Old vintages — Paroles de vignerons - Vinparleur

Vintage Story Part 2 - #Champagne J.Vignier

Permalink, by Champagne J.Vignier

After diligent consideration, we have taken the decision to baptise our vintage champagne and giving it a name like all our other cuvees. Henceforth, this wine that some of you know as being simply labelled “2008”, will proudly bear its history and origin as cuvee “Deux Terres” (Two Terroirs).

To make this champagne, two vineyards, two terroirs were chosen in 2008: One in Cramant at the Côte des Blancs, the other in Barbonne-Fayel at the Coteaux du Sézannais. Both vineyards are genetically connected through a mass selection done by our mother Marie-Paule in 1967. She actually selected shoots from the vineyard in Cramant and grafted them to plant the vineyard in Barbonne-Fayel. To date, this is the only champagne where we blend those two origins.

Despite the changing of the name, this wine will always be crafted in exact accordance to the traditions of vintage champagne: A single vintage, without reserve wines, only made in years that come up with grapes of exceptional quality in both the Côte des Blancs and the Coteaux du Sézannais.
The taste of the past millennium - Minervois Syrah Les Aspres 1999

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

In the nineties, the wine world was very different from now. While in 2015 the whole world runs after minerality, freshness and lean wines, you would rather have tried to transform the massive sound of NIRVANA into wine, to impress the audience and critics some 20 years ago: Overripe grapes, massive extraction, 12 to 24 months aging in new oak barrels ... Wine making according to the motto “more is ALWAYS better”!

Ironically, the last year of the millennium did not meet these expectations. People said it was a cold, rainy and rather small year and they were all glad to leave the century right after. But they were wrong, of course. Just as the world of wine is always and continously wrong, when classifying wines like cloth sizes: large, medium, small ... As if all winemakers, vineyards and bottles in the world would bend to this rough classification…

But let’s return to our Syrah from the year 1999. It is a varietal wine, fermented and aged in wood, not only showing dense flavors, but somehow also managing to unite the entire minerality of its terroir in the bottle (believe me, “minerality” already existed in 1999). What does it look like? Slightly cloudy eye, rather orange than red. Fine, perky nose of prunes, cocoa, cinnamon and cherries. Also some pipe tobacco. Velvety mouthfeel, tannins as delicate as lace, remarkable acidity, bringing in zest and strength. An endless finish, in which sweet bourbon vanilla joins the bouquet.

FOOD MATCHES FOR CARNIVORES: Roasted game birds or smoked foie gras. Nothing else!
FOOD MATCHES FOR HERBIVORES: A non-salty black olive tapenade, chocolate with an extremely high cocoa content and low sugar, a fireplace.
A GOOD GLASS OF... PIERRE´s SYRAH LES ASPRES 2004

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

A slightly blurred colour of garnet red with a brownish tint at the rim of the glass...It looks like a precious rarity found at antiques shop. An intense fresh nose, showing aromas of cherries, prunes and raspberries and furtheron developing fragrances of marzipan, dried blossoms and undergrowth. In addition several mushrooms, a trifle of pepper and the scent of old books, similar to vanilla. That´s a lot, II must confess, but its an impressive wine.
On the palate: Mellow and well structured thanks to pleasant silky tannins. Fresh, straight, sensual, full-bodied, again with cherries, spices and chocolate.

A wine inviting you to spend a rainy evening, comfortably in an club chair, burying oneself in the adventures by SHERLOCK HOLMES.
A good glass of... Champagne Paul Lebrun Millésime 2004

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

This Champagne offers a very charming view : golden coloured and bright, with fine bubbles climbing up to the surface in a regular and disciplined way. It’s the characteristic look of a Champagne that has ripened well. Its very intense and charming bouquet shows dry apricots and raisins, as well as some hazelnuts and caramel, underlining the creamy character of the wine. The bubbles perfectly play their role, giving zest, continuity and length. A generous Champagne for gourmets, to be savoured for an aperitif or a fruity desert.

PS. Give it a try on old Parmesan cheese. Absolutely mind-blowing!
Gigondas 2004 tasted by Jeb Dunnuck

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

Crème de Cassis and spring flowers!

When visiting the region earlier this year, Jeb Dunnuck from the Wine Advocate took a close look at the 2004 vintage in Gigondas. Here are his impressions on our wines:

Santa Duc Tradition 2004
Easily one of the top estates in Gigondas, Yves Gras’s Domaine Santa Duc produced one to the top wines in 2004. His straight 2004 Gigondas is a blend of 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah and the rest Cinsault that was aged in foudre and large oak tanks. Coming from a variety of terroirs, it offers a rich, meaty profile with notions of spiced meats, roasted herbs, sappy spring flower and assorted cherry and dark berry fruit all emerging from the glass. Medium-bodied, nicely textured and balanced, it’s a solid effort that should continue to drink nicely through 2019.

Santa Duc Prestige des Hautes Garrigues 2004
The top wine of the estate and a big step up, the 2004 Gigondas Hautes Garrigues comes from 50- to 80-year-old vines located around the estate and is a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre. Aged in a combination of new barrels and tank, it sports a still inky purple color to go with awesome aromas and flavors of creme de cassis, toasted spice, licorice and hints of charred beef. Full-bodied, vibrant and pure, with fantastic depth and concentration that hides ample underlying tannic grip, enjoy this knockout Gigondas through 2024.
Sweet dreams from Languedoc: An advocacy for Cartagène wines

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

You may know a different name for this type of wine: Ratafia, Floc de Gascogne, Pineau des Charentes...
What do they all have in common? They are all so-called liquor-wines (vins de liqueur), traditionally called “Mistelles” in France, made from fresh grape must. Different regions, different names but a common tradition: Prevent the must from fermenting by adding brandy or pure alcohol (up to 16 %vol - 22% vol.) to the fresh must.

Thereafter, the fortified must is laid to rest in big glass bottles or in oak barrels for several weeks, months or even years. In fact, these types of wines sometimes show an amazing aging capacity. I had this experience only a few weeks ago, when a friend told me to come over for a tasting of a long-forgotten bottle of his cellar. The label was completely gone, but he knew that it had been there for at least 16 years. Besides the syrupy, golden and amber coloured aspect of the wine, the real surprise came up when I plunged my nose into the complex bouquet of the wine: heaps of fresh mirabelle, delicate fragrances of white flowers, acacia honey, some dried apricots, as well as raisins and rum…

Though, thick and full-bodied on the palate, it showed astonishingly crispy acidity, that carried the well known aromas of the nose, enriched by some sweet oak flavours, towards a very long final. A genuine taste bomb! A wine to savour on its own or together with some noble products, like chocolate, a Tarte Tatin, blue cheese or cigars.

Still having the after-taste of the wine in my mouth, I can only regret the loss of the tradition of making liquor wines in France, as not that long ago, almost every cellar produced these wines as a by-product. So if you are amongst the happy-ones, who still have some old and forgotten Ratafia or Cartagene in your cellar, be sure to plan a tasting with some good wine loving friends soon!
Old grape varieties and ripe wine – Les Mal Aimés 2003 from Pierre Cros

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

These days, we drink less and less old and ripe wines . A study of the Wine Enthusiast in 2011 showed that “the vast majority—something like 90% or more—of wine purchased in this country (USA) is being consumed within 48 hours after purchasing”. You are right, this study is about the US wine market, but wine-drinking behaviour might be similar in all western countries.

In any case, there is always something exciting about opening an old bottle of wine you somehow forgot in the cellar. Even more, if it’s a bottle made from old grape varieties, that not so long ago had a reputation of being “unworthy” and “bad” . For more than a decade old grape varieties, have proven their quality in this cuvee called “Les Mal Aimés” (The unbeloved).

As expected, the wine shows a light orange-red colour and a slight depot. The nose is rather intense and complex, with smells of plums, smoke and herbs, as well as some spices and light fragrance of elder blossoms. Smooth on the palate, still with crispy acidity and velvety tannins coating the palate. Generous as a 2003 wine should be, it finishes on savoury stewed black fruits. A wine you should taste in silence, late at night…
Power and Terroir – Les Aspres 2005 from Pierre Cros

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

Watch out, this wine immediately grapes you by the throat! It’s a wine that doesn’t know any compromises… He smokes, this wine, blond tobacco with the heavy perfume of sweet, oriental spices: Vanilla, cinnamon, star anise… Cooked fruit, macerated in alcohol, smooth and powerful at the time. A playful wine that spreads its fragrances like cards on your table. Not lacking elegance, he presents himself in a honest and self-confident way through his clear acidity a firm, tannic handshake. Nevertheless, he always speaks from the heart, with charming smells of liquorish and sandalwood.

You always should watch the serving temperature of this pure Syrah, like for every great red wine. 16°C seems to be perfect to calm its power and ardour. I savoured this wine with some black Bigorre porc and on a smooth Brie de Meaux cheese. Delicious! But this wine doesn’t necessarily have to go with food, it perfectly stands on its own. Drink now or leave it another couple of years in your cellar.