When Jeff and I sat down to lunch in Magalas on September 15^th we chatted about all things Mas Coutelou and, especially, the changes which I have witnessed over the 12 years when I have been a regular; working, helping, visiting. Our discussion ranged over those changes, topics such as old vines, climate change and the essentials of winemaking. I recorded that conversation, here is my synopsis.

We started by talking about Jeff’s history at the domaine. He is the 5^th generation to be working here and there is an excellent interview with Jeff on France 3 in which he covers some of that early history. We started with the years 2004-7 when Jeff was working in Paris, teaching about wine at the École Hôtelière, whilst travelling back to Puimisson most weekends to help his father. What I did not know was that in those years the winery was losing a lot of money. The wine was sold mainly direct from the concrete tanks in containers (vracs) to locals, people passing by or restaurants and bars. Another year of such losses would have been unsustainable.

Jeff took the incredibly brave decision to make a career change, move back to the village and work full time on Mas Coutelou. He grubbed up 6 hectares of vines, started to sell the wines in bottle rather than vrac and began the gentle transition to natural winemaking. Fortunately for us the financial situation improved even though 2007 brought the financial crisis.

The first stage of improving the wines, and the winery in general, was to update the machinery and cellar. In 2012 winemaking equipment began to move forward, grapes were sorted by the case at the new érafloir (destemmer) shown in the top photo of this article. Sales were starting to take off.

2012 was actually a problematic vintage with stop start growth leading to uneven maturity of the grapes. 2014 (my first harvest) was a successful year, followed by the dream vintage of 2015 with excellent quality and quantity. 2016 was too hot, 2017 started badly but turned out OK. Those were the years where I was pretty much full time at the domaine.

2018 brought a horrible attack of mildew which devastated grape volumes. Mildew also meant that pickers at harvest had to spend far too much time sorting the bunches in the vineyard. As a result Jeff decided to invest in machinery to improve the harvest process, a sorting table (table de tri) and the cube which is the machine where the grapes are sorted even further, destemmed and sent to tank. Therefore, pickers had their job and other workers (usually including myself) would do the sorting and processing. Quicker, more through quality control which Jeff has no hesitation in saying has improved the quality of wine and efficiency of vendanges.

Covid year went ok in the end (not for me as I wasn’t allowed to be there), 2021 was fine, 2022 very good. And then drought years have arrived, 2023 and 2024 in particular but 25 and 26 to some extent. This is the issue which has exercised Jeff’s mind for the last ten years, how to deal with increasing temperatures in a very hot region and how to deal with drought.

Stage two was all about the grapes themselves. Jean – Claude (Jeff’s father) had planted Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, in demand in the early part of the century, but Jeff didn’t like either and grubbed them up before 2014. He had to anticipate market demand and climate change and his instinct was to move more production to white and lighter red wines.

New planting in Peilhan of grapes such as the Parellada (right) harvested for the first year

Jeff had always studied older varieties such as Castets, Morastel, Piquepoul Noir and researching many varieties he decided that he needed grapes with lower alcohol and acidity (such as Aramon and Cinsault, traditional Languedoc varities too) and also some bitterness (Clairette). Seven hectares of the domaine’s thirteen were replanted from 2019 to 2026. The white and light red grapes also had the benefit of maturing earlier so making fermentation less problematic. Ten years ago there were ten varieties now there are thirty two!

The 2023 drought brought a surprise to Jeff. Traditional thinking is that old vines cope better with heat and drought but the 25 year old Mourvèdre vines of Segrairals suffered badly, more than 30% of them were lost. Old vines have strong roots but Jeff thinks they can’t cope with heat stress as well as younger ones. He is also not yet convinced by hybrid varieties based on widespread tasting.

The wines from Aramon, Xarel-lo and Cinsault

90% of the vineyards have been replanted in twenty years. Planning for the future remains in the forefront of Jeff’s mind. Grapes suited to heat such as Bourboulenc and Xarel-lo have been planted, the latter has blossomed already. The traditional Carignan had begun to produce less and less good wine, often affected by Brett and volatile acidity which appeared after bottling when it’s too late to fix. So, it has been grubbed up, there’s no room for sentimentality.

Stage three was about the cellar itself. In 2012 there were 12 concrete tanks, including one which held 110hl, and a number of fibre glass tanks for fermentation. From 2013 -17 it was completely transformed, the concrete tanks remained but were divided up to offer more opportunities for precise, smaller scale winemaking. Stainless steel tanks replaced the fibre glass, they can offer more control of temperature for example. The old stone floor was covered, easier for cleaning and moving around. The huge, unused old press which took up lots of space was removed. The roof was lifted and a mezzanine built in, offering easier access to the tanks, storage space and an office. The pictures above show these changes.

The cellar roof being lifter to install the mezzanine now holding concrete eggs, steel tanks.

New types of container arrived. Jeff tried lots of wines from amphorae and, for his taste, many gave off earthy, clay notes. However, he found an excellent Spanish wine, researched the origin of the amphora and bought two. They take a lot of effort to prepare but the results are worth it.

The range of barrels was also reviewed. Jeff knows they can produce special results, tasting a Coutelou 2016 Macabeu in New York this Spring he was delighted by how mineral and fresh it tasted. He is now researching barriques which have been previously used for spirits such as cognac though not for the mineral, dry whites which he prefers. The foudre mentioned in the last article is another alternative for him to use as he feels appropriate.

Tasting wines from elsewhere also influenced Jeff to buy concrete eggs. The shape of the egg means that the wine inside is in perpetual motion and suspension and he thinks they work particularly well with more reductive varieties such as Macabeu. After 6-8 months the wines are ready to bottle but the shock of going from a large egg to a bottle means that Jeff leaves them in storage for a year or more to settle down.

He has also researched making wine in glass but the space they need and the risk of breakages means that he hasn’t ventured there yet.

Looking ahead Jeff continues to be most worried about climate change. It was 35c on the day we chatted in mid September, no respite from the long, hot summer. The diary of his great great grandfather (see the video above) showed that harvests are now a whole month ahead of a century ago. Those earlier vendanges mean warmer grapes and increased risk of bacterial problems like Brett developing. The early cold days of autumn used to help stabilise the wines, now those days hardly ever arrive. So, with the 3 stages described above, he hopes to have done everything he can to cope. Adapt and be resilient!

Finally I asked Jeff about a saying he told me back in 2014 at my first harvest. A great wine demands three things, grapes, work and love. With all that he has done in the years since then Jeff Coutelou has certainly put in the work, has done everything possible to produce beautiful, balanced grapes. And with the love he shows his vines, wines, the people who work with him and customers he deserves the rewards for all that devotion.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about our conversation, some of the views and opinions might have surprised you as they did me, for example about old vines. The overall message though is that whilst we look back with pride and enjoyment we look forward too, preparing for the future, trying to give nature every chance to prosper.

Article #499

And so, just like that, the picking is done, vendanges over. Thursday 3rd brought another good mix of grape varieties and from different vineyards. It started with Macabeu, perhaps the most planted of the white grapes now along with Clairette. This was from the Sainte Suzanne extra vineyard given to those 2 varieties. The Clairette we picked on Monday. As I said then the Macabeu had suffered a bit after a wet winter did not allow pruning and treatments until May. It was headed straight to the direct press yet there will be good wine from it no doubt.

The pickers then moved a short distance to my favourite vineyard, Rome. Rome is planted with 40 year old Cinsault along with all three colours of Grenache and different types of Muscat. The Cinsault was excellent, the older vines producing smaller bunches and berries but with more flavour and concentration. The white grapes were mixed in, a complantation or field blend, a wine of place rather than grape variety.

In the afternoon the pickers moved to Rec D’Oulette and the Carignan Noir. Last year this was, in my opinion, the best of the bunch so to speak, lovely fruit which came as a surprise to Jeff Coutelou who had been thinking of grubbing up the parcel. Unfortunately this year the Carignan showed that 2025 was not to be repeated. This used to be a success story, producing the excellent Flambadou wine which I love as it ages. In recent years though mildew in both forms has damaged the vineyard more than most and that is why Jeff may well now get rid of the vines. The grapes were small and there were a few bunches showing oidium (powdery mildew). This was the pick which had to be sorted most carefully through the vendanges.

About a thousand vines remained, Muscat, Grenache Gris and various whites. However, the work was now based in the cellars. The grape juice is in tanks. The whites head to stainless steel, the reds to cement tanks and on to stainless steel. Fermentations follow and the wine is moved to be aged in various vessels, amphorae, concrete eggs, barrels or remaining in steel. Watching the yeasts at work is always fascinating, transforming grape juice into delicious wine.

So, Jeff, Flora, Gils will be hard at work with pigeages and soutirages, making sure the wine is getting full benefit from the skins and grape must. They will be moving wines from one tank to another, making sure that dead yeast cells and the leftover skins and stalks are left behind and removed. The glamorous work of picking is over, the hard work of vinification will be longer and harder in many ways.

An empty concrete tank to the left whilst the chalk boards show the development of the wines and their fermentations in the others. To the right is a basket press for smaller quantity wines. In the foreground a marc pump, very forceful and noisy which shifts not just juice but the skins and stalks too.

Cinsault, Aramon, Mauzac. Three of the grape varieties we harvested on Friday and Saturday. What they have in common is their juicy character. Despite the drought and heat of this summer they produced big bunches of full grapes, that is their nature. Aramon, of course, was the workhorse variety of old Languedoc known for making large quantities of low alcohol wine. Cinsault is thin skinned and has to be harvested at the right moment or it will become soft and disease prone. So, why did Jeff Coutelou choose to harvest these parcels first? He decided to do ‘vendanges à l’ancien’, old fashioned harvest.

The other main crops, Syrah, Grenache, Carignan are not so generous and they have responded to the weather by producing small berries. Jeff wanted to bring in a good supply of base wine from the juicy grapes which might be used to blend with these more frugal grapes to provide quantity as well as quality. By bringing them in early they should also add acidity. Since they will ferment soon they could also serve to kick start fermentation if there are any problems. The grapes are generally lacking acidity and have low nitrogen levels because of the heat and drought. Jeff has concerns about fermentation as a result.

The team is generally experienced and familiar. Jeff’s niece, Flora, plays a growing role in the winery and is busy all day in the cellars, working on the wines. She is aided by Pièr who was here for last year’s harvest. He is the son of Loire vigneron Jean Christophe Garnier, providing good knowledge and enthusiasm. Gils has been working for Jeff for many years now. Jean Jacques and Marie who worked harvest last year are also back this year alongside me in my 13th year. We are joined this year by Clarence, son of Carole Andrieu from Clos Fantine, more experience, knowledge and youthful energy. Abdellah joined us on Saturday and we will receive new help from others in the coming week.

Two long days in high temperatures were a tough start but that base of good wine is in tank. Let’s hope for more in the coming days.

Some interesting reading of recent months is worth sharing I think with my comments added, not so interesting.

Emotio is a wine business offering digital and web based support to the drinks industry. I read their 2024 end of year report and saw that yesterday this had been updated on their website by Damon Segal. It is interesting because it follows up some of what I wrote last time about the decline in wine sales. The article says that though value of wine sales in the UK has risen the actual number of wine consumers has fallen by 12.5%, much higher than I expected. That is particularly the case with younger consumers who are turning to beer, cocktails and gin rather than wine. Depressing reading for those of us who are wine nuts and want to share their passion.

On the other hand there are some interesting trends in wine consumption. Encouragingly the main one is towards sustainability, drinkers seeking out low intervention and organic wines. Music to my ears, of course, though I do recognise that there are some outstanding conventional wines out there. People are also buying more online, increasingly drinking their purchases at home, purchases which are moving up in quality. That said supermarkets are still dominant and bulk wine sales form the backbone of wine sales. Even there though labels are starting to recognise the value of storytelling with label information, tying in with the Dariusz Galasiński article I quoted last time.

Amongst other trends: sustainable packaging such as lightweight bottles and alternatives such as bags, boxes and cans; low and no alcohol wines (this writer sighs deeply); English wines expanding their share of the sparkling wine market in particular; tax rises and supermarket offerings such as the excellent M&S Found range are encouraging consumers to experiment with new wines.

Elsewhere it has been widely reported that consumers across the world as well as the UK are shifting preferences towards white wines from reds. I looked at my own purchases and, once again, I am not on trend though regular readers will recall that most of my favourite wines of 2024 were white wines such as Edetaria’s Finca La Terrenal and Domaine Aux Moines’ Savennières Roche Aux Moines and, putting my money where my keyboard is, I have purchased some more of these.

I have also reported that I do believe that increasingly the most interesting wines made by Jeff Coutelou are his white wines, such as Macabeu, OW and Clairette. Indeed, he has expanded the plantings of white grapes including Spanish varieties such as Xarel-lo, Parellada and Malvasia de Sitges. That change is, of course in response to climate change in the region with increasing drought and heat.

Climate change or chaos has also been the focus of much of my reading this year. Journals such as Nature Reviews Earth and Environment and the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment give clear warnings about what is happening and what might follow. It reports:

• Traditional wine regions are found in mid-latitudes where grapes can ripen with a little struggle. If the global temperature rises by 2° then 90% of coastal and lowlands regions of Spain, Greece, Italy and southern California will likely be unsuited for wine production (though cooler regions such as England, Tasmania, Washington State will benefit)
• Winemakers will have to adapt to warmer climate conditions in the choice of grapes (like Jeff’s whites), methodology such as different vine pruning and training and, more controversially, irrigation
• Increased temperatures will advance grape phenology, ripening in the hottest part of summer and harvest will be still earlier (already 2-3 weeks earlier than 40 years ago). This will affect grape aromatics, ripeness and maturity
• Reduced yields because of drought
• Damage increases from new pests and diseases and unpredictable weather episodes such as hail and heatwaves

Bleak predictions and yet all too credible given the presidency of Trump and that BP has announced they are moving back to investment in fossil fuel rather than renewable energy.

Another interesting read with an article by Julia Harding MW on Jancis Robinson’s website. It points out that much of the vocabulary around wine is ‘daft’. Many of the descriptors such as gentle and optimum are meaningless without context. In particular though words such as sustainable and clean are often used to describe wines. Is this virtue signalling rather than the result of meaningful work in the vineyard and cellar? In my view (and I know Jeff agrees) certification such as Ecocert or Demeter offers the consumer proof of genuine environmental responsibility on the part of the winemaker in vineyard and cellar. Using words on labels does not unless it is backed up by such proof.

And finally.. climate change may be boosting the English wine scene but will it help me to grow vines in North East England? For my birthday I decided to try and received two vines. The grafted vine is Bacchus, the white variety I think is English still wine’s best. The non-grafted vine is Regent, a hybrid red grape grown in Germany and England giving deep, musky notes. I’ll update on their progress, planting will not be for another month and I doubt much will happen this year. Orders for future bottles are not being taken!