Je m'appelle... & Other French Wine Laws...
Week Ending 12th June 2021
It defies belief that next weekend we will be at Mid Summer, but I guess that is just how time rolls these days…
It has been another action packed week.
Work is great, although now that temperatures are pushing mid 30s, it’s good to get the orders and pallets sorted by 10am.
Wendy & I met with Leanne Puy this week to tidy up the finer points of our Guardians of the Viniverse scheme - full details will be released to Guardians via email in the next week or so.
With just one week to go until our Club summer BBQ in Villeneuve, there is some organising to be done there too, but it’s all under control, and we are looking forward to seeing friends, Old & New next weekend.
Don’t forget, you can find the full history of Hope, and how she came to be HERE
Our next event - a vertical tasting and paired lunch in the company of the divine Nicole and John Bojonowski, sold out before we could even advertise it !! So I’m afraid there are no more places around the dining table; however, if you would like to join us for a pre lunch tasting of 4 vintages of Lo Vielh (which we expect to last around half an hour-forty five minutes) Club members are welcome to sign up for a token charge of 10 euros per person.
The tasting will commence at 12h - à table for those staying for lunch at 1245h
This brings me to the crunch of this week’s missive…
There are plenty of seasoned wine drinkers still labouring under the misapprehension that Appellation and Quality are the same thing. Be assured dear reader, whilst they are inextricably related, they are separate and independent entities.
The word Appellation is derived from the French word, S'appeler - to name or call ( je m’appelle, Kate) and its significance in French wine labeling is one that promises that the wine in the bottle; is made from grapes grown from the place on the label. Of course it’s not quite as simple as that (insert your own French bureaucracy joke here).
In Burgundy, for example, Appellation covers all THREE colours for still wines ( yes Pinot Noir Rosé IS a thing ) But… come on you knew there would be a but
AOC Burgundy and all Quality, Style and Price variations on a theme are 100% of something - most often Chardonnay and Pinot Noir admittedly; but the odd Aligoté wriggles in.
Those are the rules.
So NO complementary blending. Well, no not in the traditional sense ie: blending grape A with grape B to increase/decrease tannin/alcohol/acidity etc
The only component you have to play with is potentially different plots of the same grape.
Then you remember that some of the most expensive Burgundies in the world come from plots no larger than your grandad’s pocket square - and then your head explodes.
How does Burgundy do it ? Well that is the magic of Burgundy and perhaps one day we ( that’s Wendy & me) will be able to take you !
Fellow “Big Hitter” in the French Wine World - Bordeaux operates at almost the other end of the spectrum. With a core of well known, a number of lesser known,(rather charmlessly referred to as Accessory Grapes) plus a couple of new kids on the block.
AOC Bordeaux has a much larger list of “ingredients'' in its pantry … With the exception of perhaps Rioja,(and maybe Southern Rhone) Bordeaux is the King of understanding how complementary blending works in its favour. Cabernet Sauvignon grown in what was once a moderate maritime climate, is now increasingly aware of climate change.
Generic BDX which once upon a time, clocked in at 12 or 12.5%, is now routinely up around 13.5% and in particularly warm years even 14%, and generally possesses levels of tannin to match.
To horribly misquote William Congreve, this is why and where Merlot makes itself useful in taming the so-called savage beast.
When produced at high yield, and in the lab, rather than the winery, Merlot makes satisfactorily quaffable, low tannin, low end acid fruity wine. When BDX get a hold of it, limit its yield, allow it to ripen correctly, and treat it with a little reverence, Merlot becomes the best friend that Cabernet could ask for, softer yes, mellower, for sure, but without losing its sense of self identity (and respect) along the way. It rounds out Cabernet Sauvignon, making it more approachable - even in youth.
Largely (and a little unfairly) thought of as Now whilst the Claret connoisseurs amongst you are going to leap up and down muttering “ what about Pomerol” under your breath, the vast - VAST majority of wines labelled under one of BDX’s Appellations - are blends of at least two different grapes. Anyway, I think thus far, I have been extremely complimentary about Merlot ;)
So, in one famous winemaking part of France, varietal purity is the goal - whilst in another, the skill of creating a wine greater than the sum of its parts, is regarded as sublime. No wonder we drink so much New Zealand Sauvignon - at least you know what you’re dealing with !
But let’s hit pause for a second.
Do the constraints of Appellation stymie the style of the wine ? There is a strong and frankly winnable argument that says - YES.
Do the guidelines and regulations of Appellation hopefully mean wines of a consistent style from ‘any given region’ ? Erm well also YES and to be fair that can be a good thing in terms of reliability of purchase ie low risk for the customer.
It also upholds tradition, and I am all for maintaining both standards, and tradition.
But if your (for example) Minervois is actually a better wine with - purely for arguments sake - with 82% Syrah and 18% Grenache and the AOC limit is maximum 80% … what do you do ?
The options are in fact pretty straightforward.
- Fib. It has been known. Let’s all get over it and move on
- Declassify to IGP - upside less tax to pay. Potential downside is, well everything we’ve talked about so far. The popular misconception that IGP wines are somehow ‘less’ than those in appellation.
- Throw the rule book out the window, stick two fingers up to wine police and declassify by TWO rungs and simply label your product Vin de France.
- Oh I suppose you could actually make a proper 80/20 version - even if it’s not quite as good...
To come full circle ( I know this has been a lengthy journey this week, so thanks for sticking with me ) back to Clos du Gravillas and Lo Vielh ( hyperlinked in linkedin in case you want to visit the site ).
Nicole and John bought a parcel of old carignan vines when they first started their wine adventure together. It transpired that these vines were centenarians - they have seen not one, but two world wars, countless changes of government, and now, a global pandemic. It’s no wonder they have tales to tell.
The vineyard is certified organic, Nicole virtually ‘gardens’ her vines. The fruit from these vines is hand picked, the yield just 22h/l and carefully vinified then matured in large format barrels. To read this, you may well be thinking, ‘well this level of tlc sounds like it should be a Cru’...
Lo Vielh is an IGP wine. Believe me when I say look out for wines at this price point (circa E20) that are labeled either IGP or VDF. You will get an awful lot of ‘bang for your buck’
This tasting is being held on July 4th - yes, American Independence Day. Anyone interested in coming to the vertical … tasting only - please send an email to [email protected] as Woo is organising the reservations for this one.