Les Vins Contés from Olivier Lemasson.

Les Vins Contés from Olivier Lemasson

Olivier Lemasson Producer Profile

Quick Facts

Name of Estate	Olivier Lemasson - Les Vins Contés
Region	Loire
Country	France
Proprietor	Olivier Lemasson
Size	9 hectares (+purchased fruit)
Farming	Organic (Certified)
Soils	Clay and limestone, flint
Grapes grown	Gamay, Pineau d'Aunis, Grolleau, Côt, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Aligoté, Menu Pineau, Chardonnay
Fun facts	Olivier's wife Cécille draws the wines' labels.

Olivier's wife Cécille draws the wines' labels.

Name of Estate	Olivier Lemasson - Les Vins Contés
Region	Loire
Country	France
Proprietor	Olivier Lemasson
Size	9 hectares (+purchased fruit)
Farming	Organic (Certified)
Soils	Clay and limestone, flint
Grapes grown	Gamay, Pineau d'Aunis, Grolleau, Côt, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Aligoté, Menu Pineau, Chardonnay
Fun facts	Olivier's wife Cécille draws the wines' labels.

Get to know
Olivier Lemasson - Les Vins Contés

producer profile 14.06.2019

Olivier Lemasson Producer Profile

Olivier Lemasson is a <glossary title="969">sommelier</glossary> who encountered <glossary title="708">natural wines</glossary> when he worked for the retailer Eric Macé in <glossary title="851">Rennes</glossary>, <glossary title="197">Brittany</glossary>. Lemasson became passionate about these odd wines, and trained at Marcel Lapierre’s winery in <glossary title="685">Morgon</glossary>, <glossary title="151">Beaujolais</glossary>, first by picking grapes four years in a row, then by working for a whole year in his vines and <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>. After a brief stint as a retailer at Square Trousseau in Paris, Lemasson’s passion definitely took over, and he settled as a winemaker in <glossary title="1036">Touraine</glossary>. The story of les Vins Contés is that of a retailer meeting a winemaker. In 2002, <a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/Villemade/">Hervé Villemade </a>was looking to start a <glossary title="729">négociant</glossary> business (i.e. buy grapes from other growers to <glossary title="1104">vinify</glossary> them). He picked Lemasson to be his partner, and les Vins Contés drew from their complementary talents. In 2006, they amiably parted ways so that Villemade could concentrate on his own <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> again. Undeterred, Lemasson continued on with Vins Contés.  For many years the project was 100% purchased fruit; Olivier would source old vineyards worked <glossary title="746">organically</glossary>, often seeking the obscure grapes of <glossary title="1036">Touraine</glossary> like <glossary title="648">Menu Pineau</glossary> and <glossary title="799">Pineau d'Aunis</glossary>. Eventually he was able to start renting two <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines, and in 2016 was finally able to purchase his own land, nine <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> he had previously been buying grapes from. <glossary title="746">Organic</glossary> fruit from many of his faithful suppliers is still purchased to complement production.  The wines are all made in an intentional "<glossary title="1094">vin de soif</glossary>" style; the whites are <glossary title="392">direct-pressed</glossary>, vibrant and bright while the reds are for the most part short <glossary title="942">semi-carbonic macerations</glossary> and meant to be drunk fruity and young. Two  <glossary title="363">cuvées</glossary>, "Gamasutra" (from 100+ <glossary title="478">Gamay</glossary> vines) and "Cheville de Fer" (from 100+ <glossary title="366">Côt</glossary> vines), are made to <glossary title="74">age</glossary>, though both are often easy-drinking on release.  Sick of having to fight with the <glossary title="108">AOC</glossary> board for the <glossary title="1036">Touraine</glossary> <glossary title="113">appellation</glossary>, Lemasson decided to intentionally <glossary title="383">declassify</glossary> all of his wines to <glossary title="1092">Vin de France</glossary> in 2012. Most <glossary title="1109">vintages</glossary>, Olivier will <glossary title="185">bottle</glossary> the wines without the addition of <glossary title="993">S02</glossary>. However, he is not opposed to adding a minuscule dose at <glossary title="185">bottling</glossary> if deemed absolutely neccessary.

interview 14.06.2019

An Interview with Olivier Lemasson from 2011

This interview took place with Olivier Lemasson in Los Angeles in March 2011. Explain the way that Vin Contés works.  The grapes I work with come from two principle sources: the first being three <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines that I rent and work myself <glossary title="746">organically</glossary>. The second is the equivalent of seven <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> from which I purchase fruit; my team and I <glossary title="520">hand harvest</glossary> the grapes from these sites when they are ready to bring back to the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>. The furthest vineyards I purchase grapes from is 40 kilometers away from my house; this permits me to get grapes from nice <glossary title="1026">terroirs</glossary> i wouldn't be able to work with in my area.  How did you pick these sites you purchase from? I'm not at all from the area. I'm originally from <glossary title="197">Brittany</glossary>, where I ran a retail space. The problem with <glossary title="197">Brittany</glossary> is that there are no vines! Through my work at my retailer, I came to know and befriend Thierry Puzelat, Christian Chaussard, René Mosse and all the <glossary title="602">Loire</glossary> guys, and that was the first step for me moving to the <glossary title="602">Loire</glossary>. I did some research and found some <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary> that weren't necessarily being worked <glossary title="746">organically</glossary>, but the <glossary title="1089">vignerons</glossary> were still working the old fashioned, traditional way, and this initially suited my needs. Today everyone I work with has <glossary title="332">converted</glossary> to <glossary title="746">organic</glossary> <glossary title="78">agriculture</glossary>, which is great. I've been working with the same <glossary title="1089">vignerons</glossary> for nine years: there were a few kinks to work out when we first started working together but at this point I am loyal to them and trust them entirely in their good work. I stay in regular contact with them and we debrief each other on any concerns, but other than that, they work independently.  As far as what I'm looking for, it tends to be old <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary>: old <glossary title="478">Gamay</glossary>, old <glossary title="799">Pineau d'Aunis</glossary>, old <glossary title="648">Menu Pineau</glossary>, old <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary>… Having a <glossary title="729">négoce</glossary> gave me the opportunity to work with <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary> from all over; they're spread out far and wide! Have you always worked organically? I've always been an advocate of <glossary title="746">organic</glossary> <glossary title="78">agriculture</glossary>. Again I wasn't from the area and finding <glossary title="746">organic</glossary> grapes wasn't easy at first; the guys were working well but they were used to working a certain way and having them <glossary title="332">convert</glossary> wasn't exactly a simple process. I've always been "<glossary title="746">organic</glossary>" because I worked for Marcel Lapierre, and always pushed <glossary title="746">organic</glossary>, or rather <glossary title="708">natural wines</glossary> as a retailer and <glossary title="969">sommelier</glossary>. I plan to get everything <glossary title="260">certified</glossary> in the next two years so expect to see the <glossary title="66">A.B</glossary> <glossary title="573">label</glossary> on the bottles!  What's the cellar work like? The first step is <glossary title="520">hand harvesting</glossary> the grapes from their respective sites and bringing them back to the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>. We then place the grapes (always in <glossary title="1124">whole clusters</glossary>) in large <glossary title="1140">vats</glossary>, followed by <glossary title="236">carbonic maceration</glossary>: no <glossary title="795">pigeages</glossary>, no <glossary title="850">remontages</glossary>. We let the grapes <glossary title="610">macerate</glossary> between 10 and 30 days depending on the <glossary title="363">cuvée</glossary>.  You source grapes from Touraine and Cheverny but none of your wines sport AOC labels. Instead you've chosen to only make Vin de Table (as of the 2010 vintage, the category was renamed Vin de France). How did this decision come about? At first it wasn't a choice. In 2006 I presented the 300<glossary title="524">hl</glossary> of wine I'd made to the <glossary title="108">AOC</glossary> board and they denied all my <glossary title="363">cuvées</glossary> for being "atypical". Same thing in 2007. Same thing in 2008. When they <glossary title="300">classified</glossary> my wines as atypical, it wasn't because of the chemical analysis; those came out fine. There was no <glossary title="1116">volatile acidity</glossary> and it wasn't vinegar. It was just a question of taste: "this tastes different from what you usually get in the area, and therefore it cannot be classified as an <glossary title="108">AOC</glossary> wine". At this point you could imagine I was worried about selling 300<glossary title="524">hl</glossary> of wine as <glossary title="1006">VDT</glossary>, but it worked out really well. It's harder to sell than <glossary title="1036">Touraine</glossary> or <glossary title="283">Cheverny</glossary>, but we were able to sell them anyway and since then I've decided to not worry about making <glossary title="108">AOC</glossary> wine and continuing to work the way I want to.  Does this permit you to be more adventurous and experimental in your work? Absolutely. At this point I take full advantage of it. But to reiterate that was never the original plan; I believe <glossary title="113">appellations</glossary> are at their core a good thing and I am not crusading against them by any means. Some of my friends like fighting for their wines to be <glossary title="108">AOC</glossary> wines; I just don't feel like making a big deal out of it anymore.  How do you feel about the whole natural wine debate? The term, the wines, the people making them? If you check the <glossary title="123">AVN</glossary> (Association des Vins Naturals) website, you'll see that we've done our best to come up with a clear definition of  <glossary title="708">natural wine</glossary>: <glossary title="746">organic</glossary> <glossary title="78">agriculture</glossary> (<glossary title="260">certification</glossary> is not a prerequisite), <glossary title="538">native yeasts</glossary> and <glossary title="520">hand harvesting</glossary>.  It's not the easiest thing to explain which is why I feel you need to define it. If you don't define it then people will, and in my opinion already have, start taking advantage or wrongfully using the term to define their wines. I'm just worried that the work and ideas that we have all contributed to this style of wine will be mass-marketed, disfigured and misinterpreted for all the wrong reasons. You make what you define as vin de soif ("wines of thirst") but do you make any wine with food in mind? Yes. I think this plays more on the <glossary title="1071">varietals</glossary> though. My <glossary title="366">Côt</glossary> <glossary title="">cuvée</glossary> "La Cheville de Fer" <glossary title="74">ages</glossary> a year in <glossary title="739">old oak</glossary>, as does the <glossary title="867">Romorantin</glossary>, and these I would recommend as gastronomical wines. And to be clear, when I say <glossary title="1094">vin de soif</glossary>, I'm not claiming these wines are simple; they can be complex in their own right. What I mean by that is they are easy to drink on their own. Sometimes it's the <glossary title="1089">vignerons</glossary>' choice. <glossary title="799">Pineau d'aunis</glossary> is a good example: some <glossary title="1089">vignerons</glossary> make very structured <glossary title="799">Pineau d'Aunis</glossary> but mine focuses more on the fruit.  Any wines you particularly like to drink? I love the <glossary title="151">Beaujolais</glossary>. My formative years in winemaking were at Marcel Lapierre's, and this whole <glossary title="1094">vin de soif </glossary>thing stems from the <glossary title="151">Beaujolais</glossary> style. Even though his <glossary title="">Morgon</glossary> was very complex, beautiful wine, it was also very easy to drink! This is also what inspired me to work with <glossary title="236">carbonic maceration</glossary>. If you tweak <glossary title="236">carbonic</glossary> work and don't clear the juice everyday, you can still express and define a <glossary title="1026">terroir</glossary> in your wines, as well as its <glossary title="1071">varietal</glossary>. At least that's what I try to do!

interview 14.06.2019

A Video Interview with Olivier Lemasson

harvest report 19.01.2020

2020 Harvest Video from Olivier Lemasson

harvest report 22.07.2019

2019 Harvest Photos from Cécille Lemasson

harvest report 15.09.2015

2015 Harvest Report by Cécile Lemasson

harvest report 10.09.2014

2014 Harvest Report from Cécille Lemasson

Harvest began under the sun on September 15th. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//3b/98/3b9862c553ca43154f5f2838178498ec.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//6b/67/6b675472d36e79b5bf30bce4af065fb3.jpg" /> In the <glossary term="Cher" title="282">Vallée du Cher</glossary>, the morning mist eats up the horizon. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//60/07/600780a4ce91bfbdefa242a47bed7df5.jpg" /> The first <glossary title="827">press</glossary> of the <glossary title="927">Sauvignons</glossary> taste delicious: <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//b3/a5/b3a5067a54ff4355f269467ad9efb40b.jpg" /> Then we must remove the grape <glossary term="Pomace" title="1404">pomace</glossary> multiple times a day. Jéremy, Kévin and Padle have to dispose and re-dispose of it... <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//57/53/575305866a5da7fd837e5b320293e80a.jpg" /> Fortunately, our favorite importers (LDM of course!) asked us for a picture of a "dangerous farmer" for their portfolio tasting. So while harvesting, the team has ample time to think of what to do. In the end, the jury of harvesters settles on this one during <glossary term="Décuvage" title="410">décuvage</glossary>. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//cc/84/cc84d7644b60867e1d42314498d4a284.jpg" /> Let's not forget the extremely important participation of our friends Viandox, Django (who we all call Jean Claude), Inox and Vadrouille: <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//84/be/84be5559f1cafea6b13077fe7e8a9e21.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//5e/8e/5e8e8a1859edb1c0d1a659a481a8f812.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_20//33/02/330225f458a4a41b5edf62a640c0279a.jpg" />

harvest report 05.10.2012

2012 Harvest Report by Cécile Lemasson

October 5th, 2012: Following winter's <glossary title="1135">frost</glossary>, April's <glossary term="Frost" title="1135">frost</glossary>, June's rain and summer's <glossary title="1137">mildew</glossary>, our <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> started under a radiant sun on September 17th. We started with ripe <glossary title="927">Sauvignon</glossary>. The <glossary title="1129">yield</glossary>: eight <glossary title="524">hectoliters</glossary> (compared to 40 last year from the exact same <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary>!) Our fears are confirmed. Every day, we're harvesting very small quantities of grapes, but at least it's nice out! Still, we struggle filling up our buckets... And then, a good surprise with the <glossary term="Pineau d'Aunis" title="799">Pineau d'Aunis</glossary>! Beautiful <glossary title="1138">clusters</glossary> in abundance! We can hardly believe it, but we don't have enough cases! During the 40 kilometer drive from the vines to the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>, the harvesters have already refilled their buckets. With no other choice, we had to turn to plan D, lay out a big blanket in a ditch, fill it up with grapes and keep harvesting! <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_23//0d/09/0d09ab1fb4801df18918760ba29eb1ee.jpg" /> But that day was the exception. For the rest it's rather: really low <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary> and a lot of <glossary term="Sorting" title="1380">sorting</glossary>… We barely have any <glossary title="478">Gamay</glossary> this year, and still have to <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> the <glossary term="Malbec" title="366">Côt</glossary> and <glossary term="Chenin Blanc" title="281">Chenin</glossary>. Also, every year Les Vins Contés organizes a day of harvesting with local children. This year, 50 kids from our daughter Mila's school (all seven years old) came to help us out! <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_23//5b/40/5b402d7429fece8ef6e7fa033228bb3c.jpg" />

harvest report 06.10.2010

2010 Harvest Report from Cécille Lemasson

October 6th 2010: Les Vins Contés moved this summer. The old <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> in Chitenay is a thing of the past, lost at the back of the farm courtyard since 2002 and buried under heaps of old machinery. The new <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> is in La Gardette in <glossary title="463">Fougère-sur-Bièvre</glossary>. Bigger, it is much easier to find, what a difference! It is clean and tidy and the area around it is also much neater. The large <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> holds the <glossary title="1140">vats</glossary> and the <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary>. There is a room for <glossary title="441">fermentation</glossary> in <glossary title="1140">vats</glossary>, a kitchen, a workshop with a shower, another 50 square meter room to “organize” things which have no other particular place (for example that’s where we will keep our moped) and a big inner courtyard where we put the harvesters' tables. After several cold sweats during the moving process, finally everything is ready for the beginning of the <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> on September 17th. Day One: at Bruno Allion’s in Thésée, we picked the <glossary title="927">Sauvignon</glossary> grapes at 12.5 percent <glossary term="alcoholic potential" title="1381">potential alcohol</glossary> with the sun shining. Day Two: On Saturday, at Olivier Bellanger’s in <glossary term="Pouillé" title="821">Pouillé</glossary>, the team of 30 pickers, carriers and <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> help <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvested</glossary> more <glossary title="927">Sauvignon</glossary> at 12.5% and <glossary title="478">Gamay</glossary> at 13%. Very little <glossary term="Sorting" title="1380">sorting</glossary> was needed these first two days. These first grapes will go into "Le Puits" and "Le P’tit Rouquin". The <glossary title="478">Gamay</glossary> grapes picked on Monday are in excellent health, even though they had <glossary title="639">matured</glossary> very quickly. Olivier, Jérémy et Jonathan, the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> team, filled up a new <glossary title="1140">vat</glossary> which will become a part of the "P’tit Rouquin". The days go on, it’s very cold in the morning but the sun has stayed with us. The crates are emptied, the harvesters glasses keep filling up. There is now a real sense of being a team, lots of young people from Brittany and a handful of locals. Wednesday, September 22nd: heading towards Mareuil-sur-Cher, to Bruno Ledys’ where the <glossary title="478">Gamay</glossary> grapes are gorgeous, harvested at 13.5%. They will go into the "Gama Sutra". Friday was the first day we <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvested</glossary> in the rain, a week’s work done. The wines are <glossary title="441">fermenting</glossary> now.

producer profile 14.06.2019

Olivier Lemasson Producer Profile

interview 14.06.2019

An Interview with Olivier Lemasson from 2011

interview 14.06.2019

A Video Interview with Olivier Lemasson

harvest report 19.01.2020

2020 Harvest Video from Olivier Lemasson