producers visit

<p><strong><em>This visit to Ch&acirc;teau Combel-la-Serre took place in August, 2015</em>.</strong></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//60/88/6088d2f8c5320f6ca3aff49ce65c2d5f.jpg" /></p> <p><strong>Words and photos by Jules Dressner.</strong></p> <p><span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="219">Cahors</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We&#39;ll be the first to admit the region doesn&#39;t exactly scream &quot;exciting <glossary title="708">natural wine</glossary>&quot;. For most of us, <glossary title="219">Cahors</glossary> equals rustic, <glossary title="1010">tannic</glossary> and <glossary title="990">structured</glossary> offerings meant to <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> and <glossary title="74">age</glossary> for decades. So when we got an email from a friend of&nbsp;<a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/Baudry/">Matthieu Baudry</a>&nbsp;asking us if we&#39;d be interested in his wines, we were expecting either hipster <glossary title="236">carbonic</glossary> <glossary title="495">glou-glou</glossary> or super&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="990">structured</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> dark as night teeth-stainers.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> What we got instead was something delightfully in between. Lo and behold, something&#39;s been bubbling in the village of St-Vincent-Rive-d`Olt, more specifically in the <glossary term="Hamlet" title="519">hamlet</glossary> of Cornou!&nbsp;<br /> <br /> This is Julien Ilbert, the proprietor of Combel-la-Serre:</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//91/e0/91e0003502ef68403d8b444eb86770b0.jpg" /><br /> <br /> We&#39;d never met Julien, and other than immediately co-signing his excellent taste in T-shirts, didn&#39;t really know what to expect when showing up at his doorstep. That&#39;s because the Combel la Serre story has been steadily evolving over the last 17 years.<br /> <br /> Vines have been in the Ilbert family for a very long time, but always as part of a larger <glossary title="815">poly-cultural</glossary> whole. Before Julien took over in 1998, his father Jean-Pierre owned 40 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> of cereals, 25 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines and 22 cows for meat and dairy. The grapes all went to the local&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="252">cave coop&eacute;rative</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Right up to his retirement, Jean-Pierre worked the entirety of his land by himself, never hiring an employee. Think about that the next time you&#39;re complaining about your shitty day at work...&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Before I give you any more Combel-la-Serre history, here&#39;s a picture of their dog UV to break up all this text:<br /> <br /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//0d/24/0d249d59d5d34474c76fa16007166acb.jpg" /></p> <p>Awwwwwwwwww.<br /> <br /> In 1998, Julien split from the <glossary title="252">cave coop&eacute;rative</glossary> in hopes of starting his own&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> But a chance meeting with&nbsp;<a href="http://chateau-la-coste.com/en/slide/matthieu-cosse-2/">Matthieu Cosse</a>&nbsp;at a rugby match (check Julien&#39;s shirt, he&#39;s an avid fan and player) quickly led to a commercial partnership. For seven years, Julien sold the majority of his grapes to Matthieu, making a small amount of uncommercialized wine on the side.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> In 2005, the two split amicably and Julien reset his sights on independent production. A decade later, he finally feels that all the hard work in the vines and <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> has really begun to pay off and is ready to share the (literal) fruits of his labor outside of France!<br /> <br /> We began our vineyard tour with the parcel that produces:</p> <p><br /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//c7/82/c7825a9a173e00382309f182a0527bc3.jpg" /></p> <p>Such a good label. For those who are French readers/and or hip to <glossary title="708">natural wine</glossary> slang, you will have seen both the word <glossary title="236">CARBO</glossary> and the term &quot;<glossary title="1094">vin de soif</glossary>&quot; on this label and will therefore say:&nbsp;<em>&quot;Hey, I thought you said these wines weren&#39;t </em><glossary title="236"><em>carbonic</em></glossary><em>!&quot;</em>&nbsp;Well, I LIED. But not really, because this is the only <glossary title="236">carbonic</glossary> wine Julien makes, and its represents a tiny part of his production.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//f9/a0/f9a08b01fe8ef6d321fd0c5347063fc3.jpg" /></p> <p><br /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//ab/6a/ab6a18632a1910b257d8def14a6924e8.jpg" /></p> <p>The wine is called &quot;La Vigne Deri&egrave;re chez Carbo<font color="#7b143e"><strong>&quot;</strong></font>, and besides the obvious reference to&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1104">vinification</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> is actually right behind the house of a certain Monsieur&nbsp;<strong>Carbo</strong>nier! Well played, Julien. Well played.<br /> <br /> The 1.3<glossary title="523">h</glossary> of vines are planted in <glossary title="301">red clay</glossary> and are 25 to 30 years old. The northern <glossary title="430">exposition</glossary> makes this <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> the coolest Julien works. It&#39;s also the only Combel <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> where you can find a ton of <glossary title="477">galets roul&eacute;es</glossary> all over the vineyard:</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//98/8e/988ef9f9ab88b2a2457e7c7fc540303e.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//1a/6a/1a6ae6b38cba9251e71c918ee2b93c4d.jpg" /></p> <p><em>&quot;These characteristics give the wine an unprecedented freshness and playful fruit, which is why I&#39;ve chosen to make a </em><glossary title="236"><em>carbonic</em></glossary><em> wine here.&quot;</em><br /> <br /> Next, we visited young vines planted in&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1081">Vermentino</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//be/17/be1765d9bcf3d8dc560973b32c63560a.jpg" /></p> <p><glossary title="1081">Vermentino</glossary> is not typical for the region, but Julien planted one&nbsp;<glossary title="523">hectare</glossary> because he loves the grape and wanted to break out from the <glossary term="Sauvignon Blanc" title="927">Sauvignon</glossary> and <glossary title="1111">Viognier</glossary> mold typically produced in this part of the Southwest. He also thinks the vines will react well to the soils, as they are heavy in&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="596">limestone</glossary><span>:</span></span></span></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//e9/aa/e9aaf79d5acd87184ed4fc5a7905767d.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//e5/2f/e52f079160c58bc1737d6bcbdf7ee2f9.jpg" /><br /> <br /> Next, we visited a <glossary title="594">lieu-dit</glossary> called&nbsp;<em>Peyre Levade</em>, which means &quot;standing stone&quot; in Occitan.&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//be/38/be38988271f4b3533fdb2ec88b123172.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//8e/2b/8e2b45dae0e7ef812e8c4531b96fe1c8.jpg" /></p> <p>These are the most <glossary title="596">limestone</glossary> heavy soils Julien works.<br /> <br /> We ended our vineyard run the the&nbsp;<em>Lac-aux-Cochons</em>, aka &quot;Pig Lake&quot;.</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//05/d2/05d28aa16aa3a6f10aaf9f81a1afb612.jpg" /><br /> <br /> Not much of a curveball, but this parcel produces:</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//42/0d/420d238ee5138ea54f5c2d8ffbd4de70.jpg" /><br /> <br /> Another great&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="573">label</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Here is the famous Pig Lake!<br /> <br /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//ca/ad/caad563efd786cb8e713eac94d231c66.jpg" /></p> <p>Ok, I know it&#39;s not that exciting. At least I tried!<br /> <br /> Pig Lake is two&nbsp;<glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> of Julien&#39;s oldest vines, most of them clocking in around 90. The <glossary title="596">limestone</glossary> <glossary title="991">subsoils</glossary> here really fuel the grapes with&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="662">minerality</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> and he considers it to be his best&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="760">parcel</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;<br /> <br /> After all that vineyard hopping, it was time to check out the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="254">cellar</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> And who else was there to greet us but <glossary title="142">barrel</glossary> man!<br /> <br /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//2b/19/2b19937c828dc7d55515a307be2e66a2.jpg" /></p> <p><glossary title="142">Barrel</glossary> man was built in 1948 by the village <glossary title="142">barrel</glossary> maker.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> The <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> is mostly large <glossary title="325">concrete</glossary> tanks and <glossary title="731">oak</glossary>&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="142">barrels</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> though Julien occasionally uses <glossary title="986">stainless steel</glossary> and <glossary title="445">fiberglass</glossary> for certain&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1104">vinifications</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//b2/b0/b2b09b4b76eb695424f82c289c09c9d0.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//72/f9/72f90eecf3383304f1f9fb1896368627.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Nov_15//76/a4/76a4665843d4d9e8a62d0a74b86042ff.jpg" /></p> <p>It was lunch time, and Julien and his lovely wife Sophie cooked us an incredible meal of local delicacies, which of course involved foie gras and a ton of black truffles. At the table, Julien started opening a lot of great bottles, confirming that he&#39;s just as passionate about drinking wine as making it. At first, he even refused to have his wines at the table!<br /> <br /> <em>&quot;At my house, we drink the wines of others at the table. I&#39;m around my wines everyday, and there is so much amazing stuff out there. It would be a shame drinking the same thing every day!&quot;</em><br /> <br /> Still, he realized we were familiarizing ourselves with his <glossary title="363">cuv&eacute;es</glossary> and made an exception by letting us re-taste them alongside the food.<br /> <br /> But next time, we&#39;re cracking open some Ganevat! And Baudry! And Egly-Ouriet!</p>

harvest report

<p>2018 can be recapped as such: a very, very rainy Spring that provoked <glossary title="1252">coulure</glossary>&nbsp;on our <glossary title="366">Malbec</glossary> grapes that, as we like to say here, is already quite &quot;coulard&quot; by nature.<br /> <br /> Fortunately, we weren&#39;t submitted to the violent rain storms that can occur in summer; it was a warm one and permitted the grapes to ripen. Around mid-August we had a mild storm which really helped the vines, most of which would have suffered greatly from <glossary title="1167">drought</glossary> (something that&#39;s becoming increasingly common here) had this rain not fallen.<br /> <br /> The final days leading to <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> were perfect. Il was nice out but not too hot, with cool nights that were not humid. We began harvesting on September 17th with the <glossary title="1081">Vermentino</glossary> (very nice) and started with the <glossary title="366">Malbecs</glossary> the following week with a great team of about 20 seasonal workers on September 24th. Every day, the same ritual: my father in law Jean-Pierre and our longest standing employee Alain in the vines with the <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> team, Julien, our new employee Alain and I (I&#39;ve been 100% part of the <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> since July) in the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> to haul in the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="521">harvest</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Every day, our team of 25 people ate a home-made lunch made by my mother in law Martine and her mother Roberte! Julien and I helped with the salads.<br /> <br /> <glossary title="521">Harvest</glossary> lasted two&nbsp;full weeks and ended on October 5th. Overall we are satisfied, averaging about 4&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span>0<glossary title="528">hl/h</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We still noticed that the vines planted on sectors of heavy <glossary title="596">limestone</glossary> really did suffer from the heat wave.</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//0c/85/0c854fd7eee4d91c8b52606dd90e581c.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//84/e0/84e0a39149be519076d38ca29980389b.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//0c/f8/0cf802ca05dd332f574f6755614f45a5.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//cb/fd/cbfdec1b2d78963cb829e5ec8c234199.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//41/06/4106724d69a3a7eb15ee59f2d7e09cf1.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//6a/f3/6af33ff03fcbd22e90236225672fbff7.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//b1/59/b159503f75b2c93f2cfb2f0a4a72323a.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//af/94/af94e39ebc05dc7488fe62d1b5c4eee8.jpg" /></p>

harvest report

<p>What can we tell you about 2016? Quite frankly, it was a difficult&nbsp;pain in the ass. To start, we had <glossary title="1136">hail</glossary> in early April during&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1166">budding</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> something that has never happened here according to Julien&#39;s father Jean-Pierre! We were definitely affected but at that point it was impossible to quantify the damages.<br /> <br /> From there, mother nature decided that to give us a rainy spring, to the point where we thought the May and June downpours would never end. This led to a lot of <glossary title="1252">coulure</glossary> and many of the <glossary title="206">buds</glossary> not&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1179">flowering</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> This was followed by a hot summer, too hot even. It culminated with a 10 day heat wave in August.<br /> <br /> By September, the vines were completely stressed and were like a deer in headlights: they were not maturing at all, with no evolution in the sugars or&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="783">PH</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The only thing that saved us was a nice after-season that let the plants get the their final cycle before&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="521">harvest</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> In 2016, we averaged 22<strong>&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="528">hl/ha</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </strong>In&nbsp;a good year in <glossary title="219">Cahors</glossary> lets you get around 50...</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//a6/7e/a67e72803aba543a8460144484cdff61.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//8e/bf/8ebff500fe8c3db86762310efd9b1b76.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//e5/a3/e5a35a4348fb526bab8d2b4d65ae2c9c.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//60/79/6079cc1d55a1195b4c1c1f8d4924a081.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//41/b5/41b58d6dfa7f1d9fccb0da2f31f87e7e.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_18//ba/2a/ba2ad8048a82446ddb0a4e1d87274328.jpg" /></p>