Olivier Horiot Interview!
"An anecdote that has always stuck with me was during my time in US, vinifying in the state of Washington. Where I worked, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling and Chardonnay were all planted together in the same vineyard! It struck me as odd that they thought they could produce quality wine this way, but I later realized that they were simply trying to figure out what grape was best suited for this terroir.
When I came home, I had a revelation. My family's land already had established grapes grown on established terroir. I also realized that with just one grape (Pinot Noir), you could produce many different styles of wine and still have them be reflective of a place. I hadn't originally planned to come back or even to vinify my family's vines, but from that moment on I knew I wanted to make Rosé des Riceys and Coteaux Champenois."
Note to everyone: that video was not produced by Olivier! Anyway, he's a really interesting, smart guy, so read up on the man!
Loïc Roure of Domaine du Possible Interview!
"I wanted to work normally, which in my mind means not using chemicals. Organics are the bare minimum if you want to do this sort of thing. In the cellar, I've always wanted to use the least amount of entrants possible."
Check out this fresh new interview from one of our newest producers, Loïc Roure of Domaine du Possible! Find out about Loïc past life, interning at Thierry Allemand, discovering the beauty of the Roussillon, participating in AOC tasting panels a lot more over on the Domaine du Possible profile.
Salvo Foti Video Interview!
Salvo Foti forwarded us this great video interview a few days ago. The 21 minutes fly by, and cover pretty much everything you need to know about I Vigneri, Etna and Salvo himself. The man has a way with words, and his passion is contagious. Really fun watch!
This might also be a good time to revisit our visit recap at I Vigneri last April.
This blog post was Clos Rougeard Approved.
German Excursion 2013: Weingut Knebel! (+New Profile and Interview!)
From Enkirch, we drove over to Winningen to hang with Matthias Knebel for a morning of vines and wine. Matthias and his mom Beate run Weingut Knebel together, which you can read all about in their BRAND SPANKING NEW PROFILE! Make sure to read Matthias' interview; he may be young but he's a wise man with a lot of insight.
We started the visit by checking out their parcel on the Uhlen vineyard, which is characterized by grey slate.
The metal carts pictured above (that we rode last summer) can be spotted throughout the Mosel. They are in fact not rollercoasters but are used only to carry grapes back down to safety. Not every parcel has them, and in those cases the workers have to walk all the way down with crates of grapes that can weigh up to 60 kilos!
The lower Mosel's soils are particularly stony, which is why the terraces here are so important.
"It's because of the terraces that their even is soil where vines can be planted. Otherwise, it's just rock."
None of the Knebel vines had been pruned yet.
Most of their neighbors have been done for a while. Matthias explained that they are simply waiting for a full vegetative cycle to complete itself before pruning.
After staring at them from the road, it was time to take a little trek into the vines.
Kevin was cold.
Once we were all settled on steep slate, Matthias cued us in on some of Uhlen's properties. Most importantly, we didn't see any but apparently the stony vineyards are heavily populated by lizards. Okay, that wasn't the most important, but I think lizards are cool.
On to the real stuff: For single site wines, they only use grapes from the middle of the slope. This is the exact same reasoning as Grand Cru in Burgundy. The vines at Uhlen are about 50, but look thin and younger because of how pour the soils are. Roots go up go up to 10 m in the ground, so even in very dry years, the vines can still feed themselves. Because of rainy winters, hot summers and the river's humidity, the biggest illness issues these vineyards face is mildew. Oidium is another, much more infrequent problem. They have a crew of six people working during the summer. The main guy has been working for them 24 years.
After carefully stepping back down to the road, we hopped into our cars to visit the Röttgen vineyard.
Röttgen means "recultivate while building land". Prussian soldiers blew out these hills with dynamite to build the terraces. The vines are 70 years old and non-grafted.
After visiting the vines, it was time to taste the largely unfinished 2012's. The Knebel cellar consist mostly of stainless steel tanks, but part of the Von den Terrassen is produced in 2000l barrels. All the Cru wines are vinified separately. The b selection grapes are also fermented site by site, and based on how they are developing, Matthias makes the choice which tanks will be blended into the base Trocken or Von den Terrassen. On average, 30 mg of sulfur are added, only at bottling.
A conversation about low intervention winemaking ensued, and Matthias had this to see on cultured yeasts:
"I've had many wines made with cultured yeasts that are good. We work this way based on our own feelings. If you feel comfortable with what you do, I believe 100% that the wines will be great."
This lead to discussing the infamous 2010 vintage. It was Matthias's second vintage on his own, and a year where acidities were through the roof. Many producers chose to de-acidify the wines, which is done by adding a type of chalk into the tanks, then filtering it out. But based on what Gernot had taught him, Matthias chose not to alter the wine in any way.
"Fuck de-acidification".
As far as adding acidity, the 2003 vintage was brought up.
"They tasted really good when they were bottled, but a year later you tasted acid on one side, wine on the other. I knew then that I would never follow this practice."
I like Matthias a lot. After tasting the 2011's and having a great lunch, we set out to go visit Clemens and Rita Busch. Go read their BRAND SPANKING NEW PROFILE in anticipation of the visit recap!
This blog post was Clos Rougeard Approved.
German Excursion 2013: Immich-Batterieberg! (+New Profile and Interview!)
Precursor to the German posts: Though the following recaps will detail our visit to Germany in February, 2013, I've decided to include pictures from our visit last summer. Don't be surprised by how green the vines are!
After 10 days in the Loire, it was time to say goodbye to France. After a fun last night in Paris, a small group of us took the train to Luxembourg, rented some cars and headed straight to the village of Enkirch to meet with Gernot Kollmann of Immich-Batterieberg.
Immich-Batterieberg is an estate with a long and interesting history, which you can read all about on THE BRAND SPANKING NEW IMMMICH-BATTERIEBERG PROFILE! Also featured is a BRAND SPANKING NEW interview with Gernot Kollmann; his tone remains humble and understated throughout, but make no mistake: the guy is one of the most forward-thinking winemakers in Germany.
We arrived in the late afternoon, so we started the visit by tasting some 2012's from tank and barrel.
Notes on the vintage: overall production was down 50% from 2011, which in itself was a low yielding year. By purchasing fruit, Gernot was able to produce as much C.A.I and Escheburg as last year. In a statement that echoed what we heard and tasted over and over again in the Loire, Gernot confirmed that he was very happy with the wines of 2012, and that the quality of the vintage will be excellent.
Fermentations are very slow this year, particularly the barrel stuff. We started by tasting three separate stainless steel tanks of pre-blended C.A.I. Each was produced with purchased fruit from three separate sites. The first had a nice balance between acidity and sugar, the second was much more acidic and dry and the third was round and mineral. They were all disjointed on their own (let's not forget they were unfinished), but based on their individual characteristics, I'm sure the blend will come together nicely.
All the Cru wines are fermented and aged in barrel.
We tasted Ellergrub, Steffensberg, Batterieberg, as well as Zeppwingert, which has about 15% botrytis this vintage. We then got to check out the original cellar, which dates back to 870 (no, not 1870. 870!).
After visiting the cellar, we retried the 2011's and had an epic dinner. Gernot is a great cook, and he decided to go all out with local dishes, including yet another wild boar hunted in the vineyard and served into our plates, aka my favorite trend of these trips. Seriously, this started with Dora Forsoni making us wild boar stew in 2011, and since then we have been served wild boar at François Cazin's, Bernard Baudry, Luneau-Papin (twice), Pépière (twice, in paté form) and I'm forgetting at least two other places. Bottom line: wild boars in three different countries eat the grapes of our livelihood, so we must eat them in retaliation. Fact.
Katharina Prüm was there, and she kept pulling out bottles from the early 2000's. She also made dessert: a lovely apple tart. The meal ended with a humongous platter of cheese Gernot had purchased in Angers, and more interestingly a bottle of 1959 Immich-Batterieberg. We drank a lot of old vintages that were full of life this trip, and this bottle was a particularly good example. The acidity, color and focus was just incredible, and I would never have guessed the wine was that old on taste/smell alone.
Two days later, we returned to visit the vineyards, starting with the Batterieberg site.
Batterieberg is a monopole within the Zeppwingert vineyard. It was formed by Carl August Immich, who chose to dynamite this part of the hill between 1841 and 1845 in order to create terraces and plant vines. This is also what gives the estate its name, as Batterieberg tranlsates to Battered Mountain. It's also the youngest vineyard in the estate. Gernot has recently purchased some old, abandoned terraces around here, but it will take some time before anything is replanted, since the walls need to be rebuilt.
The base of Batterieberg was replanted in the 90's by the previous owner, and were grafted on a rootstock Gernot disproves of.
"Back then no one cared about vines and rootstock, just quantity."
As a result, this lower part is blended into the C.A.I. In the future, everything that Gernot replants will be in selection massale: most from Immich-Batterieberg vines but also from another estate in the Saar.
In total, Batterieberg represents 1.1 hectares; 0.6 go into the Batterieberg bottling.
Last summer, we got to ride up on this bad boy.
These are not designed for human beings to ride on, and this is what it looks like when you do it anyway:
At around the 22 second mark, notice how the ride gets A LOT steeper, resulting in my "I'm smiling but kind of terrified" face.
Here are some pics from when we got midway to the top.
The majority of these vines are on their original rootstock and over 80 years old.
We then took a drive up to visit the Ellergrub site, which Gernot considers his finest vineyard. To get there, we had to navigate through this narrow path:
At 1.4 h, this is the biggest single vineyard in Immich. The soil here is the poorest, and the yields are very low, averaging 25 hl/h.
Up next, our morning with Mattias Knebel. Expect the same deal as above: visit recap, new profile and interview.
This blog post was Clos Rougeard Approved.
Elena Pantaleoni Interview (+New La Stoppa Profile)!
"Wine has always been made this way: even as little as 50 years ago, all the great wines of Italy were "natural" simply by being rooted in tradition. I'm astonished how things changed so much, so fast. People were so quick to forget."
Big boss Elena Pantaleoni dropping knowledge at L'Herbe Rouge! As you may know, we are now working with La Stoppa on a quasi-national level, and boy oh boy are we excited! Go read the interview on the brand new La Stoppa profile!
This blog post was Clos Rougeard Approved.
The Lost Interviews, Part 2: Alberto Masini of Cà de Noci!
"With organic production, you must control all phases of production. You cannot leave anything behind. You have to be present for everything, from the pruning to the harvest."
Same deal as Donati: footage was lost but had I had a record of the conversation, so now it's up on the site!
GO READ IT HERE!
Also, what perfect timing since the next post will be Part 1 of the Italy Chronicles 2012, and guess where we visited? Cà de Noci!
The Lost Interviews, Part 1: Camillo Donati!
"Nature without compromises: It's a way of life."
Last year, we visited Camillo Donati. After tasting the 2010's, Alex Finberg filmed Camillo while Kevin interviewed him. Unfortunately, the footage was lost and will never see the light of day. But I recently remembered that I still had a record of the entire conversation. So for your reading enjoyment, go check out Camillo's interview!
Jean Thévenet Interview! + New Bongran Profile!
I have created a new, separate profile for Domaine de Bongran, which used to be split as Domaine de Roally/Bongran (which is now just Domaine de Roally). After our visit this summer, I realized that both estates are so different stylistically that it didn't make sense combining them as one. The profile is short, but concise in all the info you'll need on the wine.
The interview, however, is as "in depth" as it gets and one of my favorites. The legendary Jean Thévenet delves deep into his childhood, being school-mates with Henri Goyard, the term "natural wine" in 1910, his relationship with Jules Chauvet, what he thinks about sulfur and so much more over on the Domaine de Bongran profile.
Yvonne Hegoburu Interview!
On a muddy day in Pau, the wonderful Yvonne Hegoburu gave us a tour of her vines and was kind enough to participate in this interview. Find out about the Mondovino star's past, discovering biodynamics through a magazine article and much more on the Domaine de Souch profile!
Summer Log 29: Zélige-Caravent in Corconne! + New Profile and Interview!
PREVIOUS SUMMER LOG: MAS DES CHIMÈRES IN OCTON
Up until today's avalanche of information, Zélige-Caravent has been one of those mystery estates for most of our customers. But today, that all changes! Before jumping into the visit recap, please read the new Zélige-Caravent profile and in-depth interview with Luc and Marie Michel to get a firm grasp on who these people are. Moving along...
It's always great when you spend time with someone you barely know and end up getting along like old acquaintances. This was certainly the case during our two day visit with Luc and Marie Michel in Corconne. In the last year and half, we've crossed paths several times at Renaissance des Appellations and Vini di Vignaoli, and obviously spent enough time with them to work out bringing the wines to the United States, but this was our first time visiting the estate and I'm happy to say it was a great visit.
We arrived just around lunch time, and kicked things off by eating at this great, hidden gem of a restaurant called Sous le Chêne. After following an unassuming, unmarked path on the side of the road, you end up in an outdoor space with just a few tables, a makeshift kitchen and swimming pool. Everything is sourced locally/organically and they have good wines, but the most interesting thing about this place is their use of wild, seasonal plants and flowers in most of their dishes. Check out this link to see the summer offerings. Flowers taste good!
After lunch, it was time to check out what Luc has dubbed "the world's tiniest cellar". Before stepping in, I spotted an imminent shipment for PDX wine out in Portland!
The cellar is indeed tiny and in the middle of the village. Out front, there's a blue tree.
Inside, most of the concrete tanks were adorned with Marie's chalk art.
She explained that drawing on the tanks keeps her busy since: "doing a soutirage is long and boring". Before reaching said tanks, some of the grapes are put in this large container to macerate.
As you can see from this picture (that I didn't take), each bucket needs to be manually loaded up there (via ladder). The grapes are either whole cluster or not, and this depends on the state of each varietal, each vintage. Macerations typically last 4 weeks, and only light remontages are performed during this period. A wooden press is then used.
All in all, the Michel's work 12 hectares spread over 24 parcels. The biggest is only 1 hectare! Interestingly, the reason vines are so widely planted here is a bit of an accident. Up until the 50's, all vines were planted on extremely fertile ground, because the poor soils were reserved for olive trees. Then there was the great frost of 1956, which killed ALL the trees. This came as a huge surprise to the locals, since olive trees are notoriously resistant and live a very long time. And because replanting olives exclusively was too much of a long term plan, vines were replanted in the poor soils instead. And lo and behold, people started realizing these were good terroirs for wine!
Speaking of terroir, the soils here are locally called Gravette, which consist of deeply layered rocks in red sand.
Walking over to the vines, Luc pointed out a plot that he'd originally wanted to buy. Instead, the owner decided to rip them out and replant.
"I can't believe they ripped it out before harvesting."
It definitely seemed like a waste; Luc is guessing that Syrah will be replanted in rows here, an unfortunate trend he talks about in detail in his interview. A big reason Luc feels that goblets need to stay is that "Each goblet creates its own microclimate by covering and protecting the grapes".
Because there are so many parcels, I forgot which is which, but here are some pretty pictures.
They don't really do rognage, except for some very light touch ups on some goblets where you couldn't walk through otherwise. Vines tend to go quite high in their land.
Walking through La Sene, a parcel of Carignan and Cinsault, Luc mentioned the changes he'd noticed here over the years:
"This site proves that converted vineyards can benefit from biodynamics. Carignan is really sensitive to odium. When I bought them, the vines were sick: grapes were just falling to the ground. I have three separate Carignan parcels, purchased from 3 separate owners who were all having illness problems with them. Now, all 3 are in great shape."
The next day, we continued our tour of the vines.
On the way there, this guy gave me the stink-eye.
Later on, I found this rock with a leaf that had fossilized in it.
That night, we had a picnic dinner facing a parcel Luc and Marie relunctantly had to rip out.
Here, you can spot the old school method of local planting: one row of olive trees, 3 rows of vines.
"I think the olives trees contribute to the vines and vice versa. They weren't producing anything, and for years we kept saying we needed to rip them out. But when we did, it broke our hearts. We'll definitely be replanting in the future."
We ate simply but well, drank some good stuff and got devoured by mosquitoes. It was a fun night.
Next up, the FINAL CHAPTER of the Summer Logs (finally!!!), our visit to Laurent Barth in Bennwhir!
Emmanuel Houillon Interview and Tons of Great Photos from Maison Pierre Overnoy's 2012 Harvest!
"We are always told that the teacher knows everything. But if he teaches you the wrong thing, you might spend your entire life doing something wrong and thinking it's right."
Back on track with the good stuff! Check out Anne Houillon's great pictures in the Harvest Reports!
As a big bonus, the interview I did with Emmanuel Houillon over the summer is up! Read up on Manu's take on sulfur, the future of organic agriculture, selection massales and much more on the Maison Pierre Overnoy profile.
Summer Log 23: Domaine de Majas in Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes (+New Profile and Interview!)
PREVIOUS SUMMER LOG: DOMINIQUE HAUVETTE IN SAINT-RÉMY-DE PROVENCE
The three and half hour drive from Dominique Hauvette's to the incredibly named Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes was beautiful. Long stretches of roads swerving through the Pyrenees, the sun setting in the distance, casting its orange-red glow on the mountain rock... It made me feel like a good old fashioned city slicker.
Well not really, but it was quite breathtaking.
Once in the village, we checked into our chambre d'Hôte. It's run by a Dutch couple, and the guy's name was Jan (pronounced Yan). On top of managing the chambre d'hôte, his main gig involves organizing Harley Davidson tours of the region. Tom Lubbe would later go on to say that he looked like a character from the movie Labyrinth, although I'm pretty sure (because of Jan's long, whitish-blond hair) he meant David Bowie.
We arrived around 10pm, and were worried nothing would be open to eat. Fortunately, the Roussillon functions on pseudo Spanish time, so people were just starting to have dinner. We ate pizzas at the local bar/cafe thing, which was playing 90's rock videos the whole time. Maya "Mayhem" Pedersen and I were very amused hearing the Smashing Pumpkins' Bullet with Butterfly Wings:
I always thought that song was called Rat in a Cage. Bullet With Butterfly Wings? What kind of a stupid, pretentious name is that? P.S: Next time you bump into me, ask me to tell you my friend's story about meeting Billy Corgan and him being a huge asshole.
We then rocked out to the infinitely better Stupid Girl by Garbage.
Returning to our rooms, Maya discovered that there was no soap in the bathrooms. Thinking they had forgotten, I asked Jan if he could bring me some the next morning. What follows is a paraphrased re-telling of the conversation.
-Hey, you forgot to give us soap in the bathrooms.
-Soap? What do you mean? You didn't bring any?
-No.
-But everyone brings their own soap to a chambre d'hôte.
-I've never stayed anywhere I had to pay for where I wasn't provided at least a little bar of soap.
-Normally, people bring their own soap.
-Can you get me some or not?
- Um, okay, wait a second...
He then went to his house and brought back some liquid hand soap. Not the best shower I've ever taken... Anyway, fast forward to breakfast, where weird and inappropriately loud electronic-ambient-nordic-chant-Enya ripoff music was playing, and Jan decided to show us a picture DVD of him on various Harley Davidson tours. The whole experience was completely surreal.
After breakfast, Tom Lubbe came to pick us up and it was time to finally meet Agnės and Alain Carrėre! After importing their last three vintages, it was about time! Alain is a very tall, dark skinned man of Spanish origin, born and raised in Caudiès. Agnès is originally from Paris, and unfortunately we barely got to see her since her sister -who she only sees twice a year- was visting. They both are very kind, grateful people, which is humbling considering all the tough times the estate has been through. What tough times, you ask? Read all about it on their newly updated profile.
Now that you know Majas' history, let's get on with the visit. The first parcel we visited consists mostly of Carignan on schist.
Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes (man I love that name) is the limit of grape growing in this part of the Roussillon. After that, you have to travel 50km to Limoux. It's also the only vineyard site in the Roussillon classed as "mountainous." The highest site is the Clos Ségas at 420m, which produces a field blend that's "always a surprise". The vines are spread over 5 hectares and were planted by Alain's great-grandparents. They are between 120 and 130 years old!!!!
Looking around, I spotted a lot of abandoned vineyard sites on nearby slopes and hills. But here and there, you notice little patches of vines, and Alain says these have all been replanted in the last 15 years:
"Vines used to be on the hills, but people ripped them out to replant in the plains. Now they're back in the hills again!"
Next up, a 5 hectare parcel of 80-90 year old vines. Many grapes are grown in this area, mostly of Carignan, Grenache and Syrah.
Alain has no problems with his neighbors: either the vines are in isolated clos, or -seeing how well Alain's vines were doing- they started working organically themselves.
"It's incredible how much it's changed local viticulture in just a few years." pointed out Tom. Since Alain started working organically, over 70 neighboring hectares have been converted!
After our visit of the vines, it was cellar time. The highlight is this half circle of large concrete tanks in the far corner.
"The last owner basically gave me the cellar. Wine hadn't been made here since 1953."
We then tasted the 2011's out in the sun. The 11 Grappe Entiere -a 100% Rolle cuvée that stays on the skins for a month- really stood out, as did the Rouge 11 and the Clos Ségas 10 (11 is being bottled soon). The Ravin des Sieurs Syrah was also quite pleasant. These wines are all extremely affordable and currently available stateside. Conveniently, the tasting ended right around...LUNCH TIME!
Over a bottle of Majas rosé, Alain and Tom continued talking about the region's ongoing struggle. In a very quotable moment, Tom exclaimed:
-"It's not agriculture, it's agribusiness. Agriculture is the first word in the latin language, it's something sustainable we can pass from generation to generation. This is not what we have anymore."
-"Only three of us made wine independently in the village. Now we are two, and he's also (unsuccessfully) trying to sell his estate. It looks like I'm going to be the only independent here…"
"A monopole!" chimed Tom positively. They were making light of the situation, but it was obvious that Alain feels a bit like the odd man out, wishing there was more camaraderie in the village. Still, he is grateful to have turned things around and still be here.
"If we hadn't met Tom, we would probably have called it quits as well. Working organically saved the vines. It saved us."
After the visit, we packed up and headed to Tom's village, Calce. Next recap: MATASSA!
Summer Log 14: Catherine and Claude Maréchal in Bligny-les-Beaune (+New Interview!)
PREVIOUS SUMMER LOG: SYLVIE ESMONIN IN GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN
Burgundy is suffering in 2012: they've been hit with winter and spring frost, hail, and the constant rain since May has made mildew and oidium problems a huge issue. For Catherine and Claude Maréchal, it was an especially bad year to begin a 100% conversion to organic agriculture; the experience has left them demoralized and defeated, leaving them to question if they will give it another shot next year. What really stuck with me from our visit was a sobering reality, one where organics aren't always in one's best interest, where priorities change as a vintage progresses and choices have to be made. Though today's post will be decisively serious in tone and less cheerful/humorous than the last 13, my goal is obviously NOT to prematurely badmouth a region's vintage before the grapes have even been harvested or to critique the Maréchal, who for years have used no chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides in their vineyards and who craft delicate, elegant wines with minimal intervention.
Quite the contrary: their decision to attempt organics was whole hearted, but after struggling in a losing battle against mildew, they finally caved in to systemic products to save their crop. I am not a vigneron, nor did I experience this extremely challenging vintage every day head on; in such I don't know what I would have done in their place, but after seeing the state of the vines, I can certainly understand their choice.
After a quick coffee and chat, we set off to visit some vines. It was a dark, overcast day, the sky shifting from partially sunny to menacing clouds that threatened to unleash rainy fury on us.
This is what an average day has looked like this summer in Burgundy. Our first stop was the Chorey vines, where Claude showed us some of the problems they were facing.
Before even getting into the mildew stuff, 9 of their 13 hectares were hit with hail. The damage is done:
Showing us the bunches, Claude told us that a classic, good harvest was 8 good bunches a vines. He has about an 8th of that this year. This does not mean, and I can't overstate this enough, that the grapes that ARE there will be of poor quality; in fact I'm sure they will be of excellent quality because they are being taken care of by a great vigneron. There will, however, be very little of them to harvest.
In the photo below, you can see the spots of mildew on the leaves.
In the early stages, you can spot little stains on the top of the leaf. On the bottom, little grey-ish spores form, which if left unkempt spread throughout the leaf, eventually killing it. At the time of our visit, the mildew Claude was showing us was the 18th recontamination this year! 18th!!! Some quotes about dealing with such a frustrating situation:
"We were spraying one treatment a week, every week for months! When you spray that much, can you call that organic?"
"It felt like going to war with a bow and arrow."
"There comes a time when mildew is so bad -50 spots on a single leaf-, that you have to use products if you want to save the vines."
To prove his point, Claude showed us some vines that belong to a neighbor who chose to stick it out organically this year. It wasn't pretty:
"I don't understand. They did all the pruning work, and now it will have been for nothing."
In that statement, Claude was bringing up a simple but important point: to keep making wine, you need to make money. He estimates needing to earn 600 000 euros a year just to stay in business. And when you're at the mercy of nature like in 2012, having no wine to sell could easily be the beginning of the end for your estate...
Though they got hit pretty bad by hail, the highlight of the visit in the vines were the beautiful Pommard parcels.
Even amongst all the bad news, it was really soothing to be at the top of this cotteau, simply enjoying the view. I decided to help out by de-rooting some pesky plants competing with the vines.
After the vineyard visit, it was time to hit the cellar to taste the 2011's.
No bad news here: all the wines were tasting splendid. Highlights: Chorey and Auxey-Duresses for white, Savigny and Volnay for reds.
After tasting, we sat down to do our interview with Claude and Catherine while drinking an insanely good 2010 Savigny-les-Beaunes.
Speaking of the interview, why don't you go over the the Maréchal profile and read it. Find out about Claude overcoming his flatlander roots to become a vigneron, how Jean Thévenet and Henri Jayer inspired him to make better wine, how the two dealt with 2012 and much more. Seriously, go read it or their pet cat Fluffy will be mad at you!
Next up, our lovely (and very technical) visit with Alain, Elie and Christelle Renardat-Fâche. BOOM!
Summer Log 08: Jean Manciat Interview!
PREVIOUS SUMMER LOG: LOUIS DESVIGNES IN MORGON
"...by the time I started, herbicides were common and I used them. Stupidly enough, at the very beginning of my career I must of forgotten to treat a parcel, and noticed that even though I'd messed up, the grass still hadn't grown. I couldn't understand how this was possible! I thought about it long and hard, and decided it might be best to start plowing the soils again."
Entertaining interview from Jean Manciat, a vigneron we have been working with for over twenty years. Find out what being from the "humbler" part of Burgundy entails, how the estate started, why magic powders in wine are bad and much more over on the Jean Manciat profile.
Next up, a recap of our visit at Roilette!
Summer Log 06: Thomas Morey In Chassagne-Montrachet (New Profile + Interview!)
PREVIOUS SUMMER LOG: OLD STUFF FROM THE CELLAR (PART 1)
"I was always attracted to this type of agriculture, which I don't consider to be "organic" at all. Even though that's the modern name for it, my idea was to revive a work tradition my grandparents had followed their entire lives. They worked with basic products -copper and sulfur- that remain the least harmful available. I'm very aware of the environmental impact of our work, especially as a producer on the front-line of chemical use that is unhealthy for human beings. It just seems like the reasonable thing to do."
Up your knowledge on Thomas Morey by checking out his brand new profile. The big news is that he's converting the estate to organic viticulture, and you can read all about that in his interview.
As far as the visit, the 2011's are tasting great, and similar to Pernot it will be a vintage to drink young. The wines are mineral, precise and acidic, just the way I like em.
Next up, tasting kosher wine with Michel Tête! Seriously.
Summer Log 04: Home Base and Visiting Paul Pernot (New Interview!)
PREVIOUS SUMMER LOG: VINCENT THOMAS IN TONNERRE
After visiting Vincent Thomas in Tonnerre, we headed South to the official French Louis/Dressner headquarters in Poil Rouge, France.
Located 22 km from Mâcon, Poil Rouge -or "red hair"- is a hamlet in the village of St-Gengoux-de-Scissé. My mother's family still has some very old vines here, which go into the Terroirs de Scissé cuvée, produced exculsively by the Cave de Lugny, who have a "quasi-monopole" on the region.
I've never had it, but I'm willing to bet it doesn't adhere to our philosophy... Anyhow, every summer we stay in our 16th century farm-house, which serves as a pied-a-terre while we visit growers. I used to hate coming here as a child, because I found the country to be the most boring place on earth. Now I like it a lot.
After barely having time to settle in, we drove over to Puligny-Montrachet to visit Paul Pernot.
Much to my dissapointment, Paul, who is now 75 but still in great shape, had just left for his annual vacation so I didn't get to meet him. His two sons, Paul Jr. and Michel were there to host us though. In fact, you should go check out the little interview I did with Michel, which provides a thorough history of the estate and its evolution over the last 30 years.
The Pernot family practices sustainable farming. They haven't used herbicides since late 80's, as they prefer working the soils manually and by tractor. Some parcels are too rocky, so instead they cut and burn the grass.
Before tasting, Michel started on how the 2012 vintage had been going so far; like most in Burgundy, it's been a very tough year, with a lot mildew and oidium issues. Frost damage and hail has already caused some serious damage, so quantity wise, 2012 will not yield much.
"It reminds me of 86: it was a cold, rainy year, but we still made a great wine. It's the last two months before harvest that really count anyway."
While this isn't the best news, we all know that great vignerons make good wine even in tough years, and Michel seemed confident that the bad weather would not affect the quality of the actual wine.
We got to taste the 2011 whites, which had been bottled 10 days prior. It's a really easy, accessible vintage, that Michel doesn't think will age incredibly and that should be drank young. Highlights for me were the Garenne, Follatieres and Santenay. The reds are still in barrel and quite promising, with nice acidity, tannic structure and expressive fruit. I really liked the Volnay.
This year the Pernot's introduce a new cuvée, the Champ Canet.
It was always part of the estate, but this is the first time it's been bottled independantly. It only represents 15 ares of land! I got flower petals on the nose, and found the wine to be ripe, with a lot of fruit and nice, if tucked back acidity.
Next visit, Thomas Morey of Chassagne-Montrachet! It's about time we catch up with Thomas, so expect a brand new profile, recap visit and interview.
Later!
Summer Log 3: Vincent Thomas in Tonnerre (+New Interview!)
PREVIOUS SUMMER LOG 2: ALICE AND OLIVIER DE MOOR
We've been having technical difficulties with our internet. This has set me AT LEAST two posts back, so maybe next week there will be 3 posts. We'll see.
After our lovely visit to the De Moor's, we swung by Tonnerre to visit one of our youngest producers, Vincent Thomas of Domaine de la Chappe. We met Vincent at the 2011 Dive Bouteille, and after bringing our group to his table, everyone agreed that his wines were something we wanted to work with. At the time, he didn't have much wine to sell, and only small quantities have been brought to New York so far. This was our first visit to the estate, and also a first chance to get to know Vincent, who is a bright, passionate guy with a really interesting outlook on wine and life. He's only 32, but took over the estate when he was 25! Much has changed since he's been in charge, namely an immediate conversion to organic agriculture and natural winemaking practices in the cellar.
We started the visit by checking out the cellar, a 15th century building that used to be a beet farm. It's obviously quite old, and is currently over-going some renovations. It is not temperature controlled.
We started with the 2011 Aligoté, which is the only wine already bottled. For the first time since 2004, Vincent lightly filtered it; there was a little residual sugar left, and he didn't want to risk a re-fermentation by leaving any lees in the bottle. And while he usually feels that filtration shuts a wine down but in this case it opened it up. Because of its heavy clay soils that some would consider more suited for reds, the wine is less ample and fruity than most Aligoté, playing more on acidity and minerality. It's quite nice.
We then tried the Chardonnay from 3 separate barrels. Vincent cyphers 1 new barrel per wine each year, just to keep a rotation; the goal is never to add an oaky flavor to the wine. Denyse really enjoyed it, pointing out its rich structure and giving fruit. Vincent will blend the barrels and bottle at the end of July.
After the barrel sampling, we got to sit outside and taste the amazingly delicious "La Limonade" This exciting bottle of bubbles is a sparkling Aligoté in method champenoise. Lemonade is an apt name, since the wine has a great balance of sweet and sour (sugar and acidity ,duh!). What we tasted was unfinished and it probably won't be as sweet as what we tried, but Vincent assured us that some R.S would remain. Yum.
We then got to check out a bunch of vines, including the beautifully secluded Aligoté parcel.
Here, we sat down and did our interview, which is full of really interesting info on Tonnerre's viticultural history, as well as how Vincent discovered organic viticulture and natural wines. He's definitely a talker, and I learned a ton about his region from our chat. We also got to talk about the inspiration for his new labels. The wines have changed names but are made the same, so here is the low-down:
Joseph is a single parcel, sans souffre cuvée Vincent doesn't make every year. Named after his great-great grandfather.
Paulette used to be La Cadette, and is a carbonic Pinot.
André used to be Tradition, and is a traditional Burgundian red. Named after Vincent's father.
Apoline is the Bourgogne Aligoté.
Thérese is the Bourgogne Tonnerre Chardonnay.
If you want the nitty gritty details on the inspiration for each character, check the interview.
Our sit down ended with us continuing our conversation from the interview about how natural wine, for Vincent, is a a technique to make a great wine of terroir. Denyse brought up how Vincent had mentioned his carbonic Pinot as tasting almost identical to a carbonic Poulsard from the Jura, and asked how he felt about this increasingly popular winemaking technique that, in her opinion, often creates a uniform style that detracts from sense of place. It could have been a touchy subject, but Vincent had no problem stating:
"I never made the carbonic red to make a wine of terroir. The idea was simply to have a vin de soif. A lot of oak, yeasts, these all hide terroir. So does carbonic maceration. But it tastes good and I enjoy drinking these wines, so I make one."
Nuff said!
Next up, our visit to Paul Pernot and Thomas Morey!
Julien Frémont Interview!
Recap of our recent visit to Julien Frémont's.
"There are much more conformist ways to make cider. The way I learned, there was an oenologist who swung by the cellar all the time: he'd taste, then tell me put this many grams of that and that many grams of this… I quickly felt a disconnect working this way, because it was some guy giving me the same recipe over and over. This isn't my approach towards existence, and I got bored very fast. I then started meeting people like the vignerons we were just talking about, and I realized that I was completely free to make cider the way I wanted to make it."
Great interview with Julien Frémont. Read up on the history of his farm, his connection to Jean Foillard and the Dive Bouteille, taking over the Parisian scene and much more over on his profile.
Next up, Summer Log 02 with Alice and Olivier De Moor!!!!!!
Fernando Garcìa of Bodega Marañones Interview!
"I don't think we'll ever ask for either certification (organic/biodynamic), because it's just a piece of paper that means more administrative things I don't want to deal with! It's very complicated in Spain… More work in the vineyard, less paper!"
Check out our interview with Fernando Garcìa! Find out about the region's cool mountain climate, converting the vineyards to organic viticulture, Fernando's opinion on the state of Spanish wine and much more on the Bodega Marañones profile!
Frédrik Filliatreau Interview!
"There were no reds at the time; that was my father's doing. He's also behind us bottling and selling independently, and was really one of the first guys to do it in the region. He was also one of the first people to work in this "modern fashion" of fruity, light and easier to drink reds. They were a hit in Paris, and things really took off from there."
Read up on this historic estates' sub-divisions, the evolution of the cellar practices, owning a horse, organics vs. sustainable and much more over on the Filliatreau profile.
Also, if you can your hands on some of the delicious and new Fillibulle (a Cabernet Franc petillant naturel) do it! You won't regret it.
Julie Balagny Interview!
"I instantly fell in love with this 3.2 hectare parcel, all bunched together in the middle of the woods, next to the river… The property also included 2 h of prairies and 3 h of woods, and in the spirit of working biodynamically, I knew this was a perfect place to start a polyculture. The vines support the woods, the woods supply the livestock, the livestock supplies the soil: everything works together, everything is coherent."
One of our youngest, brightest vigneronne gives the low down on her unique estate, why she was drawn to the Beaujolais and all types of other stuff. Check it out on the Julie Balagny profile.
Part 3 of Italy 2012 up in the next few days!
Laurent Barth Interview!
"As far as indigenous yeasts, it was obvious. I'd seen it function all over the world and knew it wasn't a risk as long as the juice was pure. If the grapes are clean, if they are well selected at harvest, you get much more substance. Fermentations are longer and harder to execute, but that's the price to pay for complexity."
New interview up from Laurent "the Alsacian Sensation" Barth. Learn about his globe trotting winemaking adventures, taking the estate back from the cave cooperative and much more on his profile.
Chiara Vigo Interview!
Time constraints have made it really tough to write posts on our current trip in Italy, but the good news is that when they actually are up there will be pictures of the visits. In the meantime, I've added my recent interview with the lovely Chiara Vigo (who we visit today) to tide you over! Check it out on the Fattorie Romeo del Castello profile.
Guilhem Dardé Interview!
"I wanted to see things through with my work in the vines: when you work with a cave, you give them the grapes and they make the wine however they see fit. I wanted to know what my soils were truly capable of. It's funny because the grapes they paid me the most for at the cave ended up being the grapes I like with the least!"
Check out our interview with one of the Languedoc's finest (and definite contender for best mustache/facial hair) over at the Mas des Chimères profile.
Claude-Emmanuelle Desvignes Interview!
"That's what great about Gamay. You can make a very fruity wine, but you can also make something structured without it being being too opulent or high in alcohol. It's always accessible, without ever being excessive."
More Beaujolais interviews! Dig in on the Domaine Desvignes profile.
Alain Coudert Interview!
"...in Roillette, our soils are 25% clay (as opposed to the rest of the A.O.C which is all granite). This clay is only found in a 50 hectare radius, and result is a more structured wine, somewhere between a "typical" Fleurie and a Moulin a Vent."
Find out who Roillette was and what the hell Greffe du Marquis means over on the Clos de la Roillette profile.
Eric Nicolas Interview!
"Nature guides everything. My job as a vigneron is to be aware of this so I can adapt to conditions as they come along."
Another interview from a Loire heavy hitter. Eric talks about the importance of viticulture, Coteaux du Loir, letting nature decide, sulfur use and much more on the Bellivière profile.
Photo by Guilhaume Gerard
Marc Ollivier Interview!
"The Muscadet has always been under the influence of négociants. This was originally a good thing, but the dynamic changed when the focus shifted to bulk sales, which require a simple, uniform product. Under this influence, a standardization of Muscadet occurred. This phenomenon was perpetuated and spread by agricultural technicians, who used machine harvesting, preselected yeasts and whatever technology available to make "clean" or "flawless" wines. This soon became the norm, and everyone was doing the exact same thing. Muscadet stopped being interesting because it was made like a Vin de Pays; what I mean by that is the wine's relation to terroir was completely abandoned. Technology was what mattered to people, not terroir. Like any A.O.C in France, if the vines are maintained and their is a real point of interest, you can make varied, interesting wines."
The emblematic Marc Ollivier, who is is seen above hanging out with BFF Jean Paul Brun, gives us another great interview. Check in out on the Domaine de la Pépière profile.
Pierre-Marie Luneau Interview.
"You have five years to convert, and today 15 of our hectares are completely organic. I am convinced that in 5 years we will succeed at this. It means a lot more work from us and our team, and we are in the process of figuring it out. This is my main challenge and goal for the estate."
Round 3 of interviews! Check out this really great exchange with Pierre-Marie Luneau. Read about Pierre-Marie's plans for the future of Luneau-Papin, the economic challenge of highlighting different terroirs and hand harvesting in Muscadet, owning a piece of a geological landmark and much more over on the Luneau-Papin profile.
Dora Forsoni Videos.
Today's videos come from the incredibly charismatic and hilarious Dora Forsoni of Poderi Sanguineto. This is some seriously entertaining footage. Check them out in the Videos section or on the the Sanguineto profile.
And if you missed it the first time, check out my blog post detailing our visit to the azienda last November. Tons of pics and additional info.
Andrea Zanfei of Cerreto Libri Videos/Interview.
Happy new year!
Get familiar with one of our newer estates by watching and reading our Andrea Zanfei of Cerreto Libri interview. Discover the history of the villa, how to juggle running a farm and being a high school teacher, the differences between Chianti Ruffina and Chianti Classico and much more over on the Cerreto Libri profile.
And if you missed it the first time, check out my blog post of our visit to the estate last November (it starts after the Montesecondo recap). Really good pics and additional information.
Angiolino Maule Videos.
The infamous Angiolino Maule gives us a quick recap of his property in the first video, then thoroughly explains his work with Vinnatur, the association he's been running for the last 8 years.
WARNING: you might need to rewind the second video a few times to catch everything. It's worth it.
It's some very exciting stuff to say the least, and I hope that Angiolino finds all the answers he's been searching for in the new year! Watch these over on the Videos section or on the La Biancara profile. And if you missed it the first time around, check out my blog post from our visit to the Maule's last November.
Thank you so much Pietro Straccia for the translation and Alex Finberg for putting the videos together.
Stefano Belloti Interview.
"As a kid who grew up in the materialistic 70's, I didn't quite trust the whole biodynamic vision, but I saw the results and knew something about it was working. So I started, and I am very happy. It has opened up the world for me, made it more complex and interesting."
It's been a slow week of updates as Louis/Dressner enjoyed a beautiful holiday season, but we're back! Today's interview comes from the incredibly intelligent and insightful Stefano Belloti of Cascina degli Ulivi. Read about having to make compromises in the 80's, why biodynamic agriculture still has a bad rap (damn Nazis!), growing the "father of Dolcetto", wine factories that make more wine than all natural winemakers put together and much, more on the Cascina degli Ulivi profile.
Altura Videos and Interview.
Today's interview and videos come from Francesco Carfagna of Altura. You can check them out in the Videos section, or read the interview on the Altura profile.
And if you missed it the first time around, check out my extensive blog post documenting our visit to Giglio in November. Lots of great pics and additional info.
Alberto Tedeschi Interview.
Check out this interview from yet another one of our very young and upcoming producers, Alberto Tedeschi. The guy has such a positive, humble attitude, and if you've had s chance to taste the wines, then you know that there is something special already there. Also, Alberto clearly wins the Louis/Dressner award for best facial piercing of anyone we work with.
Read the interview on Alberto's profile.
Video Section Launch/Arianna Occhipinti Videos and Interview.
Round 2 of interviews! HA-YA!
First I'd like to introduce everyone to the new Videos section. The top row will always feature the most recent videos added to the site, and can be scrolled from left to right (and vice-versa). From there, the videos can be viewed by producer, who are listed from top to bottom in alphabetical order.
To inaugurate this grandiose event of easy access to our visual content, today's interview and videos come from Arianna Occhipinti. Discover the origins of the estate, her early influences, the evolution of her work philosophy and whole lot more over on her profile.
Infinite thanks to Alex Finberg for making these videos happen.
Evelyne de Jessey Interview.
"My kids are certified organic!"
"It's one thing to express a terroir or an appellation, it's another to express joie de vivre in what you do."
Two of my favorite quotes from the hilarious (and very serious!!!!) Evelyne de Jessey, pictured above to the left of some inconsequential Sicilian chick. Read about the estate's history, converting to organic agriculture and what it takes to be the President of an A.O.C at Domaine du Closel's profile.
Also, this officially marks the end of Round 1 of interviews! Round 2 is fast approaching, which will start with none other than, well, Arianna Occhipinti. Now you understand why I chose this picture (foreshadowing. Duh).
In case you missed any, here are the links to Round 1 (in no particular order):
1. Tom Lubbe of Domaine Matassa
2. Virginie Maignien of Causse Marines
3. Olivier Collin
4. Alice and Olivier de Moor
5. Elie Renardat-Fâche
6. Eric Texier
7. Elisabetta Foradori
8. Francesca Padovani of Campi di Fonterenza
9. François Pinon
10. Franck Peillot
11. Jean Paul Brun
12. Olivier Lemasson
13. Luca Roagna
14. Mauro Vergano
15. Thierry Puzelat
16. Saša Radikon
17. Silvio Messana of Montesecondo
18. Yannick Pelletier
19. Francis Boulard
20. Dominique Hauvette
21. Hervé Villemade of Domaine du Moulin
22. Marcel Richaud
23. René Mosse
24. Noella Morantin
25. Xavier Courant of Domaine de L'Oubliée
26. Alessandra Bera
Tom Lubbe Interview.
Tom Lubbe is an extremely intelligent, well spoken guy. If you haven't read Tom Lubbe: Funny Guy in our Special Features section, you should because it will make you laugh and get where he's coming from.
Tom's interview is full of insight on the Roussilion's wine history, as well as some very valid points on the AOC system and the current state of natural wine. Read all about it here.
I also must thank Tom because he answered all my questions in English, his first language. Translating this stuff takes a long time!
Anyway, the Louis/Dressner team has just arrived in Italy so expect daily updates for The Italy Chronicles over the next week. And of course a plethora (what a great word) of photos and videos from the trip in the coming months.
Finally I would like to thank everyone who participated in this last week of fund raising events for Partners in Health in honor of Joe. A lot of money was raised this week and I have a feeling it's just the beginning...
René Mosse Interview.
Another great interview for you guys today from the man with the best beard in the Loire (Mr. Mosse, pictured to the right of Marc Ollivier, a close runner up in the Loire beard category).
Read up on René's past lives, the early influence of Christian Chaussard and François Chidaine and the evolution of Anjou over the last decade over on Agnès and René's profile.
Don't forget the save the date(s) for this upcoming week of events for PIH in honor of Joe:
Chambers Street Wines (At Ward 3, 111 Reade St) - Saturday, October 22nd, 2 to 6:00pm (212) 227-1434
Thirst Wine Merchants, 187 Dekalb Ave, Bklyn - Sunday, October 23rd, 5 to 8:00pm (718) 596-7643
Astor Wines (Astor Center) 399 Lafayette St. - Monday, October 24th, 6 to 8:00pm (212) 674-7501
Slope Cellars, 436 Seventh Ave, Bklyn - Wednesday October 26th, 6 to 8:00pm (718) 369-7307
Brooklyn Wine Exchange, 138 Court St, Bklyn - Thursday October 27th, 6 to 9:00pm (718) 855-9463
Grapes The Wine Co., 731 N. Broadway, White Plains - Friday October 28th, 6 to 9:00pm (914) 397-9463
Union Square Wines, 140 Fourth Ave - Friday, October 28th, 6 to 9:00pm (212) 675-8100
Ledu Wines, 600 Washington St – Friday, October 28th, 5 to 8:00pm (212) 924-6999
Uva Wines, 199 Bedford Ave, Bklyn – Saturday, October 29th, 3 to 6pm (718) 963-3939
Rouge Tomate, 10 East Sixtieth St – From October 22nd to October 29th the restaurant Rouge Tomate will offer a selection of ten Louis/Dressner wines, by the glass or bottle, a portion of the proceeds going to PIH. (646) 237-8970
Elie Renardat-Fâche Interview and 2011 Harvest Report.
Discover the origins of "Méthode Ancestrale" and why using Poulsard to make Cerdon matters in Elie's interview on the Renardat-Fâche profile. And while you're at it why don't you read his wife Christelle's 2011 harvest report?
Don't forget the save the date for this upcoming week of events for PIH in honor of Joe:
Chambers Street Wines (At Ward 3, 111 Reade St) - Saturday, October 22nd, 2 to 6:00pm (212) 227-1434
Thirst Wine Merchants, 187 Dekalb Ave, Bklyn - Sunday, October 23rd, 5 to 8:00pm (718) 596-7643
Astor Wines (Astor Center) 399 Lafayette St. - Monday, October 24th, 6 to 8:00pm (212) 674-7501
Slope Cellars, 436 Seventh Ave, Bklyn - Wednesday October 26th, 6 to 8:00pm (718) 369-7307
Brooklyn Wine Exchange, 138 Court St, Bklyn - Thursday October 27th, 6 to 9:00pm (718) 855-9463
Grapes The Wine Co., 731 N. Broadway, White Plains - Friday October 28th, 6 to 9:00pm (914) 397-9463
Union Square Wines, 140 Fourth Ave - Friday, October 28th, 6 to 9:00pm (212) 675-8100
Ledu Wines, 600 Washington St – Friday, October 28th, 5 to 8:00pm (212) 924-6999
Uva Wines, 199 Bedford Ave, Bklyn – Saturday, October 29th, 3 to 6pm (718) 963-3939
Rouge Tomate, 10 East Sixtieth St – From October 22nd to October 29th the restaurant Rouge Tomate will offer a selection of ten Louis/Dressner wines, by the glass or bottle, a portion of the proceeds going to PIH. (646) 237-8970
François Pinon Interview.
"I see guys in the vineyard wearing space suits to protect themselves from the chemicals they are spraying on their own vineyards. If they're taking those precautions, then they know it's bad. Yet they'd still sell you their wine and continue to harm the planet. It's hypocritical nonsense."
Today's interview is of François Pinon, and is one of my favorites. It took place while drinking beers on a bus from Los Angeles to San Francisco last Spring (the picture above is a totally different occasion of François drinking on a bus in U.S...), and there are a lot of quotable passages; check out Mr. Pinon's take on working organically, Vouvray being the most flexible AOC in France and intervention versus manipulation on his producer page.
Jean Paul Brun Interview.
The Tennessean Beaujolais craze is showing no signs of slowing down so today's interview comes from non other than Jean Paul Brun of Domaine des Terres Dorées!
Get to know the man behind the limestone here.
Dominique Hauvette Interview.
"In my eyes, the AOC system is the death of progress and evolution in French winemaking."
Today's interview comes from the strongly opinionated Dominique Hauvette. Read up on how Dominique's month long vacation in Provence led to a life-long career as a vigneronne, getting ridiculed for working organically in the late 80's, why she refuses to use stainless steel and why she thinks the AOC system in Provence is a farce here.
Mauro Vergano Interview and Vermouth Info.
Today's interview comes from retired chemist and full time aromatized winemaker Mauro Vergano from Piedmont.
Read the entire interview here, and make sure to check out Mauro's newly added self description of his delicious Vermouth in the Wines section.
Hervé Villemade Interview.
"All over the world there are ten varietals that everyone always talk about, but there used to be thousands in France. Unfortunately there are only a few hundred at this point, and varietals like Romorantin and Savagnin do an incredible job of linking you to a specific place, something that isn't always the case with the "big ten"."
Read up on Hervé's familial link to both Cheverny and Cour-Cheverny appellations, being inspired by Marcel Lapierre and developing an allergy to sulfur in the full interview here.
Tomorrow I'll be posting a batch of 2011 harvest reports. Things are looking good!
Olivier Collin Interview.
"I create nothing. I accompany the forces of nature. We don't make "name" wines but rather wines of Terroir, wines where the vigneron does not impose his personal preferences; instead we try to accentuate the personality of the parcels. I truly respect the spirit of Terroir: the internal structure of these wines lies in the individuality of my parcels."
Read Olivier's entire interview here.
Noella Morantin Interview and De Moor Harvest Pictures.
You can read Noella's interview here.
Also, check out some pictures from Alice and Olivier De Moor's 2011 harvest here.
Yannick Pelletier Interview and new Harvest Reports.
"The judicial term for an estate is an "agriculture exploitation". Usually, when you exploit something, you use it without caring for it or respecting it, and inevitably what you are exploiting ends up suffering in the process. Such is the human condition…"
Read more from Yannick here.
We've also posted two new harvest reports. The first is from Elisabetta Foradori and the second comes from Cascina degli Ulivi.
You can read both harvest reports here. Expect many more harvest reports from France and Italy to be posted in the coming days!
Tribute to Joe Dressner by Jon Bonné and Thierry Puzelat Interview.
Firstly, while I'm sure the New York Times appreciated the spike in sales yesterday from those eager to own a physical copy of Joe's obituary, the article was actually published today in Business Day. I apologize.
Eric's Diner's Journal post is also in today's paper in Dining, perhaps making Joe Dressner the first person that wasn't a President or evil dictator to have two articles about him published the same day. I've linked both articles in yesterday's post.
I would also like to share Jon Bonné's tribute to Joe, which I very much enjoyed.
A tribute to Joe Dressner, wine importer and provocateur
Lastly, today's interview comes from Thierry Puzelat. Short, sweet, and right to the point, Thierry keeps it very real. You can read it here.
New Special Features Section and Alice and Olivier De Moor Interview.
A new section is up in Special Features called Our Peasants. This section will feature pieces written by or about our producers that dive deeper into who they are and what they do. This will be independent of the interviews, which you can read on a producer's page.
Speaking of interviews, today's is a two for one special! Alice and Olivier De Moor are two very quotable people. Here's one of my favorites:
"The gamble was to see if we could make a living doing what we were doing which essentially involved doing the exact opposite work of our colleagues. It worked."
You can read the interview here.
Joe Dressner Editorials and Francis Boulard Interview.
I've posted three of Joe's most poignant blog posts in the Editorials section of Special Features. I feel they best capture the spirit and philosophy of what Louis/Dressner embodies as an importer and what Joe embodied as human being. If you weren't following Joe's blog in the early and mid 2000's, it's likely you've never read these before.
"Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée" by Joe Dressner
"Spoof or Die" by Joe Dressner
"A Wine's Personality" by Joe Dressner
Also, today's interview comes from Francis Boulard. I had the pleasure of meeting Francis last January and getting to know him over the course of this interview and his kindness and humility is unparalleled. Every vigneron we work with loves him, and we do too!
I also feel that his interview compliments the three editorials, as Francis' story is one of embracing nature, individuality and quality with no compromises. You can read the interview here.
Xavier Courant interview and RSS feed!
Today's interview is with one of our newest producers, Xavier Courant of Domaine de L'Oubliée in Bourgeuil. Catch up on the short history of the Bertrand Blier fanatic's estate, and expect a regular series of blog posts where Xavier reviews his favorite Blier films, and as discussed in the interview, pairs them with wine.
Interview with Xavier Courrant.
Also, never miss an inkling of information by suscribing to our RSS feed! You can do this by clicking the link under our contact info to the right of this post, or get it here.
Contact us:
info@louisdressner.com
phone:212.334.8191
fax:212.334.9216
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Salvo Foti Interview for I Vigneri.
Dora Forsoni on the DOCG System.
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