And the days are getting hotter in my neck of the woods, Time to bring the best of Wine news of France. First ,thanks to all my readers and/or followers! Spring is in full swing, and looking forward to Summer already ! Time to plan work around the house and get it done by September , Oh yeah, the wines of France are just super simply awesome and a great tradition. Often imitated, some time equaled ,but never surpass! Let me give some news shall we; hope you enjoy it as I.
In the vineyards, Muscat brings together between 150 and 200 different grape varieties. In the wine world, the most common is Muscat blanc à petits grains. It is also one of the oldest grapes grown for wine. In France, it is already cited under Charlemagne for the quality of its production. It originated in ancient Greece, where it is still used today for sweet wines, including the very popular Muscat of Samos. It is found in Germany from the 12C under the name of muskateller, but also in Italy, with the noscato of Asti, in Switzerland, in the Valais, and as far as Hungary. The Muscat of Alexandria is another famous variety. Spread by the Romans around the Mediterranean, it is found today as far away as Australia where it bears the affectionate diminutive “lexia”. In France, it is mainly used in blending, especially in Roussillon. In Spain, it is used to produce moscatell, in Portugal, moscatel de Setubal. And it is naturally found in Italy, especially on the islands of Sicily and Pantelleria, where it produces sweet straw wines (whose grapes dry on a straw mat). There is also Syrian muscat, Cypriot muscat and many others that are not very present in France. Muscat Ottonel, finally, is much more recent, created by a hybridization of Muscat and Chasselas in the mid-19C. Today, it is used in Alsace, in blends with Muscat à petits grains, to produce Muscat d’Alsace, a dry or sweet wine depending on the harvest date. Muscat represents seven natural sweet wine appellations in France: Muscat de Frontignan, Muscat de Lunel, Saint-Jean-de-Minervois, Mireval (all in Languedoc), Muscat de Rivesaltes (in Roussillon), Beaumes-de-Venise (in the Rhône) and Cap Corse. So what do all Muscats have in common? They are generally sweet or syrupy wines, with low acidity, which can be recognized by their “muscate” aromas. Very intense, they would evoke musk, but are recognized above all by very characteristic scents of flowers and fresh or dried grapes, as close as possible to their original fruit.
Even if the time difference is unexpected, no less than thirty-six centuries separate, historically, the first written mentions of the word “wine” from the expression “rosé wine”! It was indeed from the 23rd century BC that the obscure Sumerian sovereign Ouru-Ga-Gina, king of Lagash, had a scribe write the word qualifying our favorite subject. However, it was not until the year 1300 that two scholars, the Dominican Jofroi from Waterford (probably Irish), and the Walloon Servais Copale, put down on paper, in old French, the first mention close to the expression “rosé wine”, The Church tries to reserve the darkest juices for the liturgy, in the name of the sacred principle of transubstantiation (the wine presented to the faithful should have, if possible, the ruby color of the blood, that shed by Christ); until the 13C, Christianity in fact communicated under both species, bread and wine. The landscape changes when a shrewd merchant invents a more stable, deeper color, which constitutes the ancestor of the current red wine: it is the “new French claret” , formalized in Ho-Bryan (Château Haut-Brion) by a certain Arnaud de Pontac. The great vineyard of Argenteuil (near Paris) is credited with the invention of the expression via the rosaceous juices obtained then by the assembly of the meunier, meslier and morillon grape varieties. At the same time, the grammarian César-François Richelet made enter the expression into one of the very first dictionaries in the French language, Dictionnaire françois, containing words and things (1680) ! Voilà for rosés !!!
The Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences of Bordeaux judges dry and sweet white wines to be exceptional. The red wines do not have the level of intensity and concentration of the three previous vintages, but there are great successes on both shores. Oenologists taste “exceptional” dry white wines. The cool summer maintained good acidity and preserved the aroma precursors. “The Sauvignon Blancs, in particular, are brilliant. Despite high levels of malic acid, they are ripe, with a chiseled profile and intense aromatic expression Semillons have sometimes suffered, on light soils, from a form of dilution, but on the best terroirs they are slender, tasty and fragrant. Meager in quantity, the harvest of sweet wines 2021 can however reach an amazing level of quality. As is often the case, the Merlots suffered more from the gloomy summer and the late stunting, particularly on the light soils. If they are fruity, correctly colored and supple, the large size of the berries, a singular characteristic of this year, is felt by a frequent lack of concentration in the middle of the mouth, Cabernet-francs from the right bank are considered very successful. The high pressure episode at the beginning of October made it possible to postpone their harvest and they took full advantage of it. “Perfumed and velvety, they play an important role in blends, Colourful, fresh and aromatic, Cabernet Sauvignon wines have serious tannic structure and good depth, especially on great gravelly terroirs. In response to frost, hail and phytosanitary damage, yields vary greatly from one cru to another, and even sometimes within a property. This is for harvest year 2021. webpage: http://www.isvv.u-bordeaux.fr/en/the-isvv/latest-news-from-the-isvv/2341-le-millesime-2021-a-bordeaux-faits-marquants-et-specificites.html
Michel Reybier on the one hand, the businessman, at the head, among other things, of the Domaine Cos d’Estournel, in Saint-Estèphe, the Jeeper champagne house, the La Réserve luxury hotels and activities related to the better living in Switzerland. On the other, former San Antonio Spurs player Tony Parker aka “TP”. The second joins the first to relaunch the domain of La Mascaronne, a small wine gem, in Luc, in the Var and also to give a boost to Jeeper, the champagne housed in the purse of Michel Reybier. In 2014, Tony Parker became the majority shareholder and president of the Asvel Lyon-Villeurbanne basketball club, then in 2017 of the Lyon Asvel women’s club. He acquires the company that manages the ski lifts of the Villard-de-Lans ski resort. It is found in the world of horse racing. He has a coaching activity for former sports professionals “because, five years after the end of their professional sports activity, 60% of them are on the street”. He creates an academy for 105 children in Angola, intends to invest in other African countries…Again, one more star in Provence, already loaded with the Brad Pitts, Kylie Minogue, George Lucas, Ridley Scott and other George Clooney run their properties as savvy entrepreneurs and shed global light on the southern vineyards. Michel Reybier knows Provence. “I have been living in Ramatuelle for forty years. The region is great, it has many more qualities than California’s Napa Valley and is at least as attractive as Tuscany. Great places have sprung up here and this is just the beginning.” webpage : https://www.chateau-lamascaronne.com/en/
The Kylie Minogue cuvée from Château Sainte-Roseline has arrived, The Australian star unveils the new wine she signs with Château Sainte-Roseline, the Kylie Minogue cru classé cuvée, presented as “a great gastronomic rosé”. More info : https://www.routedesvinsdeprovence.com/en/vineyards/chateau-sainte-roseline/
Jean-Louis Escudier is one of the world’s leading oenologists A long-time researcher at Inrae and an expert at the OIV, this oenologist became famous in China with his book From oenology to viticulture. The Chinese went faster. In the Chinese Napa Valley, in Yantai, Escudier is received like a Nobel Prize. The first edition of his book, co-authored with ecophysiologist Alain Carbonneau, received a resounding 1st prize there. Precisely, the two friends publish in March an updated edition of their opus. The book, soon to be translated into Chinese, takes stock of the latest innovations in viticulture and oenology…His book showing at FNAC : https://www.fnac.com/ia398316/Jean-Louis-Escudier
The Champagne house Nicolas Feuillatte will present Collection Organic, its first organic cuvée in its Parisian setting. From April 25 to 30, the Parisian boutique Nicolas Feuillatte 254 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré will be changing green, offering a decor and an immersive experience. Webpage : https://chezorganic.nicolas-feuillatte.com/home
The cross of Charlemagne, emblem of the hill of Corton and of the entire Côte de Beaune. The building had been smashed by a very ill-inspired sportsman…He received a mission from heaven and did not shirk: Louis-Fabrice Latour swore to raise the Cross of Charlemagne on the hill of Corton. In its exact place, under the grand cru Languettes, facing Beaune. And on May 5, 2022 , he will keep his word. There is something sacred in there: the Hospices de Beaune had offered it to the town of Aloxe in 1943. Which has since sold it to the house of Louis Latour, the first owner of Corton. Challenged by passers-by in Beaune, Louis-Fabrice Latour never hesitated. He mobilized the best craftsmen to restore the beloved cross. With a will to raise the monument before the summer, in the presence of all the winegrowers. Great sight !! Maison Louis Latour webpage: https://www.louislatour.com/en/maison-louis-latour/historic-winery
As the demand for white wines is on a gentle slope up, the Luberon has chosen to bet more on color with a palette of grape varieties and a fresh and saline style. Whites already represent 23% of volumes (10% on average in the Rhône Valley), a relatively stable figure, but benefiting from a potential of around 30%. The Luberon would like to achieve this in the medium term with new plantations but also by recovering some of the white grape varieties used in rosés, in particular Rolle. The AOP, which extends over 36 towns in the south of Vaucluse, has many white grape varieties, those coming from the northern Rhône valley such as Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier, rather in decline, those from the southern Rhône, grenache blanc (more than a third of the appellation) and Clairette (10%), the Provencal Rolle (27%) and Ugni blanc (18%) but also Bourboulenc , Found always some nice white whites here of good price/quality ratio. The Luberon wines webpage: http://www.vins-luberon.fr/en/
Let me tell you a bit of a story as this property was found in the Vannes wines fair of the last two years held (except the virus year), The Château Tour Birol , great timing as just got it delivered this afternoon April 22nd my batch of purchases of the Les Remparts de Birol and the Hommage aux Roy, all malbec grape base and superbe !! Now on the property ! Damien and Anaïs, son and daughter of a line of winegrowers, passion in the soul of this profession, diplomas in viticulture and oenology in hand, respective professional experiences have made them become young winegrowers through the acquisition family of Château TOUR BIROL, a 12-hectare wine estate in the heart of the Côtes de Bourg appellation, 45 km north of Bordeaux, which benefits from a privileged exposure on the southern slopes of the AOC. From their know-how and terroir was born a very varied range of wine, favoring the selection of plots, in order to obtain quality wines. One of the characteristics of the estate is before “the” Côtes de Bourg grape variety “Malbec”. The wines will combine pleasure, festivity and elegance that will seduce both ladies and gentlemen. Chateau Tour Birol, EARL Labiche Courjaud 4 Passage de la Jaugue, Birol, 33710 Samonac , Today, the estate covers 35 hectares of privileged land with the original property was built in 1850 by a Bordeaux archbishop who came to take refuge in Samonac to flee the French revolution. As soon as they arrived, the monks identified a particularly favorable location for the vines and planted vines to produce their wine. The town of Samonac on the Tour Birol castle: https://samonac.com/chateaux-viticoles/chateau-tour-birol/
There you go folks, another wine episode of my belle France! The wines of France that is, superbe, sublime, wonderful, gorgeous, enjoy without moderation but accompanying a meal, family table just perfect. See you in the vineyards of France.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
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