Well, we are in Spring, sunny nice 13C or about 55F in my neck of the woods. Anyway, always good to bring the best of Wines news of France. By the way for the non Romans XLVII is no 47, First ,thanks to all my readers and/or followers since November 26 2010 of my blog! 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 you some news shall we. Hope you enjoy it as I.
Whether it’s toasting champagne to celebrate winning a gleaming call for projects or drinking a pint with colleagues as a Friday night decompression chamber, alcohol has long been an integral part of corporate culture. In France, in many sectors ,and mainly in the private sector, it is still commonly accepted that drinks between work colleagues cement team spirit, and contribute to the emergence of more or less brilliant ideas. However, read the law, according to a decree published in the Official Journal of July 3, 2014, the employer can legally prohibit any consumption of alcohol in the workplace. When it is tolerated, only wine, beer and cider are permitted, spirits and other strong alcohols being banned. The ban on afterworks does not seem to be on the agenda, and would undoubtedly be experienced as a deprivation of freedom by most of our contemporaries. If having a few drinks with colleagues does not reflect a priori a revolutionary spirit, the arrival of a new generation on the labor market tends to demonstrate that alcohol between colleagues would no longer be to the liking of the generation of our times. The peripheral intoxication of laborious hours will have been a chosen space of relaxation. But if it has long been a must, it now tends to become a choice, even an exception.Indeed I saw it coming in my work places where only the older collegues will go out and less often ; glad to be out of that wagon lol !
An American study tends to show that a real market for purchases under the influence of alcohol exists. drunkenness is known to bring minds and bodies together, and put it more prosaically, it promotes social interaction. Alcohol loosens tongues, gives confidence, transcends, erases imperfections, sometimes all at once and often in an illusory way. But this expression of euphoria, which easily slips into abuse, even addiction, would also possess unsuspected powers. Yes, getting drunk would make you more of a spendthrift, according to a 2019 study by US website The Hustle a transaction after a few drinks,(not me never) The study goes very far since it shows that clothes are the most popular purchases of these people who are victims of alcoholic oniomania, fairly evenly distributed between women (80%) and men (78%) working mainly in the sports, transport and energy sectors. But in a world where many problems are solved with a smartphone, it turns out that an application project has emerged precisely with the aim of avoiding these potentially regrettable purchases, called DrnkPay. The principle was simple, all you have to do is enter your bank card number and then set a spending limit and blood alcohol level using a connected breathalyzer. As when it comes to driving, one blows to know if it is possible to activate the payment. Problem, the project, dating from 2017, never seems to have seen the light of day…Oh well too dangerours for the mind lol !! Webpage : https://thehustle.co/
In seven years, the Bordeaux vineyards have experienced three major frost episodes: 2017, 2019 and 2022. We must add the 2020 and 2021 vintages: the results are less heavy, but in those years too, the alerts kept the winegrowers awake. Assessment of these seven years: the April frost has become an unavoidable risk, a phenomenon that no one had anticipated. The causes are known: A desynchronization of the weather and the vine cycle, milder winters and earlier bud bursts, Historically, the 2021 frost spared Bordeaux relatively… but Sauternes lost 80% that year of its harvest. the average yield has gone down, that’s for sure !! Mother nature now can’t seem to make matters worse for the good folks,
The Bordeaux Wine Interprofessional Council (CIVB) voted in favor of a plan for the sanitary uprooting of 9,500 hectares of vines, which will begin after the 2023 harvest, in particular against Flavescence dorée, a disease whose spread is favored by 1,800 hectares currently follow in the collective Bordeaux vineyard Viti33 association, The CIVB has not taken the measure of the “absolute and massive disaster that is underway”. According to the figures of the interprofession itself, nearly 40,000 hectares of vines are cultivated “at a loss”. The uprooting plan therefore only covers part of this figure and some winegrowers believe that a solution will have to be found for the remaining 30,000 hectares. Yes not easy to grow grapes and make wines these days,,,VT33 Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/p/Collectif-VITI-33-officiel-100088614607093
The CIVB magazine for news on Bordeaux wine : https://www.bordeaux.com/us/Bordeaux-Magazine-US/Journal
You heard about Tannins , they are one of the components of red wines (although they are found in very small amounts in some rosés and whites). They bring structure to the wine, material in the mouth. A tannic wine will be a wine whose quantity of tannins is high. This does not in any way predict the quality of the tannins. These can be of good quality. The wine will therefore be quite ample but silky in the mouth. This is the case, for example, of good Bordeaux wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon. Conversely, if the tannins are not of good quality, these will cause a feeling of hardness, firmness, astringency in the mouth (this feeling of dry gums that we sometimes feel). wines from Languedoc, Côtes-du-Rhône or South-West are more tannic than red wines from Burgundy, Alsace or Beaujolais. So check your tannins levels and will appreciate good wine better, Salut!
The Bordeaux vineyard lends itself perfectly to the cultivation of vines, red grape varieties (Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot) as well as whites (Sauvignon, Sémillon, Muscadelle, etc.), The originality of Bordeaux wines lies in the fact that these are, for the vast majority, blended wines, On the left bank of the Gironde and the Garonne, the soils are made of pebbles, gravel and sand, retaining heat and with excellent filtering power. It is on this bank that the great reds of Médoc are born, dominated by Cabernet-Sauvignon, the reds and whites of Pessac-Léognan and Graves, and the famous sweet wines with a golden robe of Sauternes and Barsac. . On the right bank of the Gironde and the Dordogne, the soils can be made of clay, limestone, sand, gravel, but all have a good draining capacity. They are particularly the land of choice for Merlot, the flagship grape variety of Saint-Émilion, Pomerol and Fronsac, which gives very colorful, fruity and charming wines. Between the Garonne and the Dordogne, the cool and humid clay-limestone soils are the birthplace of the lively and fruity whites of Entre-Deux-Mers. Thus, Bordeaux is available in the plural, red, rosé, dry white, sweet and syrupy wines but also crémants, for all tastes and all occasions.Simply, the best me think ! Bordeaux wines: https://www.bordeaux.com/us
From the limits of Burgundy to the Nantes coast, the Loire Valley is home to the largest vineyard in France. (my backyard!) The river was for many centuries the ideal means of transport for the wine production of the region, allowing exports to northern Europe via the Atlantic ports. The valley has many vineyards. From west to east, we find Muscadet (near Nantes), Anjou-Saumur, cradle of the Chenin grape variety, then Touraine with the appellations Bourgueil, Chinon, Vouvray, etc.(my second favorites) ; then come Orléanais, the vineyards of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. A very diverse set of 85 appellations and denominations over 70,000 hectares. Freshness and finesse are common to all Loire wines. The valley, listed as a World Heritage Site, is crossed by an 800 km wine route… A great opportunity for a getaway ! Indeed nothing better than a road warrior trip to these lands of castles and wines !!! Loire Valley wines: https://www.vinsvaldeloire.fr/en
It is in the venerable Vosne-Romanée appellation, in Burgundy, that one of the most radical projects in the contemporary Burgundy vineyard was born. This estate of 15 hectares of vines spread over 15 appellations of the Côte de Nuits is shedding wood to turn to ceramics, which in 2022 makes up all of the containers used. A wine must be good without artifice, indeed a small revolution, which may one day redraw the contours of the appellation. The Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux estate is located in Vosne-Romanée, on the Côte de Nuits in Burgundy. The Lachaux family owns the Arnoux-Lachaux estate. The grapes, which grow tall but in small quantities, are harvested by hand. The vinifications are traditional. the best cuvées are the Latricières-Chambertin Grand cru red 2018, Clos-de-Vougeot Grand cru red 2013 and Vosne-Romanée red 2017, Webpage : https://www.arnoux-lachaux.com/#!/en/
While most Girondin cooperatives were created between the world wars, or just after WWII, Tutiac is considered the youngest since it was created in 1974. This does not prevent it today today to surpass all its competitors in terms of the number of members with 520 winegrowers, and its surface area of 5,400 ha (about 13344 acres). The winery, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, is the leader in the Côtes de Bordeaux (Blaye, Bourg), the leading producer of white Bordeaux, but also the leading producer of AOC wines in France ! While most of the terroirs extend on the right bank of the Garonne, the distance with the vines of Sauternes wineries of only 20 members for a hundred hectares forced the organization to learn to work remotely and imposed the creation of a winemaking site on site, in Cérons. This is a great initiation property for new wine lovers to try, Webpage : https://www.tutiac.com/en/
The famous Le Figaro newspaper ran a selection of best rated classic wines and of course I had to pick my favorite properties forever and still doing great, Like I said, find a good winemaker and stay with him/her never wrong, My best Bordeaux wines rated between 95 and 100 points for the extraordinary 2020 vintage.
The Pauillac premier cru Mouton Rothschild and the second cru of Saint-Estèphe Montrose reached the holy grail of 100 points. Then in descending scores were the Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2020 ,As if wine were woven from a single thread of silk ! Château Lafite Rothschild 2020 The exquisite balance between acidity and fullness, Château Latour 2020 The bitter, tasty, serious salinity, Château Léoville Las Cases 2020 Supple but structured, concentrated but juicy, Château Margaux 2020 A huge bouquet of tulips of all colors, Château Beychevelle 2020 A spring delicacy, Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 2020 It suspends the time, Château Léoville Poyferré 2020 A divine, suave and sumptuous palate, Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux 2020 Enticing, tense, almost Burgundian, Château Brane-Cantenac 2020 Aromas of red fruits and undergrowth, Château D’ Issan 2020 The refined classicism of aromas Château Durfort-Vivens 2020 The mouth is pulpy, Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2020 A touch of luxury, Château Gruaud Larose 2020 A cashmere texture, Château Talbot 2020 An exceptional Talbot, Château Cantenac Brown 2020 A lot of class, Château Lagrange 2020 Come in, come in! Welcome ! Château Mouton Rothschild – Le Petit Mouton 2020, Smooth, voluminous and voluptuous on the palate, Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande – Réserve De La Comtesse 2020,Impressive, En vino veritas !!
There you go folks, another wine episode of my belle France! The wines news from France that is, superbe, sublime, wonderful, gorgeous, enjoy without moderation but accompanying a meal, family table just perfect. We are in Spring, see you in the vineyards of France
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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