Minervois from Château d'Oupia.

Minervois and Vin de Pays from Château d'Oupia

Château d'Oupia Profile

Quick Facts

Name of Estate	Château d'Oupia
Region	Languedoc
Country	France
Proprietor	Marie-Pierre Iché
Size	60 hectares
Farming	Sustainable
Soils	Rocky clay, clay, limestone, sand, sandstone
Grapes grown	Carignan, Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah
Fun facts	Château d'Oupia is a real castle. The estate is named after it. It's medieval but kind of fancy on the inside.

Château d'Oupia is a real castle. The estate is named after it. It's medieval but kind of fancy on the inside.

Name of Estate	Château d'Oupia
Region	Languedoc
Country	France
Proprietor	Marie-Pierre Iché
Size	60 hectares
Farming	Sustainable
Soils	Rocky clay, clay, limestone, sand, sandstone
Grapes grown	Carignan, Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah
Fun facts	Château d'Oupia is a real castle. The estate is named after it. It's medieval but kind of fancy on the inside.

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Château d'Oupia

producer profile 15.11.2019

Château d'Oupia Producer Profile

Everyone talks about the new quality of wines from the <glossary title="579">Languedoc</glossary>. For us, this doesn't mean the ubiquitous <glossary title="1071">varietal</glossary> bottlings from <glossary title="549">irrigated</glossary> flat vineyards but the wonderful wines coming from the best hillside vineyard sites in <glossary title="108">AOCs</glossary> like <glossary title="663">Minervois</glossary>, <glossary title="334">Corbières</glossary> and <glossary title="347">Coteaux-du-Languedoc</glossary>. The Château d'Oupia is one of the best. André Iché inherited an impressive 13th century castle and a large <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> in the barren <glossary title="663">Minervois</glossary> region. Iché was never a member of his village <glossary title="252">coop</glossary>, tended his very <glossary title="740">old vines</glossary> and made his wines but sold everything in bulk to local <glossary title="729">négociants</glossary>. One day, a <glossary title="210">Burgundian</glossary> winemaker happened to be in <glossary title="752">Oupia</glossary>, tasted Iché's wines, and was so enthused that he convinced Iché to <glossary title="185">bottle</glossary> and market his production.  André expanded his vineyard holdings and started <glossary title="1104">vinifying</glossary> several <glossary title="363">cuvées</glossary> of <glossary title="663">Minervois</glossary> of his best grapes, the "Cuvée des Barons" and "Nobilis", <glossary title="74">aged</glossary> in <glossary title="717">new oak</glossary> <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary>. He rebuilt a <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>, and, after much deliberation,  bought and cleaned up some overgrown and steep <glossary title="1022">terraces</glossary> that had been abandoned since the late 19th century. The "Minervois Tradition" is 50% <glossary title="237">Carignan</glossary> (from vineyards up to 100 years old), 40% <glossary title="1001">Syrah</glossary> and 10% <glossary title="508">Grenache</glossary>. It is aromatic, full and densely colored, with a long finish of dark fruits. The wine is elegant and balanced — it is both enjoyable to drink young and can age 5-7 years. "Cuvée des Barons" and "Nobilis" are 60% <glossary title="1001">Syrah</glossary> and 40%  <glossary title="237">Carignan</glossary>, from a selection of <glossary title="740">old vines</glossary> in the best <glossary title="1133">plots</glossary>, and are <glossary title="74">aged</glossary> in <glossary title="178">Bordeaux</glossary> <glossary title="144">barriques</glossary> for 20 months. They are slower to evolve than the "Tradition" and exhibit more elegance and restraint, but similar dark berries and spicy aromas. <glossary title="865">Robert Parker</glossary> has consistently praised this <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> and rated the wine a "best buy." He wrote: "Château d'Oupia has produced the ideal bistro wine. Dark, ruby-colored, the wine is wonderfully clean and pure, with an exuberant personality, and gobs of rich, peppery, red and black fruit...Bravo to proprietor André Iché!" André passed away in late 2007. His daugher, Marie-Pierre, currently runs the <glossary title="427">estate </glossary>with the help of Fabrice Lopez and and many old timers who know the land like the back of their hands.

article 11.06.2020

"André Iché: an Appreciation" by Joe Dressner and Denyse Louis

André Iché: an Appreciation  by Joe Dressner and Denyse Louis, November 25, 2007 I first met André Iché in 1989 at a marathon <glossary title="697">Muscadet</glossary> tasting at Marc Ollivier's home. André had driven across the country from Oupia, his village in the <glossary title="663">Minervois</glossary>, with his wife Marie-Thêrese. It was an insanely hot weekend in August and Denyse and I had driven eight hours from <glossary title="212">Burgundy</glossary> with Noël Perrin, who was then a <glossary title="1089">vigneron</glossary> in the <glossary title="1300">Côte Châlonnaise</glossary> at the Clos des Chenoves. We tasted about 20 <glossary title="1109">vintages</glossary> of <glossary title="697">Muscadet</glossary> from Marc and his uncle, toured Marc's vineyards, ate meals, discussed <glossary title="1103">viticulture</glossary>, winemaking, ate more meals, drank more <glossary title="697">Muscadet</glossary> and we all got to know each other. I barely spoke French in 1989 and I couldn't understand anything André or Marie-Thêrese said. Denyse, who is a Frenchwoman, also had trouble. I was totally unused to the accents of the <glossary title="579">Languedoc</glossary> and found the pronunciations impenetrable. But, André seemed as authentic a <glossary title="1089">vigneron</glossary> as one could possible meet and even if we did not understand each other I knew I was entering new territory. Denyse and I had just started a wine business, Louis/Dressner Selections, and we were working with a group of <glossary title="1089">vignerons</glossary> who had formed a small marketing group together. There was Jean-Luc Mader in <glossary title="95">Alsace</glossary>, Noël Perrin, Ollivier and Iché, along with someone in the  <glossary title="880">Roussillon</glossary>, someone in the <glossary title="151">Beaujolais</glossary>, and a grumpy guy from <glossary title="267">Champagne</glossary> making <glossary title="1379">Blanquette de Limoux</glossary>. We happened upon the group almost by accident and all these years later still work with Marc Ollivier and André Iché. Denyse and I received a call today from Oupia. Audrey, who works for André Iche, let us know that André had died this morning. André was 73-years-old and learned after working the 2005 <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> that he needed extensive medical exams in <glossary title="675">Montpellier</glossary>. He was very disappointed that he was not going to be able to attend our annual New York tasting in April of 2006 with Polaner Selections, but his doctors did not want him to travel far, even though he felt fine. It turned out he had intestinal cancer and was going to have to go through three cycles of treatments which could not cure him. André had never been ill in his life, had never spent a day in the hospital, but finally left us this morning. It is going to be difficult to imagine a wine world without André. We often talk about <glossary title="1026">terroir</glossary>, but André lived that notion, he almost seemed the personification of those windy <glossary title="579">Languedoc</glossary> vineyards. André had made quite a bit of money when everyone was producing bulk <glossary title="1006">table wine</glossary> that was made at enormous <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary>, virtually unregulated, and which sold briskly. By the early 1970s though, he was one of the first <glossary title="1089">vignerons</glossary> in the area to embrace the notion of going from <glossary title="1006">table wine</glossary> to an <glossary title="108">AOC</glossary> and was one of the pioneers of the <glossary title="663">Minervois</glossary> <glossary title="108">AOC</glossary>, which started in 1973. Over three decades, he accumulated fabulous sites, often bought for a symbolic franc, which he converted into great vineyards. The great paradox of the area was that there was all that great <glossary title="1026">terroir</glossary> in <glossary title="740">old vines</glossary> but no one wanted it -- the wines sold too cheaply and no one really knew how to make the transition to quality rather than quantity. André was the only independent winemaker in Oupia, all his neighbors brought their wine to a <glossary title="252">coop</glossary> and received pennies per liter. André loved the land he accumulated and worked his vines until his doctors told him to stop. He had several employees, but loved nothing more than touching, guiding and working his land. He had already paid everything off and made his money and rather than try only to make expensive super- <glossary title="363">cuvées</glossary>, he was able to produce a range of affordable and delectable wines which sold quickly and gave great pleasure to people who followed his work. He wound up with nearly 60 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> and managed to run it economically and profitably at a time when the <glossary title="579">Languedoc</glossary> is facing an economic catastrophe. It used to be such a great pleasure for us to visit André and to tour the vineyards with him. There was so much love and devotion, such an intimate relationship to the land. The first time we went he took us to a hill overlooking the town of Minerve to view the gorges and canyons surround that famed city. André told me there was nothing like that in America but I told him he was wrong, that we have beautiful sites and beautiful natural settings. André said, where do you have a view of nature that has been cultivated by man in much the same way for the past ten or eleven centuries. He had a point. Every little site worked by André gave something different to the final wine. Denyse and I had started in the early 90s with a list top-heavy with <glossary title="212">Burgundies</glossary>. When you visited a <glossary title="1089">vigneron</glossary> in <glossary title="212">Burgundy</glossary> you tasted, both in <glossary title="142">barrel</glossary> and in bottle. But the first time we visited André we were struck how the first thing you did was visit the vineyards. André would explain in detail the nuances between each site, why one site was good for <glossary title="237">Carignan</glossary>, another for <glossary title="1001">Syrah</glossary>, how one site gave <glossary title="990">structure</glossary>, another <glossary title="120">aromatics</glossary>. We sell a lot of wine from the Château d'Oupia, along with Les Hérétiques, their <glossary title="1093">Vin de Pays</glossary>. We always counted on André outlasting us, and doing the <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> into his 80s and his 90s. André seemed every bit as eternal as his vines and his 100-year-old <glossary title="237">Carignan</glossary> plants. He seemed at one with the <glossary title="1026">terroir</glossary>. I was talking to Jean-Paul Brun of the <glossary title="151">Beaujolais</glossary>, who was also close with André, a week ago. Brun is in his mid-40s and he was telling me how at the beginning of his career he would handle <glossary title="279">chemical</glossary> treatments for his vineyards that he never should have touched or been near. Jean-Paul said, imagine all the <glossary title="279">chemicals</glossary> that André must have touched and handled over the years, all the toxic material he would have used as the wine industry pushed all these new chemical treatments in the 1960s and 1970s. We talk about <glossary title="746">organic</glossary> work now, but often forget how perhaps the biggest victims of all the <glossary title="279">chemical</glossary> treatments were the <glossary title="1089">vignerons</glossary> and their workers. I have old <glossary title="617">magnums</glossary> of the André's Cuvée des Barons at my home in France and look forward to opening a bottle this summer. André's memory continues in the wine he has left us, the vineyards he has planted and maintained, in his wife Marie-Thêrese and his daughter Marie-Pierre. There is now a professional manager running the vineyards and winery and Denyse and I will be meeting with him in eight days. What we will no longer have is André's almost magical presence. André embodied not only all the best of the <glossary title="579">Languedoc</glossary>, and all the best about wine in the past 50 years, but was also a great friend who will never be replaced. His death is a terribly sad event for all of us who loved him. Denyse Louis on André Iché: Notre <glossary title="1089">vigneron</glossary> André Iché nous a quittés dans la nuit du 23 au 24 novembre. Nous l'avons rencontré à l'été 1989 chez Marc Ollivier dans le <glossary title="697">Muscadet</glossary>, grâce à Noël Perrin, <glossary title="1089">vigneron</glossary> <glossary title="210">bourguignon</glossary> avec qui nous travaillions déjà, et qui nous a présentés à ses collègues et amis de nombreuses régions de France. Nous avons tout de suite aimé André, sa bonté se lisait sur toute sa personne. Quand nous sommes allés à Oupia en 1990, nous avons découvert son <glossary title="663">Minervois</glossary> et compris combien il appartenait à son paysage et à ses vignes, combien son merveilleux accent rocailleux disait son <glossary title="1026">terroir</glossary>. Ses vins étaient l'expression sans fard, mais gourmande, des collines caillouteuses et arides où poussaient ses raisins. André avait débuté ses propres mises en bouteille avec le <glossary title="1109">millésime</glossary> 1986. Sa longue expérience dans les vignes et à la <glossary title="254">cave</glossary> aurait pu le satisfaire. Mais il était plein de projets et d'idées, et au fil des années son enthousiasme ne s'est jamais démenti: à chaque visite il y avait du nouveau, une plantation de <glossary title="508">grenache</glossary> dans un invraisemblable <glossary title="345">coteau</glossary> de cailloux, des <glossary title="740">vieilles vignes</glossary> superbes dont personne ne voulait, des bâtiments acquis pour que le travail se fasse mieux, un vin <glossary title="694">moëlleux</glossary> de  <glossary title="878">roussanne</glossary>, une cave de <glossary title="1104">vinification</glossary> toute neuve, avec beaucoup de place pour les <glossary title="144">barriques</glossary> de "Cuvée des Barons" et "Nobilis". Pour exprimer tout ce qu'il aimait dans son métier et dans sa vie, André disait souvent: "Je me régale!" C'est ce qu'il nous disait aussi de ses séjours à New York, où il avait un immense plaisir à rencontrer les amateurs de ses vins, et à retrouver son groupe de collègues. Pour nous qui avons cheminé un moment avec lui, André a incarné tout ce que nous aimons dans le monde de la vigne et du vin: un homme du cru, modeste à l'image de sa terre, humble devant les aléas des <glossary title="1109">millésimes</glossary>, fier et passionné par son métier, toujours inventif et prêt au changement. Un modèle que nous avons recherché dans tous les <glossary title="1089">vignerons</glossary> que nous avons rencontré par la suite. Nos pensées sont avec Marie-Thérèse, son épouse, et Marie-Pierre, sa fille, qui continuent l'oeuvre d'André au Château d'Oupia. André, tu as fait du beau et du bon travail, merci. Denyse Louis Some Notes from Admirers: "Good morning Mr. Dressner, I was thoroughly saddened to read about André's death on your site this morning. Like you, we have many, many happy memories of our visits to the Ichés at Oupia. Such a soft, unassuming and passionate individual is a rarity in today's modern wine world where brashness, marketing prowess and techo-babble are all important. André's achievements over the past 30 years have been poorly documented but were many. I guess the best legacy he could have left (apart from Marie-Pierre) was some fantastic wines. Over here in the UK, we will be toasting his health in our offices tomorrow (probably with a Cuvée des Barons!) and our thoughts will be with Marie-Therese and Marie-Pierre. Kindest regards Chris Piper Christopher Piper Wines Devon - GB (Agents and Importers for Château d'Oupia in the UK) chris@christopherpiperwines.co.uk" "What sad news. I never got to visit, but I've enjoyed the wines for a few years now. I will open a bottle of the 2000 Poupette tonight. Best," -Cliff "Sad, great man, always with a deep smile, wish more growers were like him!!" -Michael Wheeler "We are deeply saddened by the news. His kindness and genuine nature so clearly shines through the wine he made. He will be missed terribly." -Josephine Young "This is indeed terrible news. Unfortunately I never met him (had hoped to on the aborted trip in 2006), but the first wine I tasted with a Louis/Dressner <glossary title="133">back label</glossary> was a mid-nineties Cuvée des Barons, and that wine still holds a place in my heart. Another bottle will be required today to remember this great <glossary title="1089">vigneron</glossary>." -Don Heistuman   "Sometimes the saddest part of losses like this is knowing that certain people cannot be replaced. the unique personalities that dot our lives in the wine world and outside of it are slowly bidding adieu. r.i.p. andré" -Rick Franco   "I met Andre in February of 2001. He climbed over barrels of the Les Barons. We sampled from <glossary title="1140">tank</glossary> <glossary title="237">Carignan</glossary> from 100 year-old vines that turned our lips, tongues, teeth and fingers black. I discovered wines we never knew he made. I was relatively new in the biz and these are some of the fondest memories I have. Long live André." -CNSmith "I always loved the stories as well as the wine.......he did make a mark in this world, something from his earth that we can savor and something in the hearts of all who knew him that will continue on". Debra k

harvest report 01.05.2019

Château d'Oupia 2019 Harvest Report

By Marie-Pierre Iché, October 16th, 2019. We began our <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> with the white grapes from September 9th to the 13th. We intentionally chose to harvest at night to avoid <glossary title="754">oxidation</glossary> from the very high temperatures of the daytime.  On September 14th, we began with <glossary title="1001">Syrah</glossary> from early ripening <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary>. These permit us to get as much juice as possible at reasonable alcoholic potential for our first <glossary title="1140">vats</glossary> of rosé. We were interrupted by a period of rain, we had to wait a week for the it to go away. On September 30th, we started picking the <glossary title="508">Grenache</glossary>, the <glossary title="237">Carignan</glossary> destined to <glossary title="236">carbonic maceration</glossary> and the last <glossary title="1001">Syrahs</glossary>. The rain was actually beneficial for the grapes, as the plants had been feeling hydric stress from the summer heat. This was reassuring and the 2019 <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> is proving to be very promising.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//d1/35/d13511305c421339eafb6ba0a3f3ddb2.jpeg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//41/89/41896f71db6f87675d306eedddbc9af1.jpeg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//1f/68/1f683030d869d1cadfb8ab7abe37056b.jpeg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//66/b5/66b59168c87644bfd2aef50c86e906ee.jpeg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//1c/7c/1c7c9d54450a4e89f86b3c36fb686ce9.jpeg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//88/0c/880cdca22a69799f1dfd8b1366bedf30.jpeg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//76/50/76507c66dbcdcd959df6314e1ee6cef9.jpeg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//18/3d/183d95bf9a2c8d50e989eb570c75c6cd.jpeg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//6a/91/6a9162bae000b3423f8176588fc23b9a.jpeg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//96/a1/96a16dfaf792306a73b5a0078a2c19b6.jpeg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//e8/50/e8509e4d3c70d1930ea3ab098052c6ef.jpeg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//98/ba/98ba24a7bcb0761bece9de1b0d2eaca4.jpeg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//4f/eb/4feb7369a00661c7ee3d6ad181d62359.jpeg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//e6/4f/e64f333280f19a7a8f7b5472df0cd6bd.jpeg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//03/0e/030e03dfc1deb323711add1c63692fb1.jpeg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//d7/73/d773b159b665ea50f501f79485c0ac99.jpeg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//90/8a/908a2ec2c803a1fb64a68bfa72f0f10f.jpeg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//f2/fa/f2fa58a017ca0a14ab7e2a9581dab190.jpeg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_May_01//3d/e8/3de801962961febfba645edc833288ea.jpeg" />

harvest report 13.09.2018

2018 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

Our last day of <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> was on Saturday, September 29th under a beautiful sun. Good weather was with us for the entirety of the <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary>. We started on September 10th for the whites. The first reds were picked on the 12th on the <glossary title="752">Oupia</glossary> sector and on the 18th around La Caunette. It's a better <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> than the last two years. Despite it being a challenging <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> for many, here there was very little in terms of struggling with illness. In 2018 we've decided to use a lot less <glossary title="993">S02</glossary> than we usually do. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//b0/bb/b0bbae63bd3ab7eaf8bb5f1d63713941.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//eb/88/eb88040e588d2d3ed7ca8fc35a57bf43.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//af/9b/af9b7aad4166932dc8a9d93878a875b8.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//7b/6a/7b6a0e245e8193f80a180da305346205.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//89/c0/89c02c705c877b67da08894732fb1a70.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//b6/b4/b6b4cfa4ee67443bd56e498aa5feeeb5.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//ea/81/ea81e0f2a8c380bfeadc489325e3f29b.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//78/94/789431788a12ad667414b99ebcace4dd.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//23/84/23845e4aa4816e3c742a9d9f3f51a52c.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//02/ee/02ee9d2a20091e144156492fc3f6eed7.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//12/9f/129fe97a732f2edee429aa252039b035.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//7d/e3/7de3f11ceb62f33dcab7c4aed28b6c84.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//d0/c4/d0c4b04c5cc07f9d6f4486094ec3623f.jpg" />

harvest report 15.09.2017

2017 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

by Marie-Pierre Iché. We started on August 29th with the white grapes, over 15 days in advance. We then followed with Oupia's <glossary title="1001">Syrahs</glossary> on the La Caunette <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary>. It will be a smaller <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> this year due to three nights of <glossary title="1135">frost</glossary> followed by summer <glossary term="Drought" title="1167">drought</glossary>. In any case, the grapes <glossary title="521">harvested</glossary> <glossary title="639">matured</glossary> nicely, with a good sanitary state. Everything is the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> is tasting good, with no major worries. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//a9/82/a982da0a751033c0fdeb5a78c0a2b5bf.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//6c/b7/6cb73af7354f323b1c8e7ec9c03592cc.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//d4/3a/d43aec7db9f0c930193de1b704ec2367.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//c7/01/c701b9bd1ff4a1648f5e891ad4b09d0b.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//ad/6d/ad6d50279119c2d35459eb78069b7282.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//ba/61/ba61781ef9f3e21543b2580da67cf4bc.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//a3/dd/a3dd0eea2dbf31252990431c46624aa4.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//99/09/9909a0928d08d3729655944f1d0ee75a.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//ce/33/ce33194f602daac7bf03c548ab54bd8e.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//57/5a/575ad0d4e76a6eeacf72f95eab00a5ce.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//ad/8b/ad8b896abd6e5010ceade4aa3fa2f69f.jpg" />

harvest report 15.07.2015

2015 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

by Marie-Pierre Iché. Our first <glossary title="1001">Syrahs</glossary> arrived to <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> on September 14th with a surprise. The first <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> <glossary title="521">harvested</glossary> was La Caunette, which traditionally has been the <glossary title="1001">Syrah</glossary> <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> that takes the longest to reach <glossary title="639">maturity</glossary>. All our <glossary title="1001">Syrah</glossary> and <glossary title="508">Grenache</glossary> is now off the vines, and we can already get a solid idea of what the <glossary title="871">rosé</glossary> will taste like: cassis, english bonbons and and the fruit and freshness you'd want for a <glossary title="871">rosé</glossary>. Last Saturday, a very serious storm ravaged part of the region: 10km around Félines were struck by a savage <glossary title="1136">hail</glossary> storm. Fortunately, our sector was not affected. Overall, the <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> was abundant, with grapes in a perfect sanitary state. Here are a few pictures. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//55/41/554195c06db0d03fdce7bc60a73f7410.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//ef/ad/efadc46d1003f035419dc7e20224104d.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//ce/32/ce32796b729e3a428fe777c6a5b1bf7c.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//09/9e/099e62465159c9c1ac9e6b43c0d70496.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//ac/70/ac7019d226513f97acb912959e57c4cd.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//09/6c/096c017e31c0543d90c2287aa2080d89.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//86/54/8654fcfc9cc6cd0d07d00948b9a97b05.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//ed/18/ed1812cece2fabe7c187327c8b82ff9d.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//dc/10/dc101f33c4953608133fe4334b0ba26e.jpg" />

harvest report 19.09.2013

2013 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

by Marie-Pierre Iché, October 8th, 2013 It's with a bit of a delay, but here is our first 2013 <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> report. Things are very late this year, and we've only <glossary title="521">harvested</glossary> for a quick week before having to stop for <glossary title="639">maturities</glossary> to develop further. We started slowly on September 23rd (for only 3 days before stopping), essentially three weeks later than last year. This is due to a long, fresh and rainy Spring, with Summer's heat taking its sweet time to show itself. Either way, the quality and sanitary state of the grapes was excellent, giving us the luxury of letting each grape reach its optimal <glossary title="639">maturity</glossary>. We are anxious to <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> our year's work and to taste the first results. We started with the <glossary title="508">Grenache</glossary> to make <glossary title="871">rosé</glossary>: great juice that will make a fresh wine with notes of cassis and bonbon, with nice <glossary title="71">acidities</glossary>, roundness and balanced alcohol. We restarted on Monday, September 30th, but had to stop on Friday because of rain. This wasn't a big deal because the <glossary term="Mistral" title="667">Mistral</glossary> blew hard the following day, drying out the bunches. By the end of the week, we'd <glossary title="521">harvested</glossary> the first batch of <glossary title="508">Grenache</glossary> that will go into "Tradition". We now cross our fingers for nice weather over the next two weeks. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//41/b5/41b5ccce013afdeecc6d627f24ce8caa.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//32/2b/322bd5751616a0817cb3011fe337bb2e.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//76/0f/760f6c52e7dde3d4b527d1d788dd2a7a.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//6d/ab/6dab9174e1064857a5f0d4cb503e898b.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//8e/d7/8ed74181bddaa3e5edc0c253cdc7db9d.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//3d/18/3d18accc16729e6a5d64a50cd62e3f7d.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//fd/fd/fdfd2350a0f3f0899b779f15b85e6b78.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//42/d9/42d949714554b819a6964739fdcb1e6a.jpg" />

harvest report 24.09.2012

2012 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

September 24th, 2012 Our <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> started on September 6th with the whites. Our newly planted <glossary title="1111">Viognier</glossary> was of high quality: the wine is already <glossary title="1104">vinified</glossary> and balanced (13%, medium <glossary title="71">acidity</glossary>, round and generous). I get citrus rind, white flowers and dry apricots. Next was the <glossary title="878">Roussanne</glossary>, a new experience for us that is looking very promising. On September 10th, the <glossary title="1001">Syrah</glossary> got in the mix. The skins' maturity was much more advanced than the pulp, so the grapes came in ripe and lower in alcohol (which isn't a bad thing). On certain <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary>, the heterogeneous sanitary state of the grapes led us to a very thorough <glossary term="Sorting" title="1380">sorting</glossary> to assure the highest quality. The results in the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> are more than satisfactory. Our acquisition of a <glossary title="811">pneumatic press</glossary> this year gave us the opportunity to make <glossary title="871">rosé</glossary> with the <glossary title="1001">Syrah</glossary>, which gives the wine a new <glossary title="756">palate</glossary>, geared more towards <glossary title="662">minerality</glossary> and finesse. The reds are currently <glossary title="610">macerating</glossary>. It will was a naturally <glossary title="1010">tannic</glossary> <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary>, so we will decrease our usual <glossary title="610">maceration</glossary> time. We are still waiting a little longer for the <glossary title="508">Grenache</glossary>, as they have not yet reached optimal  <glossary title="639">maturity</glossary>. Same for the old <glossary title="237">Carignan</glossary>, who need even more time. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_23//60/fd/60fd5b9febbf500aaa00851715cee492.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_23//84/93/84934b71a963fb8c87470a12110336d2.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_23//3e/1e/3e1e369fef46b0469d0a9235315ebd97.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_23//ef/95/ef9578507d80124e6cbbcad023651483.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_23//77/b7/77b768a7c6e08f5dbfde3f1d93e9abb0.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_23//a4/d9/a4d9c75abc5784a696753f3147501ec2.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_23//0b/59/0b59bf7021ad17d098fab7ac2e6726fa.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_23//73/ba/73ba0a0b3282ab8b94e865131e02aec0.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_23//32/07/32077f1b5a6b0c28432f57ab9560f6d1.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_23//a7/71/a7717b32036d42164ca5e1f1ea0ed550.jpg" />

harvest report 11.10.2011

2011 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

by Marie-Pierre Iché. All our efforts throughout the year and the beautiful climate of the last few weeks has led to some pleasant discoveries. We still need to be patient… We haven't started <glossary title="521">harvesting</glossary> yet; the <glossary title="639">maturities</glossary> aren't quite where we want them to be. Everyone was predicting a record breaking early <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> that wouldn't start later than August 15th… We are paying no heed to such claims. A cool July changed everything and the <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> will begin at the same time it always does. September 26th: <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//5d/48/5d4879b5b51a722e12b9818ca465f1db.jpg" /> We are currently half way through the <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> and have picked all of the white and <glossary title="1001">Syrah</glossary>. We're well on our way with the <glossary title="508">Grenache</glossary> and we're just starting to see some <glossary title="237">Carignan</glossary>. So far the whites have been producing very <glossary title="120">aromatic</glossary> and bold juice; the <glossary title="1381">alcoholic potential</glossary><glossary title="67"> </glossary>is similar to last year's but <glossary title="71">acidity</glossary> is up for good brightness and freshness. For the reds, the major characteristic of this <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> would be the physical <glossary title="639">maturity</glossary> of the grapes, which are going to be light in <glossary title="1010">tannin</glossary> with deep color and 0.5 less alcohol then our wines tend to average. The <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> itself was beautiful. The grapes were in great shape, the weather was nice… Everything went off without a hitch! <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//2a/52/2a520b9de92502565e792f81aa3fdf06.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//c1/2d/c12d69e0078e8f80866465828b85bfdb.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//80/fa/80fa48ed9e69c1b54cbcbd96c3d8d193.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//cf/53/cf531714b5c10f2906ecc71d301b0d70.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//b0/13/b013a42c6332fe099cde091a23361ef3.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//8c/c8/8cc84b6b79406ee1bd76fab842e9e4b8.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_25//50/60/5060922737b0e2ce07c85de9d5df04c9.jpg" />

harvest report 19.09.2010

2010 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

harvest report 11.06.2009

2009 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

Marie-Pierre Iché, Château d’Oupia, Minervois, on Sept. 11th We started early, on August 31st, with the <glossary term="Grenache" title="508">Grenache</glossary> grapes that go into our  <glossary term="Vin de Pays" title="1093">Vin de Pays</glossary>. These grapes, despite the lack of rain and arid terrain, did well: <glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yields</glossary> are moderate, ripeness is good (13.5 degrees <glossary term="alcoholic potential" title="1381">potential</glossary>), a lot of color and silky  <glossary term="Tannin" title="1010">tannins</glossary>. On Sept. 2nd, we picked a <glossary term="Plot" title="1133">plot</glossary> of <glossary term="Syrah" title="1001">Syrah</glossary> with full South  <glossary term="Exposition" title="430">exposure</glossary>, which is meant for the "Minervois Tradition" red and the  <glossary term="Rosé/Rosato" title="871">rosé</glossary>. This was done a week earlier than last year, but our first impressions of the <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> are confirmed: deep color, powerful structure and complex fruit. On Sept. 3rd there was a bit of a storm, but only fine rain fell and allowed us to wait for even better ripeness, especially of  <glossary term="Tannin" title="1010">tannins</glossary>. The grapes were totally healthy and a little rain could do no damage. On Sept. 7th and 8th we picked our white grapes, <glossary term="Viognier" title="1111">Viognier</glossary> and <glossary term="Marsanne" title="634">Marsanne</glossary> were at their peak of <glossary term="Aromatic" title="120">aromatic</glossary> potential, <glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yields</glossary> were low. We’ll pick the <glossary term="Plot" title="1133">plots</glossary> for "Cuvée des Barons", "Oppius" and "Nobilis" around Sept. 14th to achieve full ripeness.

harvest report 04.10.2008

2008 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

harvest report 03.10.2005

2005 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

harvest report 26.09.2004

2004 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

producer profile 15.11.2019

Château d'Oupia Producer Profile

article 11.06.2020

"André Iché: an Appreciation" by Joe Dressner and Denyse Louis

harvest report 01.05.2019

Château d'Oupia 2019 Harvest Report

harvest report 13.09.2018

2018 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

harvest report 15.09.2017

2017 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

harvest report 15.07.2015

2015 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

harvest report 19.09.2013

2013 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

harvest report 24.09.2012

2012 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

harvest report 11.10.2011

2011 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

harvest report 19.09.2010

2010 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

harvest report 11.06.2009

2009 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

harvest report 04.10.2008

2008 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

harvest report 03.10.2005

2005 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

harvest report 26.09.2004

2004 Château d'Oupia Harvest Report

Château d'Oupia’s wines

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Minervois Rosé

Château d'Oupia

IGP Pays D'Hérault "Les Hérétiques"

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Minervois Rouge

Minervois and Vin de Pays from Château d'Oupia

Château d'Oupia Profile

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