Summer List 2010 - reasons to be cheerful
Wine List – Summer 2010
This has been a thrilling year for new wines for Les Caves de Pyrène. We have strengthened our range in each region by adding many new agencies. Our list may grow and grow like a wild vine, but it is to the point. It is important also to remember that many of the wines are made in minuscule quantities – we are talking about a barrel of wine or a few hundred bottles in certain cases. 70% of our wines are organic and biodynamic, and an increasing number are made with as few possible interventions in the winery (natural yeasts, limited use of sulphur, no filtration nor fining). It is exciting to find so many growers who have pledged to connect with the terroir and allow that terroir to express itself sans maquillage in their wines.
Bigging up the French Regions
We begin in the French regions notably the Roussillon where the fabulous terrain and favourable climate is attracting a host of young growers. Our representation from the Pyrénées-Orientales has now swelled to (count ‘em) ten domaines. Bruno Duchene, one of the relative newcomers, formerly plied his trade in the Loir-et-Cher before settling in Banyuls and buying a small vineyard on the spectacular terraced slopes overlooking the Mediterranean where he farms using a horse. He makes a sunny Vin de Pays de la Cote Vermeille from Grenache with a little Carignan and an elegant, tonic Collioure “Corral Nou” from eighty year old vines.
Isabelle Frère’s 5.8 hectare domaine, organic since its creation in 2007, is situated at the foot of the Albères massif in the south of the Pyrénées-Orientales; the sea is a mere 2km as the crow flies giving a marine, humid influence. The terroir is granitic, more or less stony or sandy with some decomposed schists. The Carignan vines are between 20-80 years old situated in the commune of St André, whilst there are two small parcels of Grenache Noir, one young and one older in the commune of Laroque –des- Albères. Finally, there are a couple of parcels of Syrah, one of which is used for the Petit Scarabée. Intensive work is done amongst the vines with leaf thinning and selection. Harvest is then manual in small cagettes of 8-15kg and grapes are chilled on their arrival to the winery. Carbonic maceration lasts for ten days to two weeks depending on the wine and fermentation is in cuve of 10-30 hl. The usual natural wine regime in the winery: wild yeasts, no use of sulphur during the vinification, no filtration nor fining and no other adjustments of the must. Part of the wine goes to used barrels where it stays on the lees, the remainder stays in vats. We are listing three of her micro-cuvées: Le P’tit Scarabée, a blend of Grenache Gris, Grenache Noir and Syrah; Sur Un Nuage which is 80% Grenache Noir and 20% Carignan and Clampins d’Abord (50/50 Carignan/Grenache). The last of these is available in 10 litre bag in the box.
Up country Marjorie and Stephane Gallet are making stunning new organic Maurys at Domaine Terres de Fagayra. Meanwhile, Edouard Laffitte (L’Echappée Belle) acquired his experience vinifying at the Cave d’Estézargues before installing himself in small six hectare domaine in Lansac south of Maury and the Côtes du Roussillon Villages. The vineyards are situated between 150m and 400m on a terroir of schists and granites. The vines are cultivated organically without pesticides. Harvests are carried out by hand whilst vinification is as natural as possible with carbonic maceration at low temperature. The wines are neither filtered nor fined and taste fresh and gutsy at the same time. We love his rustic La Luna and his Cotes du Roussillon La Luce is pure and fine.
Over in the Languedoc we are delighted to get Thierry Navarre on board. His delicate wine from the Oeillade grape is only 11.5%, whilst the robust, terroir-driven Saint-Chinian Olivier (another wine with an old vine Carignan signature) has layer after layer of spicy flavour. The organic wines of Jean-Baptiste and Charlotte Sénat complement our various other wines from Minervois. Traditionally vinified with wild yeast and low sulphur they are an irresistible combination of explosive fruit and garrigue herbiness. La Nine is silky and fine, whilst Mais Où est Donc Ornicar translates the wildness of the terroir. Clos Fantine is a natural (low sulphur) Faugères made by the Andrieu family. The mad professor will see you now. Muscular Mourvèdre chewing and spitting tobacco, grilled beef and death in venison and a veritable wilderness of forest fruits stewed in an aromatic soup of garrigue herbs.
We have ventured further into the hinterland of the South West so to speak, listing two new producers in the Aveyron, namely Nicolas Carmarans and his neighbour Patrick Rols. Nicolas (Nico) Carmarans, restaurateur and vigneron, a man who looks like he wrestles bears and then eats them for breakfast, has vines in planted on the decomposed granites high in the northern Aveyron. As he says himself “I want to make wines that I like to drink”. The Mauvais Temps is the good bad time had by all, ridiculously sapid and savoury and made with the 30% Negret de Banhars (Nicolas has 1,500 of the 2,500 vines still planted), 50% Fer Servadou 10% of the two Cabs. Whole grape vinification for thirty days and then used barrels for elevage makes for a wine that both Nicolas and ourselves would like to drink.
The next wine is for people who are selfish, speak elvish, eat elvers and believe that Elvis is alive and living on the moon. Called Selves Blanc it is Chenin, planted on steep slopes, and wild, like the countryside. The wines are as natural as nature – wild yeast fermented, unfined, unfiltered and only a touch of sulphur. This intense, mouthfilling wine stays in barrels on the lees for ten months. Last year Patrick Rols made an off dry Chenin which refermented in the bottle before our disbelieving eyes. This year his cuvee sees Chardonnay blended with Chenin. When we find out what it is meant to do we’ll phone you!
Clos Saint Jean is the result of a unique experiment from the Jouffreau family, winemakers since 1610, whose ambition was to rediscover the expression of a forgotten vineyard in Cahors. Loyal to their philosophy of producing authentic, age-worthy wines, the Jouffreaus chose to wait more than ten years before releasing the wines from Clos Saint Jean’s quality-rich terroir. They were not trying to duplicate the wines of their principal domaine, Clos de Gamot, but rather expose the superb characteristics of this specific terroir with their extensive wine-making savvy. The 2001 has just been released and we think that this wine captures the original spirit of Cahors. It is a wine of angles and elbows, a complete contrast to more modern relenting style of Malbec that wants either to be faux-Bordeaux or its chocolate-coated Argentinean cousin.
Laying down the Loire
We love the Loire. The vignerons are ornery to say the least – this is the spiritual home of the biodynamic and natural wine movements after all. This is also the home of the versatile Chenin grape. What wines – from Pet Nats, to clean-as-a-whistle dry wines, to luscious, honeyed examples that coat the mouth and remain in the memory. Jo Pithon (Pithon-Paillé) has an extraordinary vineyard on the steep Coteau des Treilles in the heart of the Coteaux du Layon, while René Mosse and Benoit Courault are relative newcomers to our list – their respective Chenins are thought-provoking and ageworthy. Youth’s a stuff that will endure and summer’s here again with gouleyant reds such as the chillable, unfiltered Saint-Nicolas de Bourgueil “Hurluberlu” from Sébastien David, and Pivoine, a Cot-Gamay blend from Hervé Villemade. Other taste bud sensations include a Romorantin from Frantz Saumon (he of Montlouis fame), and a sparkling Pet Nat Menu Pineau from Thierry Puzelat. Puzelat’s domaine (Clos du Tue-Boeuf) and his negoce business provide us with some brilliant left fielders such as a Pinot Meunier called Le Rouge est Mis, Buisson Pouilleux - an old vines Sauvignon with some skin contact, a Cheverny Blanc made from Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Rose and Chardonnay and two red Chevernys (Pinot/Gamay blends). Christian Chaussard (Domaine Le Briseau) is our go-to guy for Pineau d’Aunis – his Coteaux du Loir Patapon and Les Mortiers are delicious savoury-peppery versions of this rarely seen grape, whilst Domaine Chahut et Prodiges produce two very fresh, natural reds: Coup de Canon (pure Grolleau) and La Mule (a lovely, slightly turbid Gamay).
The best of the rest
Elsewhere we are pleased to be shipping the biodynamic wines of Christian Binner in Alsace (our fourth estate in this under-rated region). A quartet of Rhone newbies refreshes our selection in that region – Stéphane Othéguy, Dard et Ribo, Les Champs Libres and Mas de Libian. Othéguy works in Cote-Rotie, whilst René Jean Dard and François Ribo have acquired a cult following amongst those who frequent the natural wine bars of France and they are also revered in Japan, the second home of great low sulphur wines. Their 7.5 vineyard holding is split around seven villages on a variety of terroirs comprising different soil types. The winery is located near Mercurol (a short distance east of Tain l’Hermitage. We are taking three whites, two Crozes and one Saint-Joseph and three reds. The über-purple Crozes-Hermitage Rouge “C’est Le Printemps” is unbelievably exuberant. It may have a short shelf life but will live long in the memory. Mas de Libian, a working farm (cereals, fruits and vines) since 1670, has remained in the hands of famille Thibon for its entire history. Hélène a remarkably energetic member of the family took over the viticulture and winemaking in 1995, and convinced her family to bottle their own wine rather than sell to local négociants. Her farming is entirely biodynamic since the 1960’s when her grandfather ran the farm, and the vines (averaging 40-45 years-old) are pruned for low yields and concentration. Nestor, a Comtois workhorse, joined the team for her ploughing prowess. The terraced vineyards, composed mostly of galets rouges, in St-Marcel d’Ardèche (the west bank of the Rhone) provide stunning views of Mont Ventoux, the Alpilles, and the Dentelles de Montmirail. Hélène is in her late 20s and in June this year she was selected by the French Wine Review as one of its Young Winemakers of the Year. She makes her wines in a traditional fashion following organic principles, and the vineyards have ‘pudding-stone’ soil like that found in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The Ardèche, with its cooler climate, evidently has massive potential to make poised, focused wines.
Finally, we are about to list three new wines from Antoine Arena (another organic producer) in Corsica. Watch this space for these infiltrators from the maquis.
Many Gains in Spain
What does Spain have to offer besides oceans of cheap wine and surprisingly large quantities of pretentious, oaked-to-oblivion icons? According to some wine writers it has been the coming country for several years. Spain does have certain advantages, not least dry mountain climates and old vineyards that shouldn’t require chemical interventions. Rarely is the potential realised, for what happens in the winery often unmakes the wine or, at the very least, masks its potential. However, for all that, we have unearthed a few gems.
Bodega Grimon is an organic estate with 25 hectares in the Valle de Jubera, a secluded and little known corner of Rioja Alta with a great viticultural history. Viticulture is organic – “always has been here, why do I need certification..?” - with no use of herbicides and pesticides, sheep manure is used as fertilizer. Hand harvesting is employed for all their vineyards. Great care is taken to provide the healthiest grapes of the highest quality, as nearly all the wines will experience extended ageing. We are taking a Joven, a serious-smooth Crianza and a smoothly serious Reserva. These wines are so much better the majority of clichéd clunkers from the region.
The vineyards of Bodegas Honorio Rubio surround the small town of Cordovín in La Rioja Alta 20km south of Haro, 30km south east of Logroño. This area is famous in northern Spain for making “El Clarete de Cordovín”, a light refreshing rosé style wine. The family Rubio-Villar owns a total of 15 hectares spread across the region of Cordovín in La Rioja and controls production of another 150.5 acres (50 hectares) owned by wine growers from whom the family have purchased grapes for many years.
Cordovín is widely known because of the unique style of Rioja wine produced in the region, the so called clarete. It is mistakenly classified by many as rosé. Clarete visually resembles rosé but the method of production is different. Maceration is on the skins of both white and red grapes before the juice is drawn off and fermentation takes place. This process essentially creates a white wine with a pale pink colour which is bone dry and fresh with subtle red fruit flavours and a pleasant creaminess from lees ageing.
Cortijo de la Vieja is situated on the slopes of Sierra de Gador, with magnificent views of the Mulhacen, Spain’s highest mountain, and other peaks on the Sierra Nevada range. Iniza’s estate comprises some 25 hectares of vineyards with a range of varieties: Syrah, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Garnacha and Tintorera for the red grapes, and Jaén, Vigiriega, Chardonnay and Macabeo making up the whites. Rainfall is scarce in the region and occurs mostly in autumn and the climate is dry in the summer, with hot days and cool nights. This temperature range makes the wines strongly aromatic, with concentrated colours and ripe tannins. It also keeps the vineyards optimally healthy.
Manuel Valenzuela was the first to establish vineyards at such heights, in a district called Costa-Albondón. Growers had previously been reluctant to go so high, resigning themselves to making rough, cloudy wines. He tells us his small vineyard called Cerro de la Monjas is at an altitude of almost 1,400 m (4,593 ft), one of the highest in Continental Europe. His home and winery, Cortijo Barranco Oscuro, is in Cádiar, Sierra de la Contraviesa, in the midst of the Alpujarras. He set out as a winemaker, some would say at great risk, using organic methods. He tried out varieties that were reminiscent of times past, such as the rare white Vijariego, which only exists in Granada and the Canary Islands. But he also tried his hand at some of the French and Italian stocks that are famous on the international wine-growing scene. His most representative wine is named after its altitude: Barranco Oscuro 1368. It is made from Garnacha, Cabernet (both Sauvignon and Franc), Merlot and Tempranillo.
Tres Uvas, an oak-aged split of Viognier, Vermentino and Vigiriega is funky wine with strong oxidative and bruised apple aromas. It is similar fino or manzanilla with its flor-like aromas except this has a touch of appley oxidativeness. Despite its weight it is intriguing and highly drinkable, a real sipper.
Cerro de Los Monjas is the literal and metaphorical peak of this winery. It has lovely dark fruit and expresses seemingly volcanic smoky-rubbery aromas from its low sulphur origins. The scent is tight and brooding and the wine is deeply tannic but refreshingly so and has savoury bright red fruit and acidity.
Bodega Cauzon is in the village of Cortes y Graena in the Alhama valley and the vineyards are at 1,000 m altitude. The nearest major town is Guadix, famous for its troglodyte cave dwellings.
The bodega is a mere 5.5ha of north facing vineyards at 1,000 metres altitude. Yields are around 2kg per vine (1,000kg per hectare), the Chardonnay at 600g per vine. Organic viticulture is practiced using only natural compost and fertilizers.
Grapes are destemmed and then pressed using a manual wooden screw press which extracts the juice very softly. Fermentation with wild yeasts lasts for around a month. No oak is used. Once winter comes, the wine is racked and then bottled without filtration. No sulphur is used. The white is a quirky blend of 30% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Viognier, 30% Chardonnay and 10% Torrontés.
Naranjuez lies on the northern slopes of the Sierra Nevada – Spain’s highest mountain range - in the province of Granada in south-east Spain. The winery is in the village of Marchal and the vineyards are at 900 m altitude on the banks of the Alhama river.
Antonio Vílchez is the spirit and soul of this tiny project. Wine was already in his blood – Manuel Valenzuela from Bodega Barranco Oscuro is his cousin – and having been influenced by the “natural” wine movement in France, he decided to start making wine in Granada in the late 1990s. He has two hectares in the Pago del Naranjuez, north facing at 900 metres altitude.
Winemaking is artisanal, using only wild yeasts and no sulphur. The wines are not filtered or fined.
Prisa Mata is a blend of Tempranillo (45%), Cabernet Franc (15%), Cabernet Sauvignon (15%), Merlot (10%), Pinot Noir (10%) and Garnacha (5%). Each variety is harvested and vinified separately. Maceration is for 6-8 days, alcoholic and malolactic fermentation is spontaneous with use of wild yeasts and no temperature control
Prisa Mata translates as “haste kills”...! a reference to Antonio’s (and most of Andalucía) philosophy on life.
Only 900 bottle of Pinot Negra (Pinot Noir) are made. From tiny yields, this is a remarkable Pinot with a cherishable elegance,
Hit-alians
Luca Roagna is a kind of intellectual traditionalist. Whilst his wines require patience they are rewarding if you are looking for the most delicious expression of great Nebbiolo. Aromatically, they are redolent of rose petals (a very Nebbish characteristic) as well as tobacco leaf, mushroom, buffed old wood, crisp red berries and leather, the flavours held together a ramrod straight seam of spiced minerality shooting down the length of the tongue to the back of the mouth where it lingers for a long time.
As Kate Thal writes so perceptively on her blog:” It is not just the complexity and the astounding elegance, but how every aspect fits so perfectly with another aspect, nothing superfluous or out of place.”
Montevertine is a small Chianti estate of eleven hectares, first planted in 1967 by Sergio Manetti assisted by legendary oenologist Giulio Gambelli.
By 1981 Manetti was finding the DOC Chianti too restrictive (producers were not allowed to use 100% Sangiovese and were required to blend in white grape varieties), so he decided instead to produce a premium Tuscan wine that he hoped would convey the terroir of his site, particularly with Sangiovese. Thus he withdrew from the Chianti Consorzio, and Le Pergole Torte Vino da Tavola was born. Today, his son Martino remains committed to developing Montevertine following his father’s recipe: 100% Sangiovese grapes, harvested late, fermented in cement tanks without temperature control, macerated on skins for 25 days, then matured in Slavonian oak for 18 months with a further six in French Alliers barriques.
Eric Asimov, the wine critic for the New York Times, wrote the following about Montevertine and it’s a sentiment we share completely: “Sometimes I fall in love with a producer from the moment I first taste his wine. I know, I sound gullible. But really, if you can sense a purity, a commitment, and of course deliciousness and complexity, why hold back?”
Le Pergole Torte is a profound soliloquy for Sangiovese. Named after the tiny 2-hectare vineyard from which it comes, Le Pergole Torte has one of the coolest microclimates in the region, giving the wine a shivering energy, a precision to balance the wine’s obvious power. Le Pergole Torte is only made in top vintages; it is always 100% Sangiovese. If there is truly tremendous clarity to the wine, an articulation of nuance - dark berry fruit, dried cherry notes, smoke, gravel - make no mistake, Le Pergole Torte is meant to age.
The plum-coloured Montevertine has a soft and approachable nose, somehow warm and cool at the same time with blackberry and cherry fruit to the fore, the ripeness offset by cool earthiness, then we move effortlessly into a palate of a lovely mouth-filling wine with a bloody, baked-plum pie quality studded with cloves. Like all great wines it has integrity, purity and a thrilling edginess that keeps you drinking and thinking.
These are super Tuscans, not Supertuscans.
Italian Miscellany
Add Matthia Barzaghi’s “Impronta”, a crisp single vineyard organic Vernaccia di San Gimignano, a high altitude low sulphur Fiano called Don Chisciotte made with long skin contact from Guido Zampaglione, an organic red wine from the Amalfi coast in Campania called Monte de Grazia Rosso from pre-phylloxera vines featuring the local Tintore di Tramonti, some truly funky natural Emilian fizz from Camillo Donati (bottle fermented without dosage, filtering, fining or added sulphur) made variously from Lambrusco, Trebbiano and Malvasia, and you have a teasing snapshot of Italy’s endless diversity.
Cramming in the Sardinians
Eight new agencies from one island – what would Lady Bracknell say? Sardinia has established a reputation for bruising, high alcohol wines, but search (search hard) and you will find some gems. For example, we adore Gianfranco Manca’s wines. His estate is called Panevino.
The vineyards are located in a remote region 75 km from Cagliari in Sardinia. The farm is five hectares and includes olive trees, corn and vegetables. The estate, founded in the 19th century by Gianfranco’s family, has been passed from father to son in the Manca family.
Panevino means ‘bread wine’, The Manca family called their estate this because of the implications of these two items in life. Gianfranco explains: “The daily things, essential things, simplicity itself, daily life turned into a celebration every day.” “I bring all this with me to the vineyard; I hoe it, I prune it… the vineyard gives me in return bunches of grapes, actually very few but concentrated ones.”
The terroir is light schists on limestone situated on windy slopes about 500 metres above sea level. These slopes experience dramatic temperature fluctuations and give the wines a particular freshness one wouldn’t necessarily associate with Sardinian wines. Vines receive only one treatment of sulphur and lime. No fertilisers are used (although their donkey “may produce his own now and then!”). Harvest is manual. The Mancas use biodynamic methods in their vineyard, but they are only currently certified for organic farming.
Winemaking is simple and old fashioned. Approximately three weeks fermentation ( in open vats outdoors under a tree). Fermentation is not controlled, quite hot- the ambient Sardinian temperature after harvest. All the Panevino wines are matured in large oak vats of between 8-15 yrs old for a period of seven months. No fining, no filtering, no acidification. ”We use only grapes and prayers”. Hallelujah!
Gianfranco makes four wines. Alvas is a blend of six indigenous white varieties, Tankadeddu is a thrillingly fresh mixture of young Cannonau, Monica and Carignano, whilst Vigne Vecchie, as the name suggests is old vines (inc 155 year old Cannonau). Girotondo (meaning children playing in circles) is a porty but portly wine. Grown in the same lime rich soil conditions as the Malvasia it is a deep heady red wine of around 17% A.B.V. It has become something of a rarity as local taste now prefer dry red wine. It is quite a sweet but with great depth and richness to the taste, (the 2008 vintage spends time on the lees inherited from the three previous vintages).
We have truly explored all sides of the Cannonau with versions from Giuseppe Sedilesu, Cantina Giovanni Montisci and Cantina di Orgosolo.
There are other grapes! Tenuta Masone Mannu make benchmark Vermentino di Gallura from the granite soils in the north of the island, whilst Attilio Contini specialises in the classic Vernaccia di Oristano, amber-hued, walnutty, sherry-style wines. Oh – and the hero of Mondovino, ninety (plus change) year old twinkly-eyed Battista Columbu, makes a deliciously, pure expressive Malvasia di Bosa. Knowing that this wine exists makes me misty-eyed at the sheer artisanal nature of the endeavour.
News from Down Under
We’ve always joked about the Australian sized hole in our list. The plugging process has started.
Bindi, located in the Macedon ranges, is described by James Halliday as “one of the greatest small producers in Australia.” The Pinot Noir is fine and complex with intensity, texture and marvellous perfume – more than you might hope to find from a young vineyard. The Chardonnay is also delicious in a subtly-oaked, understated yet complex style. All the wines are on slender allocation, alas.
Luke Lambert is part of a group of young Australian winemakers (including Timo Mayer) in the state of Victoria who share similar philosophies and call themselves “South Pack”. They believe in low chemical inputs in the vineyard, hand harvesting, wild yeast ferments, low levels of new oak, moderated alcohols, savoury palate structures and food friendly styles. Most of them have lived and worked in Europe, drink French wines at home and look as much to France and Italy for inspiration as to Australia.
The Yarra Valley Syrah comes from the “Rising Vineyard” located in the St Andrews sub-region in the north west of the Yarra Valley. Luke hand picks at 11.5 baume (which equates to a final alcohol of 12.5), which is staggeringly early by Australian standards. Luke believes in “happy healthy grapes” that do not need any manipulation in the winery. Fermented using wild yeasts with 60% whole bunches included. Bottled without fining or filtration and with a very low use of sulphur only at bottling. Luke believes that his wines mature better in barrel without sulphur.
Luke also produces a creditable Nebbiolo made from Heathcote fruit.
Timo Mayer believes that wines are made in the vineyard and therefore tries to interfere as little as possible. Mayer vineyard is perched on the slopes of the improbably named Mount Toolebewong south of Healesville in the heart of Victoria’s Yarra Valley.
Timo makes tiny quantities of wine from his 2.2 hectares of vines, which are mainly planted to Pinot Noir, with small amounts of Shiraz and Chardonnay. Timo says he is striving to make wines that are true to the expression of the land and have a point of difference. His winemaking credo is minimal interference and handling, and no filtration.
This Aussie toe-dipping is no mere tokenism. Already we have three other micro wineries for your (or maybe just our) delectation lined up. Watch this space.