Vintage 2015 — Paroles de vignerons - Vinparleur

A good glass of... The only Touriga nacional from France #wine

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

A famous, Portuguese grape variety that originally grows in the areas of the Duoro and Porto, and of which there is only onesingle vineyard in France. A true rarity. The vineyard is located in the Minervois and was planted on some 2,4 acres of rocky and dry soils near Carcassonne by Pierre Cros in 2001. From the beginning on, the Touriga has felt very well under the warm sun of the “Midi”. The grapes were put on the ground in the first years to strengthen the young vines and to make life easier for them in the barren terroir. The dark grapes giving an intensely coloured and flavoured juice were harvested for the first time after six years.

From the starting point, the wine revealed the strong character of the grape variety and continues to do so, as shown by the 2015 vintage I recently tasted. Juicy red and black fruits, elderberry, cherries, as well as a of smell natural wood, liquorice and smoke. On the palate, the wine is surprisingly soft and round, of creamy structure but with a peppery taste, fresh acidity and spicy chocolate flavours.

A wine that makes me marvel, every vintage again. Apart from its originality, it also is an excellent table companion, as well as serious candidate for eight to ten years of cellar aging. By the way, the 2014 vintage was exclusively filled into Magnum bottles, while an elegant “Alsace-style” bottle was chosen for the 2015 vintage.

FOOD PAIRINGS FOR HERBIVORES: Roasted vegetables for sure, whole-grain penne with cinnamon-flavoured, deglazed carrots, parsnips and shallots, but also an ash-ripened goat’s cheese.

FOOD PAIRINGS FOR CARNIVORES AND PESCETARIANS: Veal wrapped in Parma ham with sage, smoked quail with broad beans and roast potatoes, salmon fillet with sweet peppers.one
Between the vines and the sea, between Pierre and Toan

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

You don’t need to travel to New York to meet good wine and rappers. Both can actually be found in the Minervois. It didn’t take more than an encounter between the winemaker Pierre and the rapper Toan to find the name and the history for the new Cuvee Domaine Pierre Cros.

The wine is an equal blend of Syrah and Mourvèdre, fermented and aged in large wooden tanks, with an intense and full bouquet: wild berries, raspberries, blueberries, mixed with cinnamon and black pepper. An unusually fresh and cheerful fragrance for this otherwise more serious grape varieties. Crispy and fresh in the mouth, round like ripe fruit and with subtle, pleasant sweet tannins.

We recently drank the wine well cooled to round off a warm late summer evening. Delicious! But the wine will feel especially comfortable at your table or in the cellar to age a couple of years.

FOOD MATCHES FOR HERBIVORES
An eggplant casserole will remind him of his home, a vegetarian lasagna will bring him to advantage, a risotto with caramelized carrots, fresh boletus mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan will honour him.

FOOD MATCHES FOR CARNIVORES & PESCETARIANS
As a young wine, he loves grilled meats and roasts. In autumn and winter would love to warm himself up on a fresh mushroom pan with bacon or on a hearty stew. Fish lovers should try fried pike perch with bacon and capers.

SOUND MATCH
Man vs Machine - What to decide for grape harvest?

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

No later than when the crop is at the door, you have to face the question of how the grapes should be picked. While hand-picking is generally regarded as of high quality, the machine never truly got away from her reputation of being as delicate as a “Sherman Tank” from WWII. The decision for one or the other type, however, is based on a variety of factors: technical, practical, economic or even philosophical. Here are some facts and suggestions.

Homage to the machine

The machine is on average three times faster than hand picking and therefore less costly. In addition, it can be used day and night. Apart from the additional time savings, the night-picking offers cool temperatures, which may be beneficial to the making of white and rosé wines.

Similarly in case of a pending weather disaster, speed is an important factor to prevent total crop disaster. But you have to invest a certain amount to own such a harvester. To buy a machine, it needs some 150 to 200 thousand euros and also requires additional work to adapt it to the vineyard: Select the appropriate pruning and install trellis wires, make trained personnel familiar with the machine, wait for the best ripeness, avoid rot (because the machine picks up everything) ...

Dedication to hands

The hand-picking still to enjoys its reputation of being an “honest” and “socialising” operation. People from everywhere come together to work in the open air, share food and wine and generally have a lot of fun. Manual harvesting preserves a millennia of old craft and furthermore contributes to social life in rural areas.

From a technical standpoint, handpicking allows screening rotten grapes. This is a very important point, because the quality of the crop generally is reflected in the wine. When whole crop fermentation has to be done, such as in the widespread carbonic maceration of Beaujolais and the Mediterranean area, a mechanical harvesting is no option, because only the human hand is capable of harvisting entire grapes.

Happier those who have no choice?

Sometimes external circumstances leave no choice to the winemakers. Hand-picking may be prescribed by law, as in the production of champagne or Crémant. In other cases steep terrain and terasses exclude the use of a machine. And last but not least, as the average retail price lays somwhere between 4 and 10 USD per 750 ml bottle, decisions are sometimes simply made by the accountants...
Meet a completely free #Cahors! Château du Cèdre Extra Libre 2015, without added sulphites

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

Black like a real Cahors, some purple hints are to be seen on the rim of the glass. It has an intense, quite complex nose full of black currants and other ripe fruit, with pleasant herbal notes and spices. Extremely juicy, it reminds of a fresh coulis of red and black fruits in the mouth. And while the wine softly fondles our cheeks, a zesty freshness underlines the precision of the crispy tannins, giving a lot of length to the wine.

A piece of roasted lamb, a few caramelized figs, a spicy and creamy polenta... No culinary restrains in any case! The perfect wine for “Here and Now”, which will, however, come up with some surprises after a few years of quiet rest in the cellar.
Great White from the southern #Rhône - Domaine Santa Duc Les Grands Calcaires

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

If the reputation of the wines from the Rhône Valley mainly relies on great red wines, the whites from this region have conquered the heart of connoisseurs for a long time. Rather rare and sometimes even precious, those wines mainly surprise by the freshness and minerality that accompany her most effusive perfume. In the vineyard as in the cellar, the production of these wines requires utmost attention and precision. Yves Gras opted for organic farming years ago, the soils are ploughed and particular attention is payed to a balanced maturity and healthy grapes. Fermentation is done in the steel tanks in order to preserve the pure expression of the grapes. The name of this cuvée invokes the oldest soil types of the Rhone Valley, the calcareous subsoil. Mostly overlaid by several meters of alluvial soils, limestone rocks extends to the surface in some places however. It’s from this limestone, that the wines draw their mineral acidity.

This wine is made strictly according to traditions of the Rhône. Therefore, several varieties are processed to produce a so-called blend. For the most part made of Mediterranean varieties - Grenache, Picpoul, Ugni Blanc, but also Bourboulenc and Clairette white – the wine can and will not deny the influence of Viognier, originating from the northern Rhône. Intense and plentiful in the nose, with flavours of peaches, apricots and cinnamon, as well as a dash of green lemons. Pleasant and elegant, the wine particularly convinces by its tense and crispy acidity, embedded in mellow softness and exotic fruit flavours.

It will perfectly entertain you during an aperitif! Incidentally, it is outstandingly compatible with fried prawns, grilled fish and ripe goat cheese.
The whites from Château du Cèdre in #Cahors are available!

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

The grapes for this wines, produced only in small quantities, come from vineyards next to the winery. The Cèdre Héritage, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle, surprises by its lightness and its crispy acidity, proposing a wide range of fruit flavours. A wine full of fun, but not without depth, that you may enjoy with raw or grilled fish, a fresh summer salad or goat cheese.

The Le Cedre Blanc is almost a myth. A proud country wine from the Lot, 100% Viognier, fermented and matured in large oak barrels. Behind its bright, golden color it hides a complex bouquet, with fragrances of roses, apricot and lychee, as well as subtle wood flavours. On the palate it comes up with force and body, ending on a round and mineral final, accompanied by a hint of violets. A white wine that likes to age for a couple of years and appreciates the company of scallops and fine cheese from Burgundy.

Furthermore, these two white wines from the 2015 vintage even keep a little surprise for us: both have been fermented and matured without any addition of sulfur. Only a small amount of sulfites has helped them to pass the shock of bottling.
Today we are sitting in the shade, sipping rosé #wine!

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

Personally, I mainly drink rosé wine to relax. I rarely ask for more than to keep me happy (but maybe that’s a mistake ...). I have been drinking Pierre’s rosé for years, perhaps even for decades, because it does exactly what I’m expecting. This rosé amuses me. Sitting on a terrace under a parasol, or in the garden in the cool shade of a tree, I’m already enjoying its pale color, promising a crispy fresh taste. Peach syrup in the nose, with a zest of grapefruit and a handfull of strawberries. Pleasant and delicious! Juicy in the mouth, with exactly the freshness I was looking for, and the pleasant light aroma of fruit candy. With this, I’ll have some slices of raw ham, goat cheese with olive oil or some mussles.

This really makes me feel good! Give it a try…
#Cahors vintage 2015: It’s a beauty!

Permalink, by Château du Cèdre

Spring began with very mild, even unusually warm temperatures and a rainfall deficit in April and May. An exceptionally sunny June provided perfect conditions for flowering, followed by 60 mm of rain in the middle of the month. The weather remained nice until the longed for rainfalls (without strong thunderstorms) in the middle of August. The vineyards were enjoying perfect health and despite of some rainfalls early September, the grapes ripened under best conditions.

Picking of white grapes began on September 15^th, the reds followed on September 24^th. Crops were still healthy with moderate sugar contents (13.5% vol. on an average) and gave us balanced and mineral wines, full of promises. A vintage with great potential.