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Claire et Florent Bejon Producer Profile

Claire et Florent Bejon Producer Profile

“The hands on the label represent the idea that all you are getting is one grape from one <glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroir</glossary> and the hands that interacted with it. That's it.” Claire and Florent Bejon live in Saint-Germain-Sur-Vienne, a tiny village just 15 minutes from the town and vines of <glossary term="Chinon" title="288">Chinon</glossary>. Despite its proximity, Saint-Germain is on the left side of the <glossary term="Vienne River" title="1395">Vienne</glossary> and, up until 2016, was excluded from the <glossary term="Chinon" title="288">Chinon</glossary> <glossary term="Appellation" title="113">appellation</glossary> (it has since been included). Technically between <glossary term="Saumur" title="919">Saumur</glossary> and <glossary term="Chinon" title="288">Chinon</glossary>, the area is a bit of a no man’s land for vines: only 50 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> are planted sporadically, usually in smaller, isolated <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcels</glossary> surrounded by sunflowers, cereal fields and newly built houses. The Bejon have been low-key making wine in the area since 2002. Neither are from <glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticultural</glossary> families but Claire has been a wine lover for a long time and Florent spent over 20 years working for one of the Loire’s premier mobile bottlers: a company that comes with the equipment to properly <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottle</glossary> wine directly at a producer’s <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary>. In fact, Florent’s worked with many of the <glossary term="Vigneron/Vignaiolo" title="1089">vignerons</glossary> we import and he and Claire know most on a first name basis. In 2015, the couple decided to release a small amount of wine under their own name with the plan to grow slowly and eventually quit their full time jobs. This finally happened in 2021, with Claire and Florent tending five <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of mostly <glossary term="Cabernet Franc" title="216">Cabernet Franc</glossary> with a bit of <glossary term="Chenin Blanc" title="281">Chenin</glossary>. The land being spread out and geologically distinct, it was decided early on that each <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> or sector would be <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinified</glossary> and <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottled</glossary> as its own <glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuvée</glossary>. Pain-Perdu is their largest <glossary term="Lieu-Dit" title="594">lieu-dit</glossary> and the only one where they have neighbors. Located on the right bank of the  <glossary term="Vienne River" title="1395">Vienne</glossary>,1.5 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of 40 year old <glossary term="Cabernet Franc" title="216">Cabernet Franc</glossary> vines are planted in the <glossary term="Commune" title="322">commune</glossary> of Beaumont en Veron on yellow <glossary term="Clay" title="301">clay</glossary> and <glossary term="Aeolian" title="72">aeolian</glossary> <glossary term="Sand" title="909">sands</glossary>. This entry-level wine, first released in 2020,  represents 50% of total production and is <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottled</glossary> the spring following <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary>. All the other reds released 18 months after <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary>: Picrochole is a <glossary term="Lieu-Dit" title="594">lieu-dit</glossary> of 60 <glossary term="Are" title="1208">ares</glossary> of <glossary term="Cabernet Franc" title="216">Cabernet</glossary> and 40 <glossary term="Are" title="1208">ares</glossary> of <glossary term="Chenin Blanc" title="281">Chenin</glossary> vines that are around 30 years old; the Bejon have been farming it since 2015 and purchased the land in 2021. Located on the left bank of the <glossary term="Vienne River" title="1395">Vienne</glossary> between <glossary term="Chinon" title="288">Chinon</glossary> and <glossary term="Saumur" title="919">Saumur</glossary>, the soils here are heavy <glossary term="Clay" title="301">clay</glossary> and <glossary term="Limestone" title="596">limestone</glossary> with a strong presence of <glossary term="Flint/Silex" title="455">flint</glossary> and <glossary term="Exposition" title="430">exposed</glossary> full south.  Saint-Germain consists of four small <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcels</glossary> of <glossary term="Cabernet Franc" title="216">Cabernet</glossary> surrounding Claire and Florent's village and totaling 80 <glossary term="Are" title="1208">ares</glossary>. The vines are in their 50's and planted on <glossary term="Clay" title="301">clay</glossary>, <glossary term="Flint/Silex" title="455">flint</glossary> and <glossary term="Sand" title="909">sand</glossary>. Les Bournais consists of two small, adjacent <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcels</glossary> of <glossary term="Cabernet Franc" title="216">Cabernet Franc</glossary> in the <glossary term="Commune" title="322">commune</glossary> of Ligré and totals one <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectare</glossary>. The vines are between 40 and 70 years old and planted on <glossary term="Clay" title="301">clay</glossary> and <glossary term="Limestone" title="596">limestone</glossary>. Finally, Les Gruches is a tiny, isolated <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> of <glossary term="Chenin Blanc" title="281">Chenin</glossary> planted in 1957, nestled and surrounded by woods. This is the first <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> the Bejon worked back in 2002. A wine of the same name used to be produced exclusively from this <glossary term="Lieu-Dit" title="594">lieu-dit</glossary> but is now <glossary term="Blend" title="168">blended</glossary> with the <glossary term="Chenin Blanc" title="281">Chenin</glossary> from Picrochole and another small <glossary term="Plot" title="1133">plot</glossary>.  Neither Claire or Florent are big fans of <glossary term="Cabernet Franc" title="216">Cabernet Franc</glossary>’s rustic, powerful side; rather the goal is to bring fruit, finesse and suppleness to the wines. With music playing 24/7 in their natural <glossary term="Tuffeau" title="1053">tuffeau</glossary> <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary>, the red grapes <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">macerate</glossary> <glossary term="Whole-Cluster" title="1124">whole-cluster</glossary>, saturated with <glossary term="Carbonic Maceration" title="236">carbonic gas</glossary> in 50<glossary term="Hectoliter" title="524">hl</glossary> <glossary term="Vat/Tank" title="1140">tanks</glossary> for long periods of <glossary term="Infusion" title="1378">infusion</glossary>: three weeks to three months depending on the <glossary term="Tannin" title="1010">tannic structure</glossary> they are looking for. <glossary term="Elevage" title="418">Elevage</glossary> then occurs in <glossary term="Old Oak" title="739">old barrels</glossary> and, as of 2020, <glossary term="Grès" title="1449">grès</glossary> <glossary term="Amphora" title="103">amphoras</glossary>. Each <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> <glossary term="Aging" title="74">ages</glossary> roughly 50/50 in <glossary term="Wood" title="1126">wood</glossary> and <glossary term="Grès" title="1449">grès</glossary> but that may change with time and experience. The <glossary term="Chenin Blanc" title="281">Chenin</glossary> grapes are <glossary term="Direct Press" title="392">direct pressed</glossary>, <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermented</glossary> and <glossary term="Aging" title="74">aged</glossary> in  <glossary term="Old Oak" title="739">old barrels</glossary>. <glossary term="Sulfites" title="993">S02</glossary> is not added at any point in any of the production.  The small amount of <glossary term="Chenin Blanc" title="281">Chenin</glossary> produced is textbook to the best examples of the region: weighty and long in the <glossary term="Finish" title="450">finish</glossary>, all the while crystalline and refreshing. The reds, often vivacious from intentionally trapped C02, balance great fruit and drinkability with the structure of their <glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroirs</glossary>. More than anything, you taste a sensibility in the Bejon's minimalist yet experienced approach: wines crafted to be full of energy and raw purity.

Philippe Chevarin 2021 Visit

This visit with Philippe Chevarin took place in July, 2021.

Words and photos by Jules Dressner. This visit with Philippe Chevarin was five years in the making. You see, it's very rare that we start with a new <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary> before visiting them. And even if that does happen, there is usually some history or past connection and a visit shortly follows. Yet with Philippe, we just couldn't seem to lock it in: he's not exactly far from Pépière or Luneau-Papin, yet all of our recents visits there were with our winter mega-groups. Considering three people can barely squeeze into Philippe's <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary>... Anyhow, though COVID delayed the daunting task of visiting all of our <glossary term="Loire Valley" title="602">Loire</glossary> producers in 2020 (it ended up being 28 visits in 14 days), we finally did it! After a few minutes freaking out some locals looking around for his address, Philippe's logo confirmed we were in the right place. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/91/9b/919bf796afb8f65466f6e83188fdeea0.jpg" /> Philippe's vines, <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> and storage are in Oudon, a tiny village about 35 minutes north-east of <glossary term="Nantes" title="707">Nantes</glossary> following the <glossary term="Loire River" title="603">Loire river</glossary>. It's a part of the <glossary term="Loire Valley" title="602">Loire valley</glossary> I'd never visited so there was a distinct sense of excitement and discovery.  We started by checking out Philippe's TINY <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary>.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/b5/c4/b5c4224c4a23cf3cdb3ecdb427ab15e5.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/e4/6e/e46efe865af36d918905715ffe366432.jpg" /> “It was just very hard to find anything when I took over. People used to only have a few <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> and make very little wine so <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellars</glossary> are rare. Most have converted them to garages or houses. At least this used to be a wine <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> so there are good <glossary term="Yeast" title="1128">yeasts</glossary> in it.” The size makes any kind of intervention logistically complicated. For example, <glossary term="Racking/Soutirage" title="843">racking</glossary> one <glossary term="Vat/Tank" title="1140">tank</glossary> might mean moving another two out for the way. "If I wanted to have a big, functional <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> I'd have to build it myself. Right now I don't have the money to do this. And honestly I'm not sure I even want to."  Later that night at dinner, Philippe used a pragmatic and philosophical analogy to describe these limitations: "I see it as a way of staying focused and not getting caught up with bells and whistles. When I was mixing and mastering records, I always used the same basic board with no effects. It was a very minimal approach but I mastered that board and learned how to get the best from it." Nearby, Philippe also has a small storage room that can hold a very snug 20,000 bottles. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/40/4f/404f68dcc352bad7e3d1d04eb88877dc.jpg" /> The soils of the area are <glossary term="Schist" title="933">schist</glossary> and <glossary term="Quartz" title="842">quartz</glossary>, which is what the old local houses are built in. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/96/48/964864ab5994bf4167df8be35ca2a16e.jpg" /> It was then time to see some vines. The first vineyard we visited is called Le Moulin D’Omblepied. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/e8/8b/e88b2ba2c2067abc95d9e5b169391ed0.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/d5/b7/d5b7e9f85596aa640fcd8937383eb8c2.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/63/50/6350038b2626bd2f024462404d7f6de0.jpg" /> Philippe has three <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> here, two of <glossary term="Melon de Bougogne" title="646">Melon</glossary>, one of <glossary term="Gamay" title="478">Gamay</glossary> as well five rows of <glossary term="Aligoté" title="91">Aligoté</glossary> planted in the 1960’s. There are no neighbors at all and, shockingly, 48% of the plants are currently missing.  "The prior owner left these in really bad shape. After years of neglect he disappeared overnight. When I first started I was excited to be able to get land at such a good price. But with a few <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintages</glossary> of work and hindsight, I'm realising it's a major handicap."  Instead of replanting, Philippe is starting to accept he should maybe looking for <glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroirs</glossary> that are more adapted to vines. He ultimately hopes to produce more wine with less land. "The missing vines and culminating bad crops have forced me into doing some <glossary term="Négociant" title="729">négociant</glossary> wines in 2021. Hopefully this will help balance things out while I find new local alternatives." We then drove to a second <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> called Les Grangets. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/fa/fd/fafd2c26b664c5c06507c0f3322c2c5f.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/46/bd/46bd0bba7250878f940aa78c9a0f3f34.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/78/08/7808fb264e9a1bda439444d00cbc62ab.jpg" /> The parcel is all <glossary term="Melon de Bougogne" title="646">Melon de Bourgogne</glossary> planted in 1948. Here the vines are in better shape and Philippe will start replanting <glossary term="Selection Massale" title="941">massales</glossary> next year. “All the <glossary term="Clones" title="304">clones</glossary> currently planted are not of good quality, hence the mortality rates. There is a lot of work to be done.” The next area we visited consists mainly of a small <glossary term="Plot" title="1133">plot</glossary> of <glossary term="Gamay" title="478">Gamay</glossary> Magny. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/b0/34/b034704e152401be17020a83523b4271.jpg" /> This is a unique strain of <glossary term="Gamay" title="478">Gamay</glossary> that an old <glossary term="Vigneron/Vignaiolo" title="1089">vigneron</glossary> brought back from the <glossary term="Beaujolais" title="151">Beaujolais</glossary> back when it was planted in 1952. This used to be the de facto strain used in the region but has been completely replaced with <glossary term="Gamay" title="478">Gamay à Jus Blanc</glossary> <glossary term="Clones" title="304">clones</glossary> (also from the <glossary term="Beaujolais" title="151">Beaujolais</glossary>) because the latter is much higher <glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yielding</glossary>. The Magny strain produces much smaller, concentrated <glossary term="Cluster/Bunch" title="1138">bunches</glossary>: <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/97/8c/978c3140dc73c8970bbf4db3a9889af2.jpg" /> From these grapes Philippe has recently <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottled</glossary> à <glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuvée</glossary> aptly named "Le Magny". Within these 20  <glossary term="Are" title="1208">ares</glossary>, there is also a bit of <glossary term="-Select term-" title="">Gamay</glossary> <glossary term="Teinturier" title="1017">Teinturier</glossary> and <glossary term="Grolleau" title="513">Grolleau</glossary> which Philippe uses in the "Décrue"  <glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuvée</glossary>. Close to the Magny <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary>, I couldn't get over this very bizarre house not too far in the distance.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/10/3a/103adc1a498b7db86ac0b2e226b4212b.jpg" /> It was just so completely out of place and had a very "Trump is secretly hiding out here while waiting for the world to finally realize the election was rigged" vibes. Philippe does not know the owner.  We then trekked for a while to an isolated <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> called La Justice. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/6c/09/6c09258769c6a8e79452053fb43936a4.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/5f/19/5f19d6a26a3226919627ce953e7c9ecd.jpg" /> La Justice is 75 <glossary term="Are" title="1208">ares</glossary>, planted exclusively in <glossary term="Melon de Bougogne" title="646">Melon de Bourgogne</glossary> and has more <glossary term="Micaschist" title="655">mica-schist</glossary> than any other <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> Philippe farms. Unfortunately it's another <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> with a huge amount of missing vines.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/e0/63/e063318192cf7edc2666c1e1f9bc81ab.jpg" /> Philippe does however want to replant here. By this point we'd already done quite a bit of walking around, but Philippe proposed we have an <glossary term="Aperitif" title="112">aperitif</glossary> "somewhere nice". After following him 10 minutes up a small forest path, we ended up on this old medieval tower with a gorgeous view of the <glossary term="Loire River" title="603">Loire</glossary>. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/38/e3/38e3214b806efd3af78082229f530b5a.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/7c/e8/7ce81634996bbcf85a95adddd02b300a.jpg" /> This was actually the last visit of our grueling <glossary term="Loire Valley" title="602">Loire</glossary> trip and I can't think of a better way of ending it than with this incredible panoramic view. As Keven Clancy pointed out, it was a true master stroke of <glossary term="schnook" title="1448">schnookery</glossary>. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/08/8c/088c21e9a8b33341672bbb2a8e13f44b.jpg" /> After drinking a delicious <glossary term="Melon de Bougogne" title="646">Melon</glossary> (I think it was "Le Fleuve"), we drove 40 minutes back to our hotel in the heart of <glossary term="Nantes" title="707">Nantes</glossary>. I must say though there were a lot of sex shops on our block.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/22/f4/22f45844989b948ac20f5f066eafc7fc.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/99/85/998582cdf5c4b19413e2cfdb2c3b1ebd.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//885/f9/7e/f97eea5019a0cfbd0fddb2e2132ec138.jpg" /> No pictures from dinner at Philippe's house and did a <glossary term="Vertical" title="1085">vertical</glossary> of every <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> of "Les Sentinelles": 2015 through 2020. It was fun to hear him remember each <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> through the wine; overall he was quite critical of his work. Six <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintages</glossary> in at the time of this writing, Philippe is still finding his way: understanding his <glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroirs</glossary>, replanting, embracing the limitations of his <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> and even the economic realities of the operation are starting to come into place. I never would have known this had I not spent the day with him, making this years in the making visit all the more essential. It makes me excited to see what the future holds at this small, <glossary term="Artisinal" title="122">artisinal</glossary> <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary>.

Laurent Lebled 2021 Visit

This visit with Laurent Lebled took place in July 2021.

<img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/81/a3/81a3b17d6dca163c8c805511ad772f57.jpg" />Words and photos by Jules Dressner. Since my last visit recap in 2014, much has changed for Laurent Lebled. In 2019, he and his wife Sonya decided to purchase 10 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines from a retiring <glossary term="Vigneron/Vignaiolo" title="1089">vigneron</glossary> and move from their native <glossary term="Saumur" title="919">Saumur</glossary> to the country side. Knowing that this would be too much land to work on his own, he asked his daughter Barbara if she would be interested in partnering with him. Essentially, she does most of the <glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticultural</glossary> work, Laurent buys the grapes from her to make his <glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuvées</glossary> and Barbara produces her own. Right now she's only <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinifying</glossary> the equivalent of two  <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary>, but the plan is to split the grapes to the point where Laurent produces the same amount of wine he used to from his old structure of roughly five <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary>.  Like the prior set up, the current structure is complicated: the vines and equipment are in one sector, the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> in another, the storage in another and the house 20 minutes away.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/04/36/043628d0c472a2a375c3fd1dd0e9a32b.jpg" /> Laurent's not too worried about it though.  "It's still complicated but better than what it used to be! But we found a <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> that's closer to the house for 2022 and are going to build some guest rooms above it. It's taken over a decade but we're going to get there." After catching up over coffee, we completed a thorough tour of the 10 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines. We started in the <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> that now produced "On Est Su l’Sable". <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/54/4c/544c95e82f63f988d7e4b53429927541.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/a5/48/a54873bf575a9af41d9e1af23102a64a.jpg" /> Though the <glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuvée</glossary> originally gets its name from vines planted on pure <glossary term="Sand" title="909">sand</glossary> soils, here we are on the more traditional <glossary term="Clay" title="301">clay</glossary>, <glossary term="Flint/Silex" title="455">flint</glossary> and <glossary term="Limestone" title="596">limestone</glossary> of the <glossary term="Touraine" title="1036">Touraine</glossary>. “I’m keeping the name. People know it and the pun still works.” It's definitely a better name than "On Est Su l'Silex Argilo-Calcaire". A little further, <glossary term="Sauvignon Blanc" title="927">Sauvignon</glossary>, <glossary term="Gamay" title="478">Gamay</glossary> and <glossary term="Malbec" title="366">Côt</glossary> are co-planted together. About 10% of the vines are missing, mostly due to <glossary term="Esca" title="425">esca</glossary>. They will start replacing these in 2022. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/79/dc/79dcc403a781a324976d61e79b3a1b75.jpg" /> Though the vines were being worked <glossary term="Conventional Farming" title="331">conventionally</glossary>, it wasn’t nearly as bad as the <glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroirs</glossary> Laurent used to rent. “My vines in <glossary term="Chinon" title="288">Chinon</glossary> took eight years for grass to grow. Here it took two." Laurent and Barbara were very lucky in 2021: they suffered no <glossary term="Frost" title="1135">frost</glossary> because they <glossary term="Pruning" title="834">pruned</glossary> late, their sector was spared from <glossary term="Hail" title="1136">hail</glossary> and the <glossary term="Mildew" title="1137">mildew</glossary> pressure has not been nearly as bad as some of their neighbors. In fact it was looking like a plentiful crop, one of the only producers we heard this from. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/d3/fc/d3fc9328a3f13a4b54e07ad703d9f04f.jpg" /> We then walked over to a <glossary term="Plot" title="1133">plot</glossary> of <glossary term="Sauvignon Blanc" title="927">Sauvignon</glossary> with a particularly high amount of missing vines, over 50%. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/d4/8f/d48f21a1f5cdaa2e46a5a0205223ff95.jpg" /> Rather than replant a variety that does not seem happy there, the plan is to rip out the remaining vines and replant <glossary term="Romorantin" title="867">Romorantin</glossary>. The third <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> we visited is evenly split between <glossary term="Menu Pineau/Orbois" title="648">Menu Pineau</glossary> and <glossary term="Sauvignon Blanc" title="927">Sauvignon</glossary>. This is where the "Je T’ai Dans la Peau" comes from. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/a7/bc/a7bc721084105f00d998c6b923b027a4.jpg" /> “<glossary term="Menu Pineau/Orbois" title="648">Menu Pineau</glossary> is always very late in ripping. It’s ready at the same time as the <glossary term="Cabernet Franc" title="216">Cabernets</glossary>.” Next up was 40 <glossary term="Are" title="1208">hares</glossary> of <glossary term="Malbec" title="366">Côt</glossary> that Barbara <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinifies</glossary>. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/c9/6a/c96ad63d75f57dd9f6fc7f91e1fe7545.jpg" /> The last <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> we visited was planted in <glossary term="Malbec" title="366">Côt</glossary>, <glossary term="Sauvignon Blanc" title="927">Sauvignon</glossary> and <glossary term="Gamay" title="478">Gamay</glossary>. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/15/8a/158a702a89cb39a09b283261af85f4e4.jpg" /> After this thorough tour of the vines, we went to taste in the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary>. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/66/16/6616f0da0767e8439383367e4941d2c5.jpg" /> <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/c0/3c/c03cceb5ca69599aadb8db5da136d35d.jpg" /> I must say that the new <glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroirs</glossary> are doing a lot of good to the wines, particularly for the "Sauvignonne" and "On Est Su l’Sable" <glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuvées</glossary>. One anomaly we got to try was an "unintentional" wine from Barbara called Cheers. It was the end of the <glossary term="Vat/Tank" title="1140">vats</glossary> on the <glossary term="Lees" title="590">lees</glossary> from <glossary term="Gamay" title="478">Gamay</glossary>, <glossary term="Sauvignon Blanc" title="927">Sauvignon</glossary> and <glossary term="Menu Pineau/Orbois" title="648">Menu Pineau</glossary>. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/ff/7a/ff7a884aa37f5316a6e8942a32138ed0.jpg" /> It tasted like a <glossary term="Ripasso" title="1216">ripasso</glossary>.  We also got to try the "Ca C’est Bon" 2020, which as of July 2021 still had 8 grams of sugar to <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">ferment</glossary>!!! “At this point I think I’ll add a little of the 2021 and hope it kick starts everything”. If the sugars can finish, it will actually be a pretty tasty wine (albeit very high in alcohol). If you ever wondered what <glossary term="Vigneron/Vignaiolo" title="1089">vignerons</glossary> listen to in the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary>: <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/7b/bf/7bbf346dc5bd7fa75b7922665027b054.jpg" /> I think Laurent explained that his young nieces came to help with labelling one day or something. IDK, I think that might be a cover for his secret love of <glossary term="Hakuna Matata" title="1446">Hakuna Matata</glossary>, Under the Sea, Be Our Guest and Everybody Wants to Be A Cat.  Barbara then showed us the small <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> where both her 2020 wines were still <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermenting</glossary>.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/37/d2/37d2440cd02a3c0b2f1dc9c8d5ba955e.jpg" /> Before heading out, we tried two <glossary term="Pétillant Naturel" title="778">pet nat</glossary> experiments, both in the earlier stages of a five year <glossary term="Elevage" title="418">elevage</glossary> <glossary term="Sur Lattes" title="995">sur lattes</glossary>. They were quite explosive but very promising.  From the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> Laurent wanted to show us his new storage facility, an old quarry. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/20/20/2020bfef50311aa891f46e40dc05959e.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/c1/15/c115060816474da18fbb2f097e0a1d6a.jpg" /> Before entering, he warned us it would be very cold in there and pitch black. Naturally we strapped lights on our heads.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/5b/59/5b591340794eb1a052deefaea93dcca4.jpg" /> It was indeed freezing cold in there and the bottles are in a safe, controlled environment.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/20/1f/201f1565779a3fae8caf3679ae21d031.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/61/69/61695a1e36d4201c0e95a9e7861b037f.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/ca/bd/cabdbc7481266020ba412b53ad8af690.jpg" /> Still, we braved the cold to taste a 2019 "Je T'ais Dans la Peau". <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/ac/8d/ac8de1344af6f6f2be563e8a652fefb2.jpg" /> By this point everyone was hungry so we headed to Saint-Aignan to none other than... Le St.Aignan! <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/1d/04/1d04cdb24fe268d2438eeec8f48d2931.jpg" /> This no frills brasserie serves omelettes, steak-frites and one special item I almost jokingly:  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//884/93/8f/938f06e62905f87cdd9c519e2f22ea35.jpg" /> For the record, I am an andouillette fan. But let me tell you: there is a time and (in this case much more importantly) a place for this dish.  The lovely summer evening was only made better by the comically bad cover band performing in English somewhere out of sight. I was already cracking up at some of their song choices but the hilarity culminated with the group failing over and over at starting Where is My Mind by the Pixies. At least five times I had to hear the lead singer poorly belt out the OUUUUUHHH OUUUUUHHHHHH  and sounding like a wounded whale only for the group to abruptly stop. Was he getting too emotional remembering the end of Fight Club? For a while they stopped playing completely so I assumed they'd just given up. But after a maybe 15 minute break, they were finally able to get the whole song out.  Surprisingly there was no encore.

Pierre-O Bonhomme Visit (2021)

This visit to Piere-O Bonhomme took place in July, 2021.

<img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/97/85/9785a59a28a0eae830b0e44239a5c9a2.jpg" />Words and photos by Jules Dressner. We pulled up to Pierre-O's large, indescript <glossary term="Chai" title="264">chai</glossary> on a humid, overcast day. Denyse was late (with impeccable timing she got there right at lunch time) so we got started without her by visiting the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary>.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/36/50/36500c8213b38b2debbce5d426ed2a29.jpg" /> Pierre-O took it over in 2016. It used to be a fruit coop in the 1970’s, which has proven beneficial because it was already well insulated. It had been inactive for decades, save for a small part of the edicife used for the storage of the Puzelat and later Puzelat-Bonhomme <glossary term="Négociant" title="729">négoce</glossary> wines. Many relics from those days can still be spotted:  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/48/c9/48c91b9303914690990c84341df3ead1.jpg" /> <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/0c/67/0c6754cdd3cb2caa18d4018214263a2f.jpg" /> <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/74/6f/746f646ab3b0a984e7057522a8cc65bf.jpg" /> The front room pictured above is used for <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottling</glossary> and storing orders before pickup. There is another large room for stocking bottles and an even larger area where Pierre-O <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinifies</glossary>.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/6c/e7/6ce7c308d5c1b7ecc482d7a9ee265010.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/1b/77/1b77fa8e7cf722f3fd79213c35f4ff63.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/a3/9a/a39aa1177bca3330dc2750fc917233eb.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/a1/72/a1723eb2cdefed8416256f746d1ec595.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/d8/63/d863949a7f6578665bc14745eafd9cc3.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/29/e8/29e83a2b8ac4d7980ee83267efd2783e.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/ff/7a/ff7a6c2c7b48520813479ece922fa69e.jpg" /> The <glossary term="Fiberglass" title="445">fiberglass</glossary> and <glossary term="Stainless Steel" title="986">stainless steel</glossary> <glossary term="Vat/Tank" title="1140">tanks</glossary> are you used for <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">macerations</glossary> and stocking wine right before  <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottling</glossary>. The vast majority of the wines <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">ferment</glossary> and/or <glossary term="Aging" title="74">age</glossary> in <glossary term="Old Oak" title="739">old barrels</glossary>.  Before tasting, we decided to go check out some vines. Our first stop was a 2.6 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectare</glossary> <glossary term="Plot" title="1133">plot</glossary> planted in <glossary term="Sauvignon Blanc" title="927">Sauvignon</glossary>, <glossary term="Gamay" title="478">Gamay</glossary>, <glossary term="Chenin Blanc" title="281">Chenin Blanc</glossary> and <glossary term="Malbec" title="366">Côt</glossary>.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/7f/32/7f3216be446463d7660f14b6d83546e8.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/90/84/90848cdc6af48e80f3e454b5c06e622c.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/cf/89/cf899132d30f897952d586594a125391.jpg" /> Wines produced from this land include "Sauvignon POB", "Gamay POB", "Ormeau des Deux Croix" and part of "In KO We Trust".  "With the exception of the Sauvignon and Telquel, almost all of the wines I'm currently releasing are single <glossary term="Varietal" title="1071">varietal</glossary>, <glossary term="Single Vineyard Bottling" title="959">single vineyard expressions</glossary> from vines I own or rent".  Pierre-O took over this area in 2019. The vines here were planted in 1986 and 1988 but he's had to replant 1600 vines in the past few years. He also wants to plant fruit trees to bring in <glossary term="Biodiversity" title="1162">biodiversity</glossary>.  After somewhat bouncing back from a very bad bout of <glossary term="Frost" title="1135">frost</glossary>, the vines were now suffering from a particularly vicious cycle of <glossary term="Mildew" title="1137">mildew</glossary>. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/ee/62/ee62e9aeaa305fcd2dc01803821844f0.jpg" /> “We were fine 10 days ago. I think we missed one <glossary term="Contact Treatment" title="328">treatment</glossary> and it really got us.” While certain sectors of <glossary term="Cheverny" title="283">Cheverny</glossary> will likely produce a half-crop in 2021 (Villemade and Cazin for example), others like Clos du Tue-Boeuf and Pierre-O's will have suffered much worst fates.  We then drove to a second, newly acquired <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> consisting of 1.7 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of <glossary term="Chardonnay" title="271">Chardonnay</glossary> and <glossary term="Sauvignon Blanc" title="927">Sauvignon</glossary>. The vines are about 15 years old and the prior owner was going to rip them out. In all his  <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcels</glossary>, Pierre-O is increasingly wanting to replant varieties that do better under the stress of climate change: <glossary term="Menu Pineau/Orbois" title="648">Menu Pineau</glossary>, <glossary term="Malbec" title="366">Côt</glossary> and <glossary term="Pineau d'Aunis" title="799">Pineau d’Aunis</glossary>. "You can always use more <glossary term="Pineau d'Aunis" title="799">Pineau d'Aunis</glossary>." Amen.  We then headed back to the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> to taste. Almost all of the 2020's have been <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottled</glossary> save for the <glossary term="Melon de Bougogne" title="646">Melon de Bourgogne</glossary>, a micro-batch of <glossary term="Romorantin" title="867">Romorantin</glossary> and a <glossary term="Malbec" title="366">Côt</glossary> <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinified</glossary> in <glossary term="Kwevri/Qveri" title="1287">qveri</glossary>.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/8d/c5/8dc5a4e5224878f4d73114506c04adf3.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/6d/50/6d50284c9fdd97a585da741eaf902e72.jpg" /> At that point I had to snap a pic of Pierre-O's very unique (dare I say COOL?) shoes. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/54/67/54677e4fa2d51aaebf36177dd435dc08.jpg" /> We then jumped into all the <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottled</glossary> 2020's.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/e1/a4/e1a4e67540cc331a50588b752dfec655.jpg" /> Despite 2020 being yet another dry and hot year, the lack of any <glossary term="Frost" title="1135">frosts</glossary> and a proper <glossary term="Flowering" title="1179">flowering</glossary> meant high <glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yields</glossary>. The grapes were still <glossary term="Concentration" title="324">concentrated</glossary>, but since there were many more of them the end result was something balanced and lighter in alcohol, with most of the wines in the 12% to 12.5% range. Pierre-O wouldn't be the only <glossary term="Vigneron/Vignaiolo" title="1089">vigneron</glossary> praising high <glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yields</glossary> as what made the <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary>, and it shows yet another aspect to the questions they must ask themselves in adapting to global warming. In the end 2020 is the best <glossary term="Loire Valley" title="602">Loire</glossary> <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> since 2014 and one of the best of the decade; the wines truly have the ethereal quality that has become harder and harder to capture in the boiling hot 2010's. After an impressive tasting, Pierre-O bribed us with POB schwag. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/f3/24/f324156d084656047c114cffe9d0bfa6.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/40/28/40288972194dacfcc687e3c1e718e23d.jpg" /> Right around this point, Denyse pulled up and we went to have lunch.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/d7/df/d7df9fc57c1dfc1b5c0e46974db7480e.jpg" /> Marcel was away with his grandparents and Paul and Gaspard rushed through lunch so they could finish watching Les Petits Champions, aka The Mighty Ducks. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/58/5e/585ecc9aa05c117d13bd49dd69be8ed0.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//883/9b/89/9b89622082ac3dbef72786320fc3d376.jpg" /> QUACK. QUACK. QUACK. QUACK. <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/04854XqcfCY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

A Tribute to Olivier Lemasson

A Tribute to Olivier Lemasson

Words from Jules Dressner: My first memory of Olivier Lemasson dates back to a winter Loire trip in January, 2010. I was accompanying my father Joe; he was bullish and needed to participate but had started his cancer treatment a few months prior and lost mobility in his leg. I was by his side the entire time to help him get around but also to absorb what one of these “wine trips” was all about. Too much walking or standing was exhausting for Joe, so he was forced to sit a lot. Throughout the trip, this often meant the vigneron would come and serve him tastes of each wine, not unlike a sommelier at a restaurant. The whole exercise was a bit strange for everyone, and I distinctly remember Olivier pouring us his 2009’s from brut de cuve. I got the sense he really wanted Joe to like it, so I asked my father who he was and he said something very “Joe” to the likes of “Oh that’s Olivier Lemasson. He started his own project a few years ago. We weren’t sure we could sell his crazy wines, but we loved the guy so we started working with him recently.”  I don’t remember how the wines tasted that day and frankly it was a fleeting first impression. To be honest, I was meeting a dizzying amount of vignerons for the first time, tasting hundreds of wines and doting on my father. It was a lot. But in hindsight Joe’s statement crystalized something important. Olivier was part of a late 90’s/early 2000’s wave of producers, along with Tue-Boeuf, Chaussard, Villemade, Mosse, Maupertuis and the early Italians where I feel Denyse, Joe and Kevin started taking bolder risks on “fringe” wines that they weren’t sure they could sell but wanted to because of the people behind them.  And when I returned from that trip to San Francisco, increasingly geekified by working at a wine shop and later Terroir (the first “natural wine” bar in the United States), I distinctly remember discovering and seeking out the Vins Contés wines. My recent obsession with carbonic maceration and Pineau d’Aunis meant sleuthing for every bottle of Poivre et Sel I could get my hands on. I rarely talk about how a vigneron’s wines have affected me because I’ve always been more attracted to their humanity, vision and philosophy. But I think that for a lot of people like me who really got into wine in the late aughts/early 2010’s, Olivier’s cuvées, particularly his reds, were a gateway into the quirkier, more playful side of what wine could and should be. Beyond their “naturalness”, the R, P’tit Rouquin, Gama Sutra and especially Poivre et Sel were just so fun, unpretentious and, importantly, affordable enough that getting two or three bottles didn’t seem that crazy (nor did drinking them in one sitting). The packaging was fairly out there and almost provokingly juvenile in its design and punny names, making it clear that whoever was making this wasn’t trying to follow any rules or cater to expectations. More than any other producer, I get told Lemasson were some of the first wines to get people hooked. And to this day, Les Vins Contés is the standard bearer in my “wine is meant for drinking” ethos.  By the time I was working full time with LDM in 2011, I was a big fan of Les Vins Contés but barely knew Olivier. This would change on one of his numerous visits to the United States in March with his wife Cécile. We were so much alike: warm and fiercely loyal to those we care about, full of dry humor and with a penchant for cantankerous rants. A match made in grumpy heaven! Interviewing Olivier in a Venice Beach hotel room also permitted me to understand his work philosophy, illuminating the concept of “vin de soif” as a thought out, intentional style of winemaking. It was the beginning of a real friendship, a luxury we are blessed to have with so many of the vignerons we represent.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//736/2f/07/2f07276a62f4359c8caf0eff4e3b83c6.png" />Olivier and Cécile in Venice Beach, March 2011. From that point forward, the memories start to blur and lack chronology. There were the nicer, quieter moments: visiting Olivier and Cécile at their home, staying with them, drinking older vintages of Gama Sutra and Cheville de Fer, going to a 14th of July celebration to see the fireworks with their young daughters, Olivier jump starting my car after I’d let the brights on all night. Or Olivier showing his Brittany pride with his delicious fish fries. Then were the wacky hijinks of touring the USA: the insane bill we had to cover for Jorge’s hedonistic birthday meal at M.Wells diner, desperately trying to find a six pack in a deserted midtown night when they were staying at the Trump Tower, laughing our asses off that we were in the Trump Tower (no I’m not making that up, our Nevada distributor’s parents used to own an apartment there and for years let vignerons crash there), crawling the streets of NOLA late night with Loïc Roure and seeing the beginning of a budding friendship between the two, heated arguments about nothing and mutual apologies the next day… Perhaps my fondest memories with Olivier revolve around our annual “casse croute” tradition at the Dive Bouteille. Since the Dive is an all day event, Olivier and a group of neighboring vignerons would pool together an impressive array of cheeses and charcuterie behind their barrels to snack on throughout the day. Unsolicited (though probably aware and accommodating to my constant hunger), Olivier told me one year that I was always welcome to come chow down. I gladly relished this opportunity, not only to feed myself but also to get away from the stain-teethed, tannin lipped small talks these fairs force one into. This offer encapsulated Olivier’’s kindness and generosity, but also reminds me of a heartwarming moment we shared. It was the first year at the Dive’s current location in Saumur’s Caves Ackerman, and the Loire section was in a long corridor with wine bottles propped from the ceiling shining a hideous neon pink/purple hue (no one thought having vignerons spend 10 hours in what felt like the world’s worst hookah bar was a bad idea). While having my casse-croute behind Olivier’s barrel, some schmuck who I’d just overheard do the exact the same thing to Christian Venier came over and basically lied through his teeth that Dressner was doing a terrible job at importing the Vins Contés wines and that he couldn’t find them anywhere in Boston. The guy had no idea who I was, making the whole situation absurd and hilarious. After Olivier shooed him off, we burst into a long fit of laughter. I remember his trademark expressions: that big grin, rolling his eyes to the side while shaking his head in amusement followed by a warm tap on the shoulder. I realize now this was a beautiful moment: some asshole had unintentionally shined a neon light on our implicit trust and loyalty, both in friendship and in business. I couldn’t wait to see Olivier and Cécile again this summer, my first Loire summer tour since 2016. I was planning to stay with them and days away from writing about my visit when I got the news. I’ll still be going and seeing my extended vigneron family in July, but it’s not going to be the same. The paradigm has shifted and there will be an irreplaceable void in the Cher, in the Loire, in our lives and in our glasses. Au revoir Olivier, tu ne saura jamais a quel point tu va me manquer. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//736/97/0c/970cae7a00ce0a5151664f0360a1a567.jpg" />

François Pinon (1951-2021)

Words from Jules Dressner: How to describe François Pinon? From looks alone, you could gather through his trademark ascot, hat, thick glasses and bushy beard that there was an intellectual there. And that was true: prior to returning to his family estate, François was a young professor and later a child psychologist and psychoanalyst. Maybe to the passerby, his look might have come off as reserved and private, the type of guy who takes everything too seriously and never cracks a smile. But all it took was a few moments sitting and talking with him, seeing the beginning of his mischievous grin form after making a dry joke, his wonderful sense of humor coming to light: you knew you were in the midst of someone special. His intelligence was unquestionable but never intimidating, his opinions strong and always well thought out. If you paid attention, he could be the funniest person in the room. But what I’ll miss most was François’ emanating warmth and kindness.  So many memories came flooding back last night as I ate my simple dinner (a soup and a glass of Touraine Pinot Noir, very paysan though lacking bread), both from France and his numerous visits to the USA, a tradition I know he relished. In no particular order: François walking us through his hailed vines in summer 2013. Telling us about a downed World War 2 aircraft in one of his parcels. Joe Dougherty guessing the 1953 vintage blind during a winter tasting (I’ll never forget the surprised but satisfied smile on François’ face). François picking up my girlfriend at the Tours train station because her flight had been delayed. Us “Home Alone-ing” him by leaving the hotel without him on an early train ride during one of the US March tours (Seattle?). My interview with him while drinking beer from a keg on a bus from LA to SF in 2011. The beginnings of his son Julien joining the estate, their first trip together to the US in March. The trove of old Pinon bottles we get to enjoy every summer in Saint-Gengoux… A colloquial French term I often use with my mother is vieux de la vieille. It’s essentially a way of saying “old school” and usually in reference to the vignerons we’ve been working with since the early 1990’s. Louis/Dressner Selections is almost as old as I am; in its 30+ years of existence we’ve managed to retain a sizable amount of vieux de la vieille relationships, putting me in the unique position of knowing many of these vignerons since I was a little kid (and vice versa). They’ve seen me grow up,  go from a punk kid dragged to their vineyards to a young man curious about their work and ultimately brought into the fold. In many ways, they’ve become relatives of sorts, part of an extended family.  François was one of my inspirations for joining LDM. Long before I had any interest in terroir, vintages, regions or wine for that matter, I was inspired by the peace of mind I perceived in vignerons like François, Catherine Roussel and Marc Ollivier. Here were these peasants, a term most would consider derogative, smiling, happy, laughing, satisfied despite their work in the vines, simple country homes and humble way of life. I’d also observe the relationship my parents had with them, the satisfaction and genuine joy in reuniting over bottles and a meal. I may have been a punk kid bored to tears, but I was paying attention. François was a link, an affirmation to our improbable history with France, to peasants, to the humanity we find in those places. When Julien’s friend Maxime Robin <a href="https://www.larvf.com/,vin-naturel-etas-unis-la-releve-de-l-importateur-louis-dressner-est-assuree,10337,4250301.asp">profiled me in 2013 for la Revue des Vins de France</a>, François’s kind quotes on LDM and my joining the business really meant the world; I’d just moved back to NYC, it hadn’t been that long since Joe had passed and hearing that the vieux de la vieille had my back gave me the confidence I needed back then. On the phone with Julien, he told me they spoke about us often and that François felt he’d learned a lot from us. Well, the feeling is reciprocal.  One memory that really marked me was a summer night (probably 2016) having dinner at the Lemasson with Denyse. Olivier pulled out a bottle of François’ Vouvray. For some reason I was a bit shocked; Olivier is on the more militant side with his own winemaking and I’d falsely assumed that a wine like François’ would be of no interest to him. But he told me they’d become friends over the years on the USA trips and yearly Valaire tastings and now regularly exchanged bottles. We didn’t talk much about it past that but it was clear everyone enjoyed the wine. On a deeper level it affirmed that our work, despite it crossing many boundaries and work philosophies, was always grounded in this love of people and relationships. I am so happy that François became close to many of the other vignerons we work with and introduced him to. If COVID hadn’t happened we’d be in the Loire today, fully expecting to visit or see François at one point or another, taste the new wines and catch up.  I’d originally planned to spend an extensive part of my summer touring the Loire, a daunting feat last accomplished in 2016. While we’ve all had to accept the disruptions in our lives, I was fully expecting to see everyone again. So this hurts bad.  Through the pain I am finding solace in remembering François’ warmth, something he seemed to have in never ending supply. I don’t know if this is unique to me, but most people I’ve known since early childhood have always looked exactly the same as years went by, bringing me great comfort in their familiarity. I know that’s a distortion of reality (pictures posted on social media confirm François once had brown in his beard), but this is perhaps what we (I?) do to remember and immortalize. François will always be the ascot, the hat, the white beard, that mischievous grin, the warmth, the kindness, the years of collaboration and friendship.  François, you will be greatly missed and never forgotten.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//736/33/04/3304e33d2eadf89b47ad68beb4eb839a.jpg" /> Words from Josefa Concannon: I was traveling to Europe for the first time on my own in 2007, the ink barely dry on my divorce papers; and was headed to France on what was the first of many LDM trips to The Loire Valley. I was working for Maverick Wines as the American Portfolio Manager, so this trip was on my dime. The keeper of the purse strings at the time thought that this was not an allowable expense, but I insisted on going and Joe welcomed me. Our visit to Pinon was memorable for many reasons - the visit in the cellar tasting the new wines, followed by a convivial and delicious dinner prepared by his wife, Odile, was a day and evening full of laughter and great memories. It was even more special because they graciously opened up their home to a stranger and I got to spend the night. I was given one of the girl’s old rooms with a lilliputian bed, which was perfect for a person of my short stature and for a cold January night. At that time, my French was no better than it was when I got out of college but breakfast the next morning was where my friendship with François was permanently cemented. I had a copy of The Botany of Desire, by Michael Pollan that I had just finished reading and offered to leave it with him, but he said he had already read the French translation and managed to pull a copy our from one of the many bookshelves in the house. Our conversation, strained a bit by the language barrier, evolved around the vine and how its evolution was also part of this greater conversation of man and our relationship to nature. Later that week, at the Salon in Angers, I showed up at his booth with Joe, and we tasted through the new wines again, and this time, he was showing a bottle of 1964, perhaps as an example of the age-worthiness of the wines or maybe he was offering it to clients as a cellar release, I am not sure. I mentioned that I was thrilled to be tasting a birth year wine, probably for the first time in my life. I have to think that he never forgot this because I recall tasting this wine with him on numerous occasions after this. Always when we visited him at the estate and once, back in 2008 or 2009, at the home of our late friend, Joe Dougherty. The last time we shared old wine with him was two years ago in his cellar, where he once again pulled out a bottle of 1964. Its brilliance was only eclipsed by the next bottle, a 1945, the first vintage that his father Claude had made - a storied vintage because so many vigneron in Vouvray, a region hit hard and at the front lines of many battles during WWII, managed to coax out a beautiful vintage from vines that that had not been properly tended for a few years.  From drinking old wines at the estate, to the many years of tastings and travel together, I hold my memories of François dear. As many others have said, François was more than just a vigneron. His kindness and gentle manner, his sense of humor and playfulness, and most of all his humanity make this such a painful loss for me. And to Julien, Suzanne, and Lucie – sending you much love and light. May his memory be for a blessing and may our words bring you some comfort in knowing how much the rest of our little wine world held him in such high regard. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//736/bd/fc/bdfc233b2768a7171d87cc27573d4c76.png" /> <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//736/e7/16/e716212bdc666590c531a0204975feeb.jpg" /> Words from Carl Moberg: The first time I had a bottle of wine from François Pinon was many years ago. It was the nascency of what would become my love-affair with the wines of the Loire Valley. I had tasted Vouvray before, but something about this bottling of Silex Noir made me take notice. When looking back on my tasting notes, I had avoided all the silly flowery language I was prone to at that time and just wrote “Astounding.” It would be years later when I would meet François for the first time at a Louis/Dressner event in Chicago. After tasting at a few other tables I noticed that there was no one at François’s table and I immediately made my way over. Tasting through the full range of the wines was obviously a delight. However, it was getting a chance to chat uninterrupted with François that was so enjoyable. He was patient and humorous in answering the absurd number of questions I had about the winemaking process and just exuded warmth and knowledge. Last year when we visited the Pinon estate, it was my first opportunity to tour the house and cellar. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to walk in the vines because it was a typical January afternoon in the Loire, cold and rainy. It was wonderful to see the pride François took in his son Julien, who was leading the tour, while François stood back and occasionally chimed in with support. After the tour he switched into consummate host and plied us with old vintages and put out a stunning spread of food capped off by a lovely galette des rois. Upon saying our goodbyes, I awkwardly messed up la bise and François just laughed it off. His graciousness and kindness indelibly impressed upon me. He will be greatly missed. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//736/4c/cf/4ccf5d97a495c8b7089a02d73d32bae4.jpg" /> Words from David Lillie: <a href="https://www.chambersstwines.com/Articles/12946/francois-pinon-a-dear-friend-has-passed-away">Please follow this link to read David Lillie's tribute to François</a>. It was David who discovered the wines in the late 1980's and introduced us to the estate.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//736/cd/b5/cdb58ab20e0bb384321c543e32d04643.jpg" />Photo courtesy of Isaac Rosenthal.  Words from Kevin McKenna: We almost lost François Pinon once. It was on my very first trip with Joe and Denyse to France in the summer and the Loire Valley. Joe had  made up his mind to stop working with François with whom he and Denyse had been importing for just a few years. The reasoning was if we couldn’t work with  Huet or Foreau why struggle with a Vouvray?  I was a bit disappointed because I liked the wines and saw potential for them. And I was already Chenin lover. But I was new and a bit green and didn’t express my hesitation. We didn’t have time on this trip to go over to Vouvray, so Joe set up a meeting in Azay-Le-Rideau after our visit to a producer with whom we were working at the time.  We sat at an outdoor cafe at the marked hour, and arrived a very unassuming man with a gentle manner, an ascot and a tweed flat cap - l’air Anglais. The conversation started, continued for an hour and by the end we were happily continuing representing François’s wines. François had in a very well-reasoned way convinced Joe that he was worth sticking with even though he had no expectations to become the next Pinguet or a Foreau. He was on the backside of Vouvray - in the Vallée de Cousse in Vernou - the top vineyard sites were in the front line côte in Vouvray. But his intention was to make the absolute best wines he could with the material he had, which was certainly not sub-par. His professed intention to take the harder route to making a true expression of his terroir and, in fact, his charm won the day. The following years solidified our relationship and François’s abilities as a first-rate winemaker with the skill, intelligence and curiosity to make very enjoyable, classic Chenins from clay and silex based limestones of Vouvray. As François came to identify and differentiate his terroirs by bottling, he taught me much about soil and its effect on Chenin Blanc. His learning curve was always a shared experience. In the meantime, François had converted to organic, changed the pruning, and was presented with some very good vintages in the mid-nineties. A perfect storm for enhancing his reputation first in the US and then also in France and Europe.  On his many trips to the US on our tour and beyond, François was always in demand and received with great warmth and encouragement. On our many visits to his vineyards and cellar, François was a great source of knowledge and an unrelenting searcher in evaluating the work in the vines and in the cellar. In adverse circumstances like the spring flooding of 2008 or the hailstorms of 2013, not to mention the constant threats of late spring frosts, François stoically and pragmatically faced the consequences and still always managed to keep any trace of the adversity out of his wines. Furthermore, he was always a willing and generous host for hosting our group (which could hover or exceed 20 persons) in his home, at his table. His late wife, Odile, was a deft hand at curative soups for a tasting-weary crowd. Old vintages were always uncorked (a rare place where I was able to taste wine from my birth year - and not just once!) And the apple tart that Claude, his retired father, always gifted us became legendary and of blue-ribbon regard among those lucky enough to experience it.  Now, personally, I am greatly saddened at the loss of one of the most even, modest and easiest of winemakers of unmistakeable talent. It was always a great pleasure to be in the company of him and his family - Suzanne when she would come to the US with him, and then Julien who has been working with his dad for about 5 years now. François is on of the orginals of our portfolio and gave so much knowledge to our company about soil, Chenin blanc, vine husbandry and acidity - the only of our Chenin producers to meticulously each year share the analysis of each wines - most importantly residual sugar, total acidity and ph. He was also always forthcoming about his use of sulfur and has since early days strove to keep the content at minimal levels. His trademark graphic incorporates the idea of a bud or seedling just as it is bursting forth; to me that symbol also represents the man, M. Pinon, who found that the earth and closeness to its force was the path to remarkable wine. Goodbye, dear friend, teacher, most noble man. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//736/93/07/9307bed9e7c4026c97c3673f649a13cd.jpg" /> Words from Denyse Louis: François dressed like a gentleman farmer. And he was a real gentleman, but above all a farmer. He was elegant, distinguished, erudite, never pedantic or judgmental, passionate about his land and his work and he spoke impeccable French (something important to me; I believe people from Touraine and Anjou speak the best French in the country). He was a calm presence, serious and meticulous in his work and his words. But all one had to do was to look at his very blue eyes to discover a mischievous sparkle, true to his great sense of humor and gentleness. Every visit in Vallée de Cousse was a pleasure. There was always something new to learn from him, but mainly we  enjoyed the warmth of his and Odile's welcome, the meals shared, the tastings in the small cellar dug into the hill, the beautiful garden with its fig and lemon trees, the flowers Odile so lovingly tended. François loved to come to the US: he felt invigorated and refreshed by the welcome he would get from "his Americans", the youth and enthusiasm of the tasters, how lively and fun the tastings and everything around them were. It was such a contrast to the rather staid, and much older customers he would meet in Europe that he went home with more optimism and determination to make his best wines possible. During these numerous trips, he quickly became a regular member of our gang of winemakers and started long lasting friendships with most. When we left him behind at our hotel in Seattle, en route to Portland, he made it to the station at the last minute and had to endure endless teasing from his colleagues. He took with his usual humor: after all, he had enjoyed a solid breakfast and wasn't sorry for it. It was impossible not to love him, we hear from his fellow winemakers. Our thoughts go to Suzanne and Lucie, his daughters, his father Claude and his companion Isabelle, with sorrow and affection. We know Julien will carry on the work with the same dedication, which he has already demonstrated. We look forward to many vintages of his in the future. Thank you, François, for your wines and your friendship over so many years. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//736/bd/c9/bdc9a9604b6d43ad8a95e08c79e6778c.jpg" /> <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//736/0b/ee/0bee9122a38a4b3ae14ec32e2af1f13b.jpg" />Photo courtesy of Isaac Rosenthal.

Bellivière's "Vignes en Foule" Experiment

Bellivière's "Vignes en Foule" Experiment

The vignes en foule (“crowded vines”) were planted in 2001 at a density of 40,000 vines of <glossary term="Chenin Blanc" title="281">Chenin</glossary> per <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectare</glossary>. It was an experiment on a small area. At this density, with 50 cm x 50 cm between each plant, everything is done by hand and we cannot <glossary term="Mechanization" title="645">mechanize</glossary>. The term “en foule” means without <glossary term="Training System" title="1039">vine training</glossary>. <a href="https://louisdressner.com/producers/ferme%20de%20la%20sansonni%C3%A8re">Mark Angeli</a> had had an experiment like this and he ended up tearing the plants out to be able to <glossary term="Mechanization" title="645">mechanize</glossary>. Since planting, we have never really been able to <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> because we couldn't manage it properly. Since Clément joined us, we have undertaken a lot of work on it, in particular the <glossary term="Training System" title="1039">training</glossary> of the <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> into a <glossary term="Pergola" title="774">pergola</glossary>. We have also  covered the ground with mulch to minimize grass regrowth. So this year (2020), for the first time, we were able to <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> it properly. The pickers were delighted because they had the impression of entering a "forest" of vines and the picking was within reach without having to bend down. The aim of this experiment is to see the impact of competition from the vines on the rooting and therefore the result on the wine. The <glossary term="Barrel" title="142">barrel</glossary> is in <glossary term="Elevage" title="418">élevage</glossary>, to be continued... <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//879/e9/6a/e96a8bbddef6fb5171f5155a3ef440df.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//879/d3/de/d3de250105610e252e0c8b6d8a2c5097.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//879/a4/5e/a45e1e7a0ca4f5a8a359927e7c978533.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//879/ea/5e/ea5e394ee7553f4441ab4eac94c15008.jpg" />

A 2019 Visit to Matassa's New House and Vines

This visit with Tom Lubbe took place in June, 2019

Towards the end of our summer 2018 lunch with Tom Lubbe, he mentioned going to the bank later that afternoon to "see if I'll be going through with a life changing decision." He was vague at the time, but hinted it meant purchasing a soon to be defunct <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary>'s property and vines.  Fast forward a year later, with Tom texting me to "put Jolly-Ferriol in the GPS. You'll find it."  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/59/63/59635174ecddb03ab750117327f3e998.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/22/e6/22e647ad91345f9fc6363d46a2bf8af5.jpg" /> If you're unfamiliar with Jolly-Ferriol, it was founded in 2006 by Isabelle Jolly and Jean-Luc Chossart, two Parisians who quit successful careers in dance and video games to pursue their dreams of <glossary term="Vigneron/Vignaiolo" title="1089">vigneron</glossary> life. The property is very isolated: off a roundabout meant to slow you down on a freeway, a lone dirt trail brings you to the Mas Ferriol, a sprawling <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary> with no neighbors in site. When Jolly and Chossart took it over, it hadn't been inhabited in over 50 years. They were instantly enamored by a place that seemed frozen in time: untouched furniture and made beds, trees growing through some of the structures and forgotten bottles of old <glossary term="Rancio" title="1440">Rancio</glossary> strewn about a rudimentary <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary>.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/0f/31/0f31e9cdd41d2b93dd352ce0f2168020.jpg" /> Though they'd found their diamond in the rough, Jolly and Chossart never polished it. Tom and his family had moved in a few months prior and were in the midst of a massive renovation/restoration of the various building structures. When we arrived, a construction team was in full work mode. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/36/e9/36e9576886ec1812c7b039cb1f8df600.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/cd/6a/cd6a4dec6b5a50452687608906cfde65.jpg" /> Progress was VERY behind schedule, a fact Tom lamented throughout our visit. Still, there were signs that new owners were slowly settling in. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/7f/ef/7fefb09d41198344288c110428910869.jpg" /> After a few minutes of Tom dealing with a construction worker, we agreed to set out to the new vines. Much to my surprise, he explained that he'd ripped out all but one of the eight <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> surrounding the Mas Ferriol property. While he has plantation rights for the next few years, Tom does not plan to dedicate it fully to <glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticulture</glossary>. "We might replant a <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectare</glossary> or two. But this land is destined for something else."  The plan is to run a <glossary term="Polyculture" title="815">polycultural</glossary> farm: animals, fruit trees and crops.  Unbeknownst to Tom, on his first visit scoping out Mas Ferriol as a potential place to live and build his dream <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> (this will be the third since Matassa' inception in 2003),  he noticed the eight <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> planted directly above the property. They were being worked <glossary term="Conventional Farming" title="331">conventionally</glossary> but had a lot going for them. The vines were between 25 and 70 years old and planted on on a  nice slope. The grapes were an interesting mix of <glossary term="Mourvèdre" title="692">Mourvèdre</glossary>, <glossary term="Carignan" title="237">Carignan</glossary>, <glossary term="Muscat d'Alexandrie" title="687">Muscat d'Alexandrie</glossary>, <glossary term="Muscat Petits Grains" title="699">Muscat à Petit Grain</glossary>, <glossary term="Grenache" title="508">Grenache</glossary> and <glossary term="Grenache Gris" title="1158">Grenache Gris</glossary>. Even more fascinating, everything was planted on a very rare geological formation of black <glossary term="Schist" title="933">schist</glossary> Tom says he's rarely if ever encountered anywhere else. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/00/44/0044325d0086b996c491dc8219015b0c.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/b2/27/b2272acb0b6a178c3b6431492367a574.jpg" /> Already plenty busy with his 12 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary>, adding another eight to the mix had not been in the books. But this unique <glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroir</glossary> and extreme proximity to the house was too good to pass up.  In the end, that "life changing decision" of 2018 was not only to buy the Mas Ferriol but also its neighboring vines.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/0e/9f/0e9f72822d1799fa8ea05b7651b95140.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/61/7d/617df39be9419a1f1dbf0153087c05b9.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/29/1a/291a8700c75613f809c706f3bd2dbfbe.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/e3/a2/e3a27b873ea54fccd53a34c4ca369b4b.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/3c/4c/3c4cad553f810d3c8a11f1b5f9f6b59b.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/a9/11/a911b7ad02d3d356491ec3f2faa2631c.jpg" /> I must say, I've never quite seen soils like this. Though the <glossary term="Volcanic" title="1117">volcanic</glossary> influence was obvious and reminiscent of <glossary term="Etna" title="429">Etna</glossary>, the <glossary term="Canary Islands" title="231">Canary Islands</glossary> or <glossary term="Auvergne" title="128">Auvergne</glossary>, it was clear we were standing in a geological anomaly, especially for the <glossary term="Roussillon" title="880">Roussillon</glossary>.  The breakdowns of grapes is roughly 20% <glossary term="Carignan" title="237">Carignan</glossary>, 20% <glossary term="Mourvèdre" title="692">Mourvèdre</glossary>, 20% <glossary term="Muscat d'Alexandrie" title="687">Muscat d'Alexandrie</glossary>, 15% <glossary term="Muscat Petits Grains" title="699">Muscat à Petit Grains</glossary> and 10% <glossary term="Grenache" title="508">Grenache</glossary> and <glossary term="Grenache Gris" title="1158">Grenache Gris</glossary> (yes that's not 100% and Tom admitted free-styling those numbers).  At the time of the visit, Tom was already planning to release one or two wines specifically from this <glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroir</glossary>. These ended up being "Ace of Spades Les Myrs" and "Mambo Sun". From the vines, we walked back down to the Mas Ferriol to scope the construction of the new <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> and storage facilities. It was still in an early phase and has since been completed just in time for the 2020 <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary>.  Before tasting, I got a quick fluff in with Palkia (RIP).  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/56/b1/56b182828ccef429294a62b63a8e0030.jpg" /> We then set to the dining room to taste most of the 2018's, which by then had already been released for many months. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/b5/3f/b53f8afab580f9b6a7fe5d3f770944b7.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/52/07/52070ad483a6bb3a93bd4cf0c2064ad2.jpg" /> It's at this point that I deeply regret having lost my notebook, as we dove into a multitude of subjects including Tom's work with <glossary term="Cover Crop" title="1255">cover crops</glossary>, his dedication to harvesting early since the beginning of Matassa, the shift to <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottling</glossary> much earlier and a particularly entertaining conversation about the commodification of the "Brutal" designation.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/d5/74/d574406c92d0582be46e761c2015b60e.jpg" /> "I really don't think Laureano (Serres) and Joan-Ramon (Escoda) ever thought it would become "a thing". There is a lot of speculation of what a Brutal wine is or means, but really it was just a way to connect to those guys and the bar in <glossary term="Barcelona" title="140">Barcelona</glossary>. In the early days, you'd ask them if you could do it. And they'd always say yes because why not?  Now it's obviously become a marketing gimmick for people who have zero connection to them."  After tasting, the late afternoon became <glossary term="Aperitif" title="112">apéro</glossary>, <glossary term="Aperitif" title="112">apéro</glossary> became dinner and a good night was had by all.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/0e/12/0e124f4e9fcaacd0f9451203ad67794d.jpg" />

Video: A Day in the Life of Nadia Verrua

Video: A Day in the Life of Nadia Verrua

A Video Tour of L'Acino

A Video Tour of L'Acino's Vineyards