Summer has arrived and with it a new trip to France. A journey south to Coulobres and Jeff Coutelou in Puimisson of course but time to stop off in various parts of eastern France and rediscover areas not visited for many years if at all. Time also to meet up with friends such as Steeve who worked with Jeff for a year and a half before returning to work in his native Jura region.

In the next few posts I will describe impressions of regions such as Champagne’s Cote des Bar, Jura, Burgundy and Beaujolais as well as the wines and winemakers I encountered, established and new.

First stop was the Cotes de Bar. Timing was poor as this was a busy time in the vineyards with producers raising their vines on trellises. I had hoped to visit Val Frison whose ‘Lalore’ was my wine of the year in 2022. Unfortunately Val has given up and sold her stocks too, disappointing but I wish her well. Other producers were busy but I squeezed in visits to a couple of organic producers, Horiot and Cheurlin. Both offered pleasing wines.

It was interesting to see the infrastructure used in the region to combat the frost risk after years of damage. Windmills to keep air moving around the vines are dotted around the hillsides but even more noticeable are the pipes. These are not meant for irrigating the vines but to spray water over the vines when there is a Spring frost to protect the buds. Water freezing releases heat, 1 gram of water produces 80 calories and this small amount of heat keeps the plant safe.

This part of Champagne is not a tourist trap like Reims and Epernay but with towns such as Essoyes, with Renoir’s house, it was well worth a visit.

Next up, the Jura.