amarchinthevines

Simon Bertschinger explaining his wines and sharing his passion for them

It’s always good to discover new wine domaines in the area and Mas Sibert was recommended to me by Dominic George at Le Wine Shop in Pézenas, well worth a visit in itself incidentally.

Mas Sibert is in Fos, a 3 ha domaine run by Simon Bertschinger and Sara Frémine. They produce natural wines (with tiny amounts of SO2 added before bottling) with clear freshness, terroir and complexity. They are clean, well made and use unusual grapes for the region such as Merlot, Petit Verdot and Sangiovese, hence they are bottled as Vin De France.

The wines, the rosé is already sold out

They also have a bread oven and in summer they make bread and pizzas on Sundays, something I shall definitely be looking to profit from. A domaine to follow as Simon’s work in the vineyards will continue to enrich the wines. He is looking to plant new white grapes (from older cépages) and they will take time to come on stream but I look forward to trying them. Simon used the word ‘passion’ many times in describing his work and wines and it shows in the glass. He is also realistic, has not tried to overmake the wines but lets the terroir and it’s grapes speak for themselves. He has built the cave so that gravity helps the movement of the wine during production rather than pumping.

A very interesting display in the cave showing the soils and natural treatments using plant teas eg nettles, horse tail and ferns

The barrels used for Soléno have been used for 4 or 5 wines before so are used for a little oxidation and complexity rather than oak flavours

I tasted 3 reds:

Armélot 2013 Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot – Clean, fresh, rich and smooth but the Syrah adds nice spicy notes.

Fosénot 2013 Syrah, Sangiovese, Merlot, Petit Verdot – The Syrah shines with clear fruit but it is the Sangiovese which adds the interesting acidity and fresh cherry flavours. Very good, my personal favourite.

Soléno 2013 Merlot, Petit Verdot, Syrah. More Petit Verdot here than Armélot, the Bordeaux varieties get some oak ageing in old barrels for complexity. It had a light colour and structure but carries a real weight. Good and will develop with time.

Did I like them? Well I bought some so yes I did!

It actually snowed in Fos, hence the coat. I enjoyed talking with Simon as well as tasting his wines

January 29, 2015
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Clues to times past

New post here.

January 23, 2015
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Mas Coutelou 2014

‘Proof’ that drinking Mas Coutelou wines is good for you

en francais

The assemblage for the 2014 wines is well under way, the wines are settling in tank for some of the well known cuvées such as Classe and Vin Des Amis. (Above are glasses of richly coloured Vin Des Amis). Both are delicious already and in the few days since I first tasted them they have shown development as they marry together. The fruit and freshness which characterise Mas Coutelou wines are evident and there is a marked concentration which shows that the wines will mature well.

Jeff has published his vintage report for 2014. Winter, spring and early summer were exceptionally dry (less than 150mm or 6 inches of rain in the 9 months to the end of June) and at that moment Jeff was far from sure that he would be able to harvest any grapes. Some relief came from a summer which was not too hot and peppered by storms. However, the vines had to dig deep into their reserves of energy in order to produce grapes. Troubles continued with some storms towards the end of harvest time and then the Marin wind with their warmth and high pressure meant that through the autumn and into December the wines in tank were not able to truly rest. It was a difficult year in short, a reminder that nature rules the life of the vigneron. Indeed some local producers have seen their crops virtually wiped out by hail and mildew so the wines that Jeff has produced are to be even more cherished.

Nevertheless there are some drawbacks. The harvest was smaller especially for Syrah, (down by 40%), Carignan and Mourvedre. Syrah is a major part of many Coutelou wines so Jeff has had to improvise and make the most of what he has. The lack of Mourvedre may mean that one of his popular wines ‘Sauvé De La Citerne’ will not be made. In addition the effort made by the vines means that they would benefit from a rest and yet this winter (thus far) has been so mild that they are starting to show signs of producing buds even in January (débourrement). Instead of resting they are starting to work hard already.

The wines I tasted from tank are marked by concentration and minerality. The vines had to push deep into the soil for water in the arid early part of 2014 so they have drawn up minerals from the soil’s depths. The mineral flavours are evident when drinking. A difficult vintage has produced some highly promising wines but in smaller quantity, so guard what you already have and appreciate the quality of the new wines.

Two wines to note.

PM, the rosé, is already gorgeous, full of fruit and perfume yet dry and absolutely delicious. At only 11% alcohol it is a wine to drink and enjoy.

A new wine made from old Cinsault, Aramon, Oeillade and Muscate. Tasted from tank this was already sensational, a red wine with grapey, perfumed scents and deep, concentrated red fruits. Can’t wait to see how this develops.

Jeff will be showing some of these new wines at a couple of tastings in the next 10 days, in Montpellier and the Loire. Today Jeff put the bottles together for those tastings, including some corking by hand. Nothing was easy about 2014!!

Taking Classe from tank

Bottles prepared

January 19, 2015
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Winter

(Version française)

Back in Margon after a few weeks back in the UK, it was good to see family and friends again over Christmas. It was good to hear of many of them enjoying Mas Coutelou wines with their Christmas meals.

Santa was generous so I have new books to read. Hopefully I shall learn something to help brighten and enlighten this blog.

Jeff assured me that last week the temperature in the Languedoc reached 20C and he was working in the vineyards in shirtsleeves. Sadly, no sign of that this week.

The vines are resting through the winter weather as you can see in these photos taken in Aloxe Corton on Sunday morning. Burgundy, of course, is much further north than Margon.

As we went for a walk in the vines (as opposed to a march in the vines) the pruning work I described in December showed clearly. Below are examples of all 3 types of pruning I described then.

Guyot trained vines. The long right branch attached to the wire will provide grapes in 2015. The cut branch will provide fruit in 2016.

I came across these cordon trained vines which are clearly older and very sturdy. They will need further pruning!

And finally we saw this really wizzened and elderly vine growing in classic Languedoc gobelet style.

So the vines are resting but I know that work for the vigneron is continuing. More pruning, assembling the wines from last year’s harvest and more vineyard work which I shall report back upon later in the week.

January 9, 2015
by amarch34 2 Comments

January

Version française

Janus was the Roman god of the doorway, protecting the householders within by looking out on their behalf. January is the month named after him as the god was looking back to the old year and forward to the new year. 2015 has begun tragically in France and we could do with starting it over again. However, we live two lives the public and the private and life goes on for most of us as it ought to do.

I posted in December about pruning in the vineyards and that is very much the principal activity of January too. Vines need to be cut back and the wood (sarments) removed. Some of this wood may be mulched and used for fertilising and enriching the soil. The rest may well be burned and this would certainly be the case if there had been any disease in the vines. The photograph below shows vineyard workers burning sarments in Burgundy in December.

As I said in December pruning is very repetitive, monotonous and back breaking work. In January vignerons need to wrap up warmly to protect them from the cold. Well, that would normally be the case except at the present time in the Languedoc where Jeff tells me that today saw temperatures over 20C and that he is in shirtsleeves!

Meanwhile, strange weather patterns apart, the vines remain sleeping. From the falling of the leaves in autumn (late autumn in 2014!) until the buds break in spring the vines are resting and can withstand temperatures down to about -15C. Pruning means the vines are better prepared to produce healthy grapes in the year ahead. The photograph below shows how some vignerons (in this case in Burgundy) plough soil up next to the vine to help to protect them from frost, a process called cavaillonage.

January 22nd marks the nominal midway point between the falling of the leaves and bud break. It is also the feast day of St. Vincent, patron saint of vine growers and winemakers. Many wine fairs take place around St. Vincent’s day and indeed, France’s biggest organic wine fair (Millésime Bio) will take place from January 26th to 28th in Montpellier, an event I shall be attending. I am looking forward to it immensely. Wine fairs and feasting around the midway point of winter are no doubt a great way for winemakers and vignerons to relax amidst the cold, cruel days of pruning.

Legend has it that St. Vincent’s donkey showed the benefits of pruning. As the saint was talking to vineyard workers his donkey ate the new shoots from the vines. At first annoyed by this the workers noted later in the year that the vines nibbled by the donkey actually produced more and better grapes. Pruning worked!

I am not sure that the story is much consolation to those with aching backs and freezing fingers but January is a month which prepares the way for better days ahead. Let us hope that is true for the vines and for all of us in these troubled times.

January 8, 2015
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December 31, 2014
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Happy New Year

Speaking personally 2014 has been an amazing year.

It started with me in the depths of ME, at times unable to remember my name and physically unable to walk more than 200m or so. Whilst ME is a condition which will remain with me for some time it has released its grip to a large extent.

Summer brought early retirement and the end of 33 years of teaching, a job I loved but retirement has been a revelation. Most importantly it brought me the opportunity to live in France, my childhood dream, plus the chance to spend time with Jeff Coutelou, my friend and star winemaker. The ensuing 4 months brought many laughs, much enlightenment and learning about a subject I love. I have enjoyed observing and participating in the wine harvest of September, the process of winemaking and, above all, spending time in the vineyards learning about soils, vines and nature.

So for my New Year resolutions.

2015 will bring me the opportunity to find out about how the vineyard changes through a calendar year from pruning, grapes developing and ripening through to harvest. In the cellar I hope to learn about assembling the finished 2014 wines, bottling them and preparing for harvest 2015.

I shall be attending a number of wine tastings starting with Millésime Bio in Montpellier at the end of January. I hope to visit lots of new and favourite domaines and report back about the best of them.

Meanwhile I hope to travel round more areas of France and continue to enjoy the Languedoc Roussillon.

And, of course, to continue to write my blog. Than you so much for reading it and I hope that the New Year brings you health and happiness. And lots of good wines, most notably Mas Coutelou.

December 23, 2014
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Merry Christmas

May I wish everyone who reads my blog a very happy Christmas. Almost 3,000 readers in the 4 months only which the blog has existed is way beyond what I expected. That those readers come from 62 different countries is even more so. That half my readers have been in France is another boost, perhaps they are all laughing at my translations!

Most of all thank you to Jeff for inspiring and educating me and for your patience. And,of course, for the wonderful wines.

Just as these tanks and cuves contain so much to look forward to I hope that you will look forward to reading about the events and happenings at Mas Coutelou as vintage 2015 unfolds.

So, cheers and Merry Christmas.

December 16, 2014
by amarch34 3 Comments

Terroir

Version française

I posted this photo recently showing a contrast between the vineyard of Jeff Coutelou on the left, with grass growing between the vines and separating his vineyard from that of his neighbour who uses herbicides and chemicals which an organic producer does not want on his/her land.

I mention it again because as we travelled north last week to celebrate Christmas and New Year in the UK I was reminded of the clichéd but nonetheless relevant French word terroir. There is famously no direct English translation of the term, it means the soil but also the particular climate, aspect, position and subsoils of the vineyard. The French have said for years that terroir was what makes their wines special whereas New World wine producers were more willing to say that great wines come from great grapes and great winemakers, they often would call a wine by its variety, eg Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay, rather than by where it came from. In recent years the argument appears to be won as Australia and other countries have begun to look to terroir to identify their best wines too.

As I travelled through Burgundy last week the terroir issue sprang to mind. The region is made of many vineyards, of which large numbers are tiny and even they are (usually) divided between numerous winemakers. It is the region of terroir par excellence. The following photo shows Les Malconsorts a 1er Cru vineyard in Vosne Romanée. You can see different parcels of land clearly divided. Wines from one parcel will taste different to those from another. Terroir advocates will tell us that this is due to changes in soil, angle of the land facing the sun, drainage etc. Others would say it is more to do with the winemaker, the way s/he tends the soils and vines and how they work in the cellar.

La Grande Rue is another Vosne Romanée vineyard but this time rated even higher at Grand Cru status. It is owned wholly by one estate and the wines cost well over £100 a bottle. Yet look a few metres to the side the wines are worth half of that as they are not Grande Rue. This is the price of terroir or is it the expertise of the producer Lamarche which merits that premium?

Clos Vougeot is a famous vineyard which has multiple producers working inside its walls. The prices vary from around £55 to £400 depending on the producer.

My take on it is that terroir is hugely important. Vineyards which are well looked after and have good climate, soils etc should produce good wine. However, a good winemaker has a role to play and can make average vineyards produce very good wine and good terroir into a memorable bottle.

Jamie Goode wrote this on the subject and sums it up very well in my opinion. I hope these photos might help to illustrate why.

“I reckon terroir deserves to remain at the heart of fine wine. It’s the soul of wine, and like the soul, it’s very hard to define, but that doesn’t stop it being of utmost importance.”

Jeff Coutelou works vineyards which are traditionally not in the best of places. The work done by his father and by himself has helped to hugely improve that terroir. Combined with great winemaking this is why his wines take pride of place, like this display I came across in a Troyes restaurant / wine bar last week.

December 8, 2014
by amarch34 2 Comments

A walk in the vines (2) – Pruning

(En français)

Travelling around the area, or walking as I was when I took the photo above near Magalas, scenes like this are everywhere. It is pruning time for many viticulteurs. This is known as taillage (or prétaillage when the vines are prepared for a later pruning in the new year). Vines are freely growing plants and if left they would grow too fast, produce too many bunches of grapes which would become increasingly small and lacking in flavour. They would also be more susceptible to diseases such as mildew which would kill the vine in a matter of 3 – 5 years.

Pruning therefore is necessary to ensure that the vine produces an optimum number of bunches to enhance flavour. In the case of the viticulteur in the photo who obviously uses a lot of machinery it makes access to the vines for later pruning and treatments easier as the cut vines are trained along the lines of wires which support many vines.

The pack on the man’s back is for battery powered secateurs, making the job easier than manual cutting though it is still back breaking work.

Different viticulteurs will use different systems of pruning. This might depend on the age of the vine, the particular vineyard topography and her/his own traditions.

The classic method is known as Guyot, named after the doctor who studied viticulture in the 19th Century. There are variations but Guyot pruning usually means pruning the vine to 2 branches (sarments). One of these is cut short leaving only 2 buds (bourgeons or yeux), the other is longer with around 6 buds. The longer will be the part of the vine to produce grapes in the next harvest, the shorter branch will grow this year and be the fruit bearing sarment the following year. This allows space along the vines for air to circulate to avoid disease.

Guyot

Guyot pruning

Another system which I have seen commonly used in the area is Cordon de Royat. Here the vine is shaped with 2 branches reaching horizontally in opposite directions (but always along the row). Each branch will have 4 to 5 buds for the development of grapes the next harvest. The advantage is that the bunches will grow at a similar height making work and harvesting easier.

Cordon de royat

In the Languedoc Roussillon region the hotter, drier climate, together with frequent winds, means that disease should, in principle, be less of a problem that damper regions such as Burgundy or Bordeaux. Many viticulteurs prefer a less interventionist method than training the vines along trellises. Vines often grow like small bushes, especially varieties such as Grenache and Carignan. Jeff Coutelou prefers to use this method known as gobelet as much as possible.

Gobelet vines

However, there is one other decision which viticulteurs must make. When to prune?

In principle pruning can be done all the way from the harvest and leaves falling to bud break, around 4 – 5 months in total. Leaving it late has a number of advantages such as avoiding problems with frost or drying out and avoiding problems of wood disease such as esca, which is an increasing threat in France. Many prefer to prune when the sap is starting to rise in the early spring, an old saying goes. “Taille tôt, taille tard, rien ne vaut la taille de mars.” (Pruning early, pruning late, nothing is as good as pruning in March)

As I said I have seen many people out pruning in recent weeks. This could be for simple reasons of habit or because as wines quietly ferment and work their magic in the cellars the winemakers have time now to get into the vines. Smaller producers who must do everything themselves might decide that earlier pruning suits their timetable best. Some also like to burn as soon as possible any pruned wood which might have been affected by disease. Jeff prefers a later pruning and so work will begin from January through to March, I shall report later.

Pruning is seriously hard, repetitive and dull work but it is an essential part of the viticulteur’s year.