If you put Puech Reudon in a GPS, it will bring you directly into an empty field in the middle of nowhere. Perhaps a clever tactic to avoid unwanted visitors?
If you put Puech Reudon in a GPS, it will bring you directly into an empty field in the middle of nowhere. Perhaps a clever tactic to avoid unwanted visitors?
If you put Puech Reudon in a GPS, it will bring you directly into an empty field in the middle of nowhere. Perhaps a clever tactic to avoid unwanted visitors?
<p>We were introduced to <glossary title="400">Domaine</glossary> Puech Redon by <a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/Texier/">Eric Texier</a>, who as of 2017 is helping proprietor Cyril Cuche make unpretentious, <glossary term="Sulfites" title="993">unsulfured</glossary><span class="zalup"><span> </span></span>wines wines from his meticulously farmed land.</p>
<p>Puech Redon is a large property: in total 380 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> are split between 200h of cereals, 52h of vines and over 100 of woods and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="483">garrigues</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Cyril's grandfather acquired this land in the aftermath of World War 2. Under his father, the property was <glossary title="331">farmed conventionally</glossary> for 30 years. Cyril, seeing the potential of such a large, contained area, decided from the get-go that it had great potential for <glossary title="746">organic </glossary><glossary title="78">agriculture</glossary> and prioritizing <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1162">biodiversity</glossary><span>:</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<em>"It was a choice I imposed on myself. Besides the incredible bore of working </em><glossary title="331"><em>conventionally</em></glossary><em>, with it's by the book itineraries traced step by step by lobbyists for large </em><glossary title="789"><em>phytosanitary</em></glossary><em> corporations, I wanted to prove that within </em><glossary title="746"><em>organics</em></glossary><em>, you could work in </em><glossary title="815"><em>poly-culture</em></glossary><em> on a large surface and still be profitable. I learned to feed the soil and not the plant, I reclaimed the link that unifies the farmer to his land. The vines have been worked </em><glossary title="746"><em>organically</em></glossary><em> since 2008, and the cereals since 2010. Over the last decade I've been able to observe the immense consequences of such work. The effect of a culture without </em><glossary title="279"><em>chemicals</em></glossary><em> on such a large surface is truly impressive: for the soil, the plant but even more so the animals that had deserted us slowly coming back to our lands." </em><br />
<br />
For winemaking, <glossary title="664">minimal-intervention</glossary> was evident in Cyril's philosophy but not obviously attainable. After a chance meeting with Eric Texier, the two instantly hit it off. Through a bond of shared experience, they agreed to collaborate on the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1104">vinifications</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> In 2017, a limited amount of <glossary title="778">pet-nat</glossary> from <glossary title="1188">Cinsault</glossary> was produced under the name "Pour de Vrai", a 100% <glossary title="1188">Cinsault</glossary> called "L'Apparente" and a minuscule amount of white wine from <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Viognier" title="1111">Viognier</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary term="Grenache Blanc" title="509">Grenache Blanc</glossary> and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Roussanne" title="878">Roussanne</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> While distinctly southern, the <glossary term="Microclimate" title="656">micro-climate</glossary> of the area is actually quite cool and the wines are rarely above 12.5% when <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvested</glossary> at optimal <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Maturation" title="639">maturity</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p>
<p>From 2017 to 2021, Cyril had been selling the majority of his grapes to a <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="729">négociant</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> slowly ramping up <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> production every year. But in 2022 he decided to start renting his cereal fields and over 30 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines, solely focusing on roughly 16 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of his best <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroirs</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Without the pressure to work the rest of his sprawling property, we only expect the wines to become more focused and precise. </p>
producer visit16.03.2020
Domaine Puech Redon Visit
This visit to Domaine Puech Redon took place in June, 2019
<p><strong><em>This visit to Domaine Puech Redon took place in June, 2019. </em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em>Words and photos by Jules Dressner. </em></strong></p>
<p>Things seemed straightforward when we set out to visit Puech Redon for the first time</p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//39/dc/39dc6c23452de138d669fe40def7070d.png" /></p>
<p>After a lovely drive from <glossary title="880">Roussillon</glossary> to the outskirts of <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary title="730">Nîmes</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> we knew we were in trouble when the GPS took us onto a backroad straight into an empty field. We called proprietor Cyril Cuche (who it bears to mention I'd hadn't met yet) and he told us we were indeed in the wrong place and to go to the following address:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//8c/a9/8ca9a3ae98de18f18507ae0b2e5a97d3.png" /></p>
<p>After driving through what felt like an abandoned village (it is in fact part of the Puech Redon property) and getting a little more lost, Cyril came to meet us. So much for first impressions...</p>
<p><strong>NON SEQUITUR ANECDOTE:</strong></p>
<p>GPS technology has existed the entirety of my decade working with the company. It's funny how most of us are now completely dependent on it to get from any point A to B. The most frequent cause of arguments between my mother and I are about my following "GPS roads" that she instinctively knows are stupid to take. She's old-school and knows they make no sense. However, not having any alternative solutions, I always end up on them. They've led me to many a field, vineyard, scary forest road, people's courtyards and impossibly steep and narrow village paths not meant for cars. In a particularly memorable moment, we drove down a winding, one-way street that abruptly turned into a long staircase! Glad I wasn't behind the wheel for that one. </p>
<p><strong>(If you’re wondering how that last story ended up, NO WE DID NOT drive down the staircase. We thought about it before incredibly getting ourselves back out in reverse.) </strong></p>
<p>Ok, back to the visit. Once we got to the house, we were greeted by special guests Eric and Laurence Texier!</p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//38/5b/385b643d26ee0fded587e48daf43ddba.jpg" /></p>
<p>This was completely unexpected and a great surprise. For those unfamiliar with their relationship, Eric has been consulting with Cyril on the <glossary title="1104">vinifications</glossary> and is the one who introduced us to the project. </p>
<p>Before heading to the vines, we got a tour of the beautiful <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="292">château</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//89/39/8939dd5877a41c9345590d4e32f493fb.jpg" /></p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//6b/e3/6be33bee38910dc38b62f5ce86a8a929.jpg" /></p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//d6/a1/d6a1a90e51b49815384c2c2c069bd1f5.jpg" /></p>
<p>Cyril then took us up a winding staircase to give us the lay of the land on the roof.</p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//9a/ac/9aac9ee6dd3c67ead673b6b0330aa6ea.jpg" /></p>
<p>The whole property is 350 <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="523">hectares</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> 100 of which are <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="483">garrigues</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p>Cyril’s main focus for years was providing cereal for an <glossary title="746">organic</glossary> bread company (a supposedly famous brand). He’s now renting the cereal fields and has no intention to continue with them. There were no vines here when his grandfather purchased the property. Cyril has planted 45 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> over the last 20 years. The oldest vines are 25 to 30 while others are five to 10. </p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//a2/e5/a2e5f88fa50d3368db759dff72a7671e.jpg" /></p>
<p>From the roof of the castle, we set off to see some vines. </p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//97/9c/979c6efc2f4f63d5e067673edd23003c.jpg" /></p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//c3/93/c393e55a085e86d004c069a65a304072.jpg" /></p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//26/e2/26e2ded6677a34a238cf18b7f8c62599.jpg" /></p>
<p>This was our first time visiting and is was evident that Cyril has done an incredible job with the farming. He has no neighbors and lots of woods, permitting for an impressive amount of <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1162">biodiversity</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> You could feel the dynamism of life and energy during our walk. I still vividly remember the bugs jumping around and living on the soil. </p>
<p>The soils throughout the estate are <glossary title="301">clay</glossary> and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="596">limestone</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//aa/6c/aa6c1635fdf7081db34dbb06b97a8908.jpg" /></p>
<p>We visited the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1188">Cinsault</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary title="692">Mourvèdre</glossary> and <glossary title="509">Grenache Blanc</glossary> that go into the "Apparente" wines. Prior to 2017, Cyril was selling the entirety of the grapes to a single <glossary title="729">négociant</glossary> (he won’t be named but he’s one of the biggest in the South). He’d attempted to produce <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> wine before but, despite his convictions of working <glossary title="746">organically</glossary> in the vineyards, had produced <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="321">yeasted</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary title="447">filtered</glossary> and heavily <glossary title="993">sulfured</glossary> wine. He liked the philosophy of <glossary title="708">natural wine</glossary> but was not sure how to proceed. Fortunetly, a chance encounter with Eric Texier led to a consulting partnership. In 2017 they <glossary title="1104">vinified</glossary> about two <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary>’ worth of wine: a tiny bit of white and <glossary title="778">pet nat </glossary>along with a red. They <glossary title="1104">vinified</glossary> five <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> worth in 2018. </p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//07/5e/075ef06e5d8b3d9e4769305228fe822c.jpg" /></p>
<p>From the vines we did a quick tour of the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="254">cellar</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//c1/b3/c1b3fe28f968ec80cf1fc2c17d70b6f0.jpg" /></p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//1b/5a/1b5a564355d8e74fc13051ff6822b27e.jpg" /></p>
<p>The <glossary title="">cellar</glossary> consists of many 300<glossary title="524">hl </glossary><glossary title="325">concrete</glossary> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1140">vats</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> There are also lots of large <glossary title="445">fiberglass</glossary> <glossary title="1140">tanks</glossary> for <glossary title="1146">blending</glossary> and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="185">bottling</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> It is underground so it stays cool year round. </p>
<p>While looking around I noticed a bottled of <glossary term="Rosé/Rosato" title="871">rosé</glossary> from back when Cyril was producing <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="331">conventionally</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//21/f3/21f307d117b12114a72adbbebd81bc62.jpg" /></p>
<p>It's quite rare to get to taste a past versus present approach so I asked if we could grab it for later.</p>
<p><em>"Don't expect much."</em></p>
<p>We then settled into <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="112">apéro</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> tasting the 2018 wines and talking about the future trajectory of the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="427">estate</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Cyril certainly plans to scale up each year (2018 and 2019 were both considerable jumps up in production) but is very happy doing this at reasonable pace.</p>
<p><em>"I already farm the 45 </em><glossary title="523"><em>hectares</em></glossary><em> and have the capabilities to </em><glossary title="1104"><em>vinify</em></glossary><em> everything. We did it before. I just want to do it right."</em></p>
<p><glossary title="112">Apéro</glossary> was also a chance to get intimately acquainted with Octo (short for October).</p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//5a/13/5a1365b52e71ebaf8f938d50dc426d17.jpg" /></p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//47/c3/47c367299ca14ed995d130400f32bf1c.jpg" /></p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//55/33/5533979a722072d120ee3c9dceeed005.jpg" /></p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//ae/2f/ae2f790784da7189eccbdb12907b9037.jpg" /></p>
<p>Oh, and we tasted the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Rosé/Rosato" title="871">rosé</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> It tasted <glossary title="321">yeasted</glossary> with a lot <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="993">sulfur</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p><glossary title="112">Apéro</glossary> casually moved into dinner. While re-tasting the Puech Redon wines with food, Cyril un-earthed this ancient relic from his <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="254">cellar</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//d4/9b/d49b68f64b559ddcc87d363cda1e98aa.jpg" /></p>
<p>Despite the color, it actually had a lot of life and went great with cheese.</p>
<p>Everyone was tired so decided to call it an early night. As I lay in my fancy castle room, I fell asleep thinking about what a great visit we just had.</p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//7f/8a/7f8acc3de3c355080ced2252acb275a9.jpg" /></p>
harvest report23.12.2022
2022: August Rains That Changed Everything at Puech Redon
<p><strong>Cyril Cuche, November 17th, 2022.</strong></p>
<p>We did not have any rain from May 15th to August 25th, with summer temperatures rising up to 108 degrees! In such we were anticipating a 60% loss of our crop. Yet a steady amount of rainfall in late August not only saved the <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> but actually resulted in a really good year quantity wise.</p>
<p>Having <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvested</glossary> an impressive amount of white grapes, we were able to make a new sparkling white wine and a new 100% <glossary term="Roussanne" title="878">Roussanne</glossary> that <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermented</glossary> and will <glossary term="Aging" title="74">age</glossary> in <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Barrique" title="144">barrique</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We've also remade the <glossary term="Orange Wine" title="745">orange wine</glossary> in 2022, this time as a 100% <glossary term="Viognier" title="1111">Viognier</glossary> and it's already showing well. The <glossary term="Rosé/Rosato" title="871">rosé</glossary> remains a <glossary term="Blend" title="168">blend</glossary> of <glossary term="Cinsault" title="1188">Cinsault</glossary> and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Syrah" title="1001">Syrah</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> To develop its aromas, I've started implementing some new techniques, such as a <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">prefermentation</glossary><span class="zalup"><glossary term="Fermentation" title="441"><font color="#000000"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></font></glossary></span><span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Maceration" title="610">maceration</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> some <glossary term="Saignée" title="887">saignée</glossary> and <glossary term="Filtration" title="447">filtering</glossary> the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Gross Lees" title="515">gross lees</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p>
<p>"Sourire d'Isaure" will return as a <glossary term="Blend" title="168">blend</glossary> of 70% <glossary term="Mourvèdre" title="692">Mourvèdre</glossary> and 30% <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Grenache" title="508">Grenache</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> "Apparente Blanc" is finding a good balance between <glossary term="Grenache Blanc" title="509">Grenache Blanc</glossary> and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Viognier" title="1111">Viognier</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p>For "Apparente Rouge", 2022's <glossary term="Cinsault" title="1188">Cinsaults</glossary> showed <glossary term="Maturation" title="639">maturities</glossary> around 10.5% resulting in a wine that won't be higher than 11% and very fruit forward. </p>
<p>I've attached some pictures. </p>
<p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//947/f8/1d/f81db22269a369238b1e8a5f555d8aec.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//947/4a/7b/4a7bc214592e5de41826de6a3348e065.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//947/ff/45/ff45fab7b4ee8a8aa2edcc7839693bb9.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//947/ad/d8/add8f549d564057f890bf817a9fd9e6b.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//947/d5/45/d54526848a8bce64675edb9bae9e4a12.jpg" />\<img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//947/1e/b9/1eb933d35c6d4652becbbb600ea0e85f.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//947/ab/72/ab72689beefcde69c1f10d53f256576f.jpg" /></p>
<p><u><strong>October 15th, 2019:</strong></u></p>
<p>We had mild spring with no <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1135">frost</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> no illnesses and well formed <glossary title="1138">bunches</glossary> that were able to grow normally until June. From there, the temperature quickly spiked to heights we'd never seen, 129 degrees on June 28th! The vines had to live with temperatures well over 104 degrees for most of the summer. Luckily, the winter's rains had created a powerful water reserve.</p>
<p>Despite very little rain in the summer, these reserves helped the vines continue to grow vigourously all the way to harvest time. This permitted us to pick grapes in a perfect sanitary state and to actually have a slighty larger crop than 2018. </p>
<p>At the time of this writing, the vinifications are almost done and the vintage is very promising.</p>
<p><strong>L'Apparente Rouge</strong> will be 75% <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1188">Cinsault</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> 12,5% <glossary title="508">Grenache</glossary> 12,5% <glossary title="692">Mourvèdre</glossary> and is already tasting great. Each grape has been <glossary title="1104">vinified</glossary> separately and is showing very well, they will be <glossary title="1146">blended</glossary> this winter when the wines naturally <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="299">clarify</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p>
<p><strong>"Pour de Vrai"</strong> will consist of 40% <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1188">Cinsault</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> 40% <glossary title="508">Grenache</glossary> and 20% <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1001">Syrah</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The <glossary title="778">pet' nat'</glossary> came together incredibly quickly and is refreshing and bursting with red fruit. </p>
<p><strong>L'Apparente Blanc</strong> will be dominated by <glossary title="509">Grenache Blanc</glossary> this <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> (65%) and complemented with <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary title="1111">Viognier</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p><strong>The rosé is </strong>75% <glossary title="1188">Cinsault</glossary> and 25% <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1001">Syrah</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> It's already showing lovely notes of red fruits. </p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_27//4d/d5/4dd5a5f382ccdc2113a168111f5ee93f.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_27//5c/23/5c236558f97ef84f6fee7ee4e01376e5.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_27//ef/52/ef52bfdfb24cf7ae600c18464e9927dd.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_27//7c/48/7c48d28a16cbd952d3cd158f34eb596e.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_27//88/62/88623022365a2926920c42ddb2a225f8.jpg" /></p>
<p>We were introduced to <glossary title="400">Domaine</glossary> Puech Redon by <a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/Texier/">Eric Texier</a>, who as of 2017 is helping proprietor Cyril Cuche make unpretentious, <glossary term="Sulfites" title="993">unsulfured</glossary><span class="zalup"><span> </span></span>wines wines from his meticulously farmed land.</p>
<p>Puech Redon is a large property: in total 380 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> are split between 200h of cereals, 52h of vines and over 100 of woods and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="483">garrigues</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Cyril's grandfather acquired this land in the aftermath of World War 2. Under his father, the property was <glossary title="331">farmed conventionally</glossary> for 30 years. Cyril, seeing the potential of such a large, contained area, decided from the get-go that it had great potential for <glossary title="746">organic </glossary><glossary title="78">agriculture</glossary> and prioritizing <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1162">biodiversity</glossary><span>:</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<em>"It was a choice I imposed on myself. Besides the incredible bore of working </em><glossary title="331"><em>conventionally</em></glossary><em>, with it's by the book itineraries traced step by step by lobbyists for large </em><glossary title="789"><em>phytosanitary</em></glossary><em> corporations, I wanted to prove that within </em><glossary title="746"><em>organics</em></glossary><em>, you could work in </em><glossary title="815"><em>poly-culture</em></glossary><em> on a large surface and still be profitable. I learned to feed the soil and not the plant, I reclaimed the link that unifies the farmer to his land. The vines have been worked </em><glossary title="746"><em>organically</em></glossary><em> since 2008, and the cereals since 2010. Over the last decade I've been able to observe the immense consequences of such work. The effect of a culture without </em><glossary title="279"><em>chemicals</em></glossary><em> on such a large surface is truly impressive: for the soil, the plant but even more so the animals that had deserted us slowly coming back to our lands." </em><br />
<br />
For winemaking, <glossary title="664">minimal-intervention</glossary> was evident in Cyril's philosophy but not obviously attainable. After a chance meeting with Eric Texier, the two instantly hit it off. Through a bond of shared experience, they agreed to collaborate on the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1104">vinifications</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> In 2017, a limited amount of <glossary title="778">pet-nat</glossary> from <glossary title="1188">Cinsault</glossary> was produced under the name "Pour de Vrai", a 100% <glossary title="1188">Cinsault</glossary> called "L'Apparente" and a minuscule amount of white wine from <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Viognier" title="1111">Viognier</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary term="Grenache Blanc" title="509">Grenache Blanc</glossary> and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Roussanne" title="878">Roussanne</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> While distinctly southern, the <glossary term="Microclimate" title="656">micro-climate</glossary> of the area is actually quite cool and the wines are rarely above 12.5% when <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvested</glossary> at optimal <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Maturation" title="639">maturity</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p>
<p>From 2017 to 2021, Cyril had been selling the majority of his grapes to a <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="729">négociant</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> slowly ramping up <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> production every year. But in 2022 he decided to start renting his cereal fields and over 30 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines, solely focusing on roughly 16 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of his best <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroirs</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Without the pressure to work the rest of his sprawling property, we only expect the wines to become more focused and precise. </p>
Article
producer visit16.03.2020
This visit to Domaine Puech Redon took place in June, 2019
<p><strong><em>This visit to Domaine Puech Redon took place in June, 2019. </em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em>Words and photos by Jules Dressner. </em></strong></p>
<p>Things seemed straightforward when we set out to visit Puech Redon for the first time</p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//39/dc/39dc6c23452de138d669fe40def7070d.png" /></p>
<p>After a lovely drive from <glossary title="880">Roussillon</glossary> to the outskirts of <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary title="730">Nîmes</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> we knew we were in trouble when the GPS took us onto a backroad straight into an empty field. We called proprietor Cyril Cuche (who it bears to mention I'd hadn't met yet) and he told us we were indeed in the wrong place and to go to the following address:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//8c/a9/8ca9a3ae98de18f18507ae0b2e5a97d3.png" /></p>
<p>After driving through what felt like an abandoned village (it is in fact part of the Puech Redon property) and getting a little more lost, Cyril came to meet us. So much for first impressions...</p>
<p><strong>NON SEQUITUR ANECDOTE:</strong></p>
<p>GPS technology has existed the entirety of my decade working with the company. It's funny how most of us are now completely dependent on it to get from any point A to B. The most frequent cause of arguments between my mother and I are about my following "GPS roads" that she instinctively knows are stupid to take. She's old-school and knows they make no sense. However, not having any alternative solutions, I always end up on them. They've led me to many a field, vineyard, scary forest road, people's courtyards and impossibly steep and narrow village paths not meant for cars. In a particularly memorable moment, we drove down a winding, one-way street that abruptly turned into a long staircase! Glad I wasn't behind the wheel for that one. </p>
<p><strong>(If you’re wondering how that last story ended up, NO WE DID NOT drive down the staircase. We thought about it before incredibly getting ourselves back out in reverse.) </strong></p>
<p>Ok, back to the visit. Once we got to the house, we were greeted by special guests Eric and Laurence Texier!</p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//38/5b/385b643d26ee0fded587e48daf43ddba.jpg" /></p>
<p>This was completely unexpected and a great surprise. For those unfamiliar with their relationship, Eric has been consulting with Cyril on the <glossary title="1104">vinifications</glossary> and is the one who introduced us to the project. </p>
<p>Before heading to the vines, we got a tour of the beautiful <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="292">château</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//89/39/8939dd5877a41c9345590d4e32f493fb.jpg" /></p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//6b/e3/6be33bee38910dc38b62f5ce86a8a929.jpg" /></p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//d6/a1/d6a1a90e51b49815384c2c2c069bd1f5.jpg" /></p>
<p>Cyril then took us up a winding staircase to give us the lay of the land on the roof.</p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//9a/ac/9aac9ee6dd3c67ead673b6b0330aa6ea.jpg" /></p>
<p>The whole property is 350 <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="523">hectares</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> 100 of which are <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="483">garrigues</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p>Cyril’s main focus for years was providing cereal for an <glossary title="746">organic</glossary> bread company (a supposedly famous brand). He’s now renting the cereal fields and has no intention to continue with them. There were no vines here when his grandfather purchased the property. Cyril has planted 45 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> over the last 20 years. The oldest vines are 25 to 30 while others are five to 10. </p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//a2/e5/a2e5f88fa50d3368db759dff72a7671e.jpg" /></p>
<p>From the roof of the castle, we set off to see some vines. </p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//97/9c/979c6efc2f4f63d5e067673edd23003c.jpg" /></p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//c3/93/c393e55a085e86d004c069a65a304072.jpg" /></p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//26/e2/26e2ded6677a34a238cf18b7f8c62599.jpg" /></p>
<p>This was our first time visiting and is was evident that Cyril has done an incredible job with the farming. He has no neighbors and lots of woods, permitting for an impressive amount of <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1162">biodiversity</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> You could feel the dynamism of life and energy during our walk. I still vividly remember the bugs jumping around and living on the soil. </p>
<p>The soils throughout the estate are <glossary title="301">clay</glossary> and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="596">limestone</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//aa/6c/aa6c1635fdf7081db34dbb06b97a8908.jpg" /></p>
<p>We visited the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1188">Cinsault</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary title="692">Mourvèdre</glossary> and <glossary title="509">Grenache Blanc</glossary> that go into the "Apparente" wines. Prior to 2017, Cyril was selling the entirety of the grapes to a single <glossary title="729">négociant</glossary> (he won’t be named but he’s one of the biggest in the South). He’d attempted to produce <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> wine before but, despite his convictions of working <glossary title="746">organically</glossary> in the vineyards, had produced <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="321">yeasted</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary title="447">filtered</glossary> and heavily <glossary title="993">sulfured</glossary> wine. He liked the philosophy of <glossary title="708">natural wine</glossary> but was not sure how to proceed. Fortunetly, a chance encounter with Eric Texier led to a consulting partnership. In 2017 they <glossary title="1104">vinified</glossary> about two <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary>’ worth of wine: a tiny bit of white and <glossary title="778">pet nat </glossary>along with a red. They <glossary title="1104">vinified</glossary> five <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> worth in 2018. </p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//07/5e/075ef06e5d8b3d9e4769305228fe822c.jpg" /></p>
<p>From the vines we did a quick tour of the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="254">cellar</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//c1/b3/c1b3fe28f968ec80cf1fc2c17d70b6f0.jpg" /></p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//1b/5a/1b5a564355d8e74fc13051ff6822b27e.jpg" /></p>
<p>The <glossary title="">cellar</glossary> consists of many 300<glossary title="524">hl </glossary><glossary title="325">concrete</glossary> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1140">vats</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> There are also lots of large <glossary title="445">fiberglass</glossary> <glossary title="1140">tanks</glossary> for <glossary title="1146">blending</glossary> and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="185">bottling</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> It is underground so it stays cool year round. </p>
<p>While looking around I noticed a bottled of <glossary term="Rosé/Rosato" title="871">rosé</glossary> from back when Cyril was producing <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="331">conventionally</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//21/f3/21f307d117b12114a72adbbebd81bc62.jpg" /></p>
<p>It's quite rare to get to taste a past versus present approach so I asked if we could grab it for later.</p>
<p><em>"Don't expect much."</em></p>
<p>We then settled into <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="112">apéro</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> tasting the 2018 wines and talking about the future trajectory of the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="427">estate</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Cyril certainly plans to scale up each year (2018 and 2019 were both considerable jumps up in production) but is very happy doing this at reasonable pace.</p>
<p><em>"I already farm the 45 </em><glossary title="523"><em>hectares</em></glossary><em> and have the capabilities to </em><glossary title="1104"><em>vinify</em></glossary><em> everything. We did it before. I just want to do it right."</em></p>
<p><glossary title="112">Apéro</glossary> was also a chance to get intimately acquainted with Octo (short for October).</p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//5a/13/5a1365b52e71ebaf8f938d50dc426d17.jpg" /></p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//47/c3/47c367299ca14ed995d130400f32bf1c.jpg" /></p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//55/33/5533979a722072d120ee3c9dceeed005.jpg" /></p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//ae/2f/ae2f790784da7189eccbdb12907b9037.jpg" /></p>
<p>Oh, and we tasted the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Rosé/Rosato" title="871">rosé</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> It tasted <glossary title="321">yeasted</glossary> with a lot <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="993">sulfur</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p><glossary title="112">Apéro</glossary> casually moved into dinner. While re-tasting the Puech Redon wines with food, Cyril un-earthed this ancient relic from his <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="254">cellar</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//d4/9b/d49b68f64b559ddcc87d363cda1e98aa.jpg" /></p>
<p>Despite the color, it actually had a lot of life and went great with cheese.</p>
<p>Everyone was tired so decided to call it an early night. As I lay in my fancy castle room, I fell asleep thinking about what a great visit we just had.</p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Mar_16//7f/8a/7f8acc3de3c355080ced2252acb275a9.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>Cyril Cuche, November 17th, 2022.</strong></p>
<p>We did not have any rain from May 15th to August 25th, with summer temperatures rising up to 108 degrees! In such we were anticipating a 60% loss of our crop. Yet a steady amount of rainfall in late August not only saved the <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> but actually resulted in a really good year quantity wise.</p>
<p>Having <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvested</glossary> an impressive amount of white grapes, we were able to make a new sparkling white wine and a new 100% <glossary term="Roussanne" title="878">Roussanne</glossary> that <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermented</glossary> and will <glossary term="Aging" title="74">age</glossary> in <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Barrique" title="144">barrique</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We've also remade the <glossary term="Orange Wine" title="745">orange wine</glossary> in 2022, this time as a 100% <glossary term="Viognier" title="1111">Viognier</glossary> and it's already showing well. The <glossary term="Rosé/Rosato" title="871">rosé</glossary> remains a <glossary term="Blend" title="168">blend</glossary> of <glossary term="Cinsault" title="1188">Cinsault</glossary> and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Syrah" title="1001">Syrah</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> To develop its aromas, I've started implementing some new techniques, such as a <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">prefermentation</glossary><span class="zalup"><glossary term="Fermentation" title="441"><font color="#000000"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></font></glossary></span><span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Maceration" title="610">maceration</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> some <glossary term="Saignée" title="887">saignée</glossary> and <glossary term="Filtration" title="447">filtering</glossary> the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Gross Lees" title="515">gross lees</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p>
<p>"Sourire d'Isaure" will return as a <glossary term="Blend" title="168">blend</glossary> of 70% <glossary term="Mourvèdre" title="692">Mourvèdre</glossary> and 30% <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Grenache" title="508">Grenache</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> "Apparente Blanc" is finding a good balance between <glossary term="Grenache Blanc" title="509">Grenache Blanc</glossary> and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Viognier" title="1111">Viognier</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p>For "Apparente Rouge", 2022's <glossary term="Cinsault" title="1188">Cinsaults</glossary> showed <glossary term="Maturation" title="639">maturities</glossary> around 10.5% resulting in a wine that won't be higher than 11% and very fruit forward. </p>
<p>I've attached some pictures. </p>
<p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//947/f8/1d/f81db22269a369238b1e8a5f555d8aec.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//947/4a/7b/4a7bc214592e5de41826de6a3348e065.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//947/ff/45/ff45fab7b4ee8a8aa2edcc7839693bb9.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//947/ad/d8/add8f549d564057f890bf817a9fd9e6b.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//947/d5/45/d54526848a8bce64675edb9bae9e4a12.jpg" />\<img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//947/1e/b9/1eb933d35c6d4652becbbb600ea0e85f.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//947/ab/72/ab72689beefcde69c1f10d53f256576f.jpg" /></p>
<p><u><strong>October 15th, 2019:</strong></u></p>
<p>We had mild spring with no <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1135">frost</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> no illnesses and well formed <glossary title="1138">bunches</glossary> that were able to grow normally until June. From there, the temperature quickly spiked to heights we'd never seen, 129 degrees on June 28th! The vines had to live with temperatures well over 104 degrees for most of the summer. Luckily, the winter's rains had created a powerful water reserve.</p>
<p>Despite very little rain in the summer, these reserves helped the vines continue to grow vigourously all the way to harvest time. This permitted us to pick grapes in a perfect sanitary state and to actually have a slighty larger crop than 2018. </p>
<p>At the time of this writing, the vinifications are almost done and the vintage is very promising.</p>
<p><strong>L'Apparente Rouge</strong> will be 75% <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1188">Cinsault</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> 12,5% <glossary title="508">Grenache</glossary> 12,5% <glossary title="692">Mourvèdre</glossary> and is already tasting great. Each grape has been <glossary title="1104">vinified</glossary> separately and is showing very well, they will be <glossary title="1146">blended</glossary> this winter when the wines naturally <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="299">clarify</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p>
<p><strong>"Pour de Vrai"</strong> will consist of 40% <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1188">Cinsault</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> 40% <glossary title="508">Grenache</glossary> and 20% <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1001">Syrah</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The <glossary title="778">pet' nat'</glossary> came together incredibly quickly and is refreshing and bursting with red fruit. </p>
<p><strong>L'Apparente Blanc</strong> will be dominated by <glossary title="509">Grenache Blanc</glossary> this <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> (65%) and complemented with <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary title="1111">Viognier</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p><strong>The rosé is </strong>75% <glossary title="1188">Cinsault</glossary> and 25% <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1001">Syrah</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> It's already showing lovely notes of red fruits. </p>
<p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_27//4d/d5/4dd5a5f382ccdc2113a168111f5ee93f.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_27//5c/23/5c236558f97ef84f6fee7ee4e01376e5.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_27//ef/52/ef52bfdfb24cf7ae600c18464e9927dd.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_27//7c/48/7c48d28a16cbd952d3cd158f34eb596e.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2020_Apr_27//88/62/88623022365a2926920c42ddb2a225f8.jpg" /></p>
