what type) and the Langoustine pasta (linguine I think, it tasted wonderful!) while I chose Springbok Carpaccio and a main of seared Tuna.
The Springbok was delicious, a rich flavour similar yet gamier than the likes of a Parma or Serrano ham.
Along with the starters our main bottle had also arrived, and this time round I went for a Pinotage, that much maligned South African variety. Although the Longridge tempted me I had some at home from one of the earlier trips, ditto the Beyerskloof, so the Clos Malverne from Stellenbosch rose to the top of the list. Basket-pressed, this was their Pinotage Reserve, the label referring to 35 year old vines. I had a sip with the Carpaccio and it worked well with it, probably because of its forward acidity. I left the rest to breathe while we chatted and finished off our respective Carpaccio with the Chenin.
My Tuna arrived with a light vegetable selection and a pot of fresh tomato sauce, but the fish was the centrepiece - a generous steak well-seared. The waitress had checked I like rare Tuna, and the inside was a deep pink and juicy, for most people the perfect rare (definitely not overdone) but for me I probably would have had it a bit less cooked, however I do tend towards Sashimi when it comes to Tuna!
So, onto the Pinotage, which had a rough and rustic nose, initially unpromising but there was a sweet vanilla and cherry end which rescued it. Deep inky purple with long legs (14% abv) it had a sharp attack, very acidic initially with tannin at the front of the mouth. Mid-palate it mellowed and lead into a good finish, the tannic aftertaste reminding you it had been there. An excellent food wine in the style of some Italians I’ve had – on their own a little harsh, but with meaty food perfect and it worked really well with the tomato sauce accompanying the seared Tuna. I can’t raise it above a 3-star effort, but, as with other Pinotage I’ve tried, nothing to prevent me coming back for more.
Unusually for me I even had a dessert, Tiramisu (obvious, but tasty nonetheless!) and a glass of Grappa came free at the end, finishing off the meal and almost me – I always forget how evil smelling and potent this stuff can be!
In summary the only real grumble was the lack of choice by-the-glass, still a common concern in a lot of restaurants. Apart from this minor gripe this was a good evening with friendly staff, delicious food and nice wine.
Greybeard.
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