Paris1972-Versailles2003

Again back at you with the best of wines news of France. By the way for the non Romans LVI is no 56, The wines of France are just super simply awesome and a great tradition. Often imitated, some time equaled ,but never surpass! Therefore, let me tell you some news shall we. Hope you enjoy it as I.

The exports of French wines and spirits fell in 2023, a “gentle landing” after two record years but also “an alert” recalling “the constant need to adapt” to consumers. Sales abroad of French wines, champagnes and cognacs fell 6% in 2023 to drop to 16.2 billion euros. This sector represents the third sector of trade surplus of France after aeronautics and cosmetics. The year 2023 was marked by strong inflation, which weighed on household budgets according to the Federation of Exporters of Wine and Spirits of France (FEVS), in a press release. In some countries, particularly in the United States, sellers have reduced the stocks they had formed, and therefore imported the prices of exported bottles less to increase the drop in volume, which has reached 10% In 2023 the United States remains by far the first buyers of French alcohols, even if their imports fell by 22% in value. The United Kingdom, the second market for France, exports stabilized (+1%), while towards China, third market, they flexed 6%, with opposite trends: -20%for wines ,but +3% for spirits, which benefit from the reopening of places of post-Covid consumption. Exports to the European Union stabilize, with a slight decline to Germany (-1%) and Belgium (-1%) but an increase to Switzerland (+3%) or Italy (+4% ). Webpage : https://www.fevs.com/en/

Chanel strengthens his presence in wine with the acquisition of Lavinia by the merchant Ulysse Cazabonne, It is a network of renowned cellars which has asserted itself in the last twenty years as one of the key players in distribution. A stone’s throw from the Madeleine Church in Paris where the cellar was well established, (and where I came to know it and shop) ;it is today at 22 avenue Victor Hugo, in the 16éme arrondissement, that the brand highlights two major sections of the Vigneron world: the Large houses and their famous labels in the basement and the winegrowers that go up as well as more confidential cuvées on the ground floor , It has five wine bars established in France, Switzerland and Spain, and an online interface offering more than 6,500 references, The giant of distribution founded in 1999 by Thierry Servant was able to take from the edge of the 21st century the turn of digital transformation and e-commerce. Also, today by acquiring Lavinia, the old house of Ulysse Cazabonne, today owned by the Chanel group which also has four domains Rauzan-Ségla, Canon and Berliquet in Bordeaux and the Domaine de l’Île en Provence, It will take advantage of the power of Lavinia to diversify its sales, highlight the wines of its properties and extend its network which already covers nearly 75 countries. Webpage : https://www.ulysse-cazabonne.com/notre-maison/nos-racines/

Et webpage Lavinia : https://www.lavinia.com/fr-fr/

In 2008, the iconic couple of Hollywood Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie crossed the Atlantic to live the Provençal dream and acquire Château Miraval. After having married there in 2014, the domain today estimated at 500 million USD, is at the heart of their divorce. Initially , Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were respectively owners of the domain at 60 % and 40 % , and acquired through their company Quimicum, later had sportingly estimated that Angelina and Brad were to be shareholders in equal parts. Thus, he offered her 10 % of his shares against $ 1 symbolism. Such an agreement may seem anecdotal; However, the non-payment of this sum counts among the arguments that allowed Brad Pitt to obtain these days winning before the Luxembourg court. Because, after his wife sold his shares to the Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler, (yikes!) ,the owner of the Vodka Stoli brand, the case has become more complex. Eager to remain in control of his property, the now 60’s something Brad set out to demonstrate that the 10 % of the shares granted graciously to his wife at the time of their marriage were no longer worth it and that she had sold them without his agreement, The Luxembourg Court, the country of origin of the company via which they acquired Miraval, gave him the case, pending a future final judgment, according to information reported by Var-Matin newspaper. Brad Pitt advantage therefore, but dealing to follow.,,,webpage : https://www.miraval.com/

After the rosé, the Domaine de Léos of Patrick Bruel is launching a white wine, still in partnership with Maison & Domaines les Alexandrins, and announces an ambitious wine tourism project in Isle-sur-La Sorgue. Domaine Léos, singer-actor Patrick Bruel, who baptized his property of the acronym of his two sons, Léon and Oscar. After two vintages of rosés, Léos in collaboration with Nicolas Jaboulet, co-founder of Maison & Domaines les Alexandrins, has just launched a white in Mediterranean IGP predominantly Grenache white assembled with Clairette, de la Roussanne and a touch of Bourboulenc . The field produced olive oils, honeys, thyme confits, jams, aromatic herbs, a range of cosmetics based on olive sheets … and wines from the 25 hectares planted, Léos could have claimed its wines in appellation Ventoux but the two partners found the box too narrow and that of the Vins de France too wide and not localized enough. The IGP Mediterranean was the right choice because the name speaks internationally and is associated in the south of France, Patrick Bruel gave his rosé and white cuvées the first name of his mother Augusta. Webpage : https://www.domainedeleos.com/en/

The Extra-Brut Solessence Champagne of J-M Sélèque, This Solescence cuvée is patina over time, the 2019 base is even better integrated. The meunier appears with his cookie and floral side at the same time. It is a beautiful wine that is vinous and complex. A beautiful cuvée of situation at the table with an assembly, 50 % Chardonnay, 40 % meunier, and 10 % Pinot Noir, Vinification in stainless steel tanks (60 %) and oak barrels (40 %) for 10 months. No collage or filtration. 50 % perpetual reserve Sublime ! Webpage :https://www.jmseleque.fr/en/cuvees-2/

Discover the unprecedented bottle of “Majestueux” or Majestic, the new vintage of Château Angélus, This past February 13 2024 on the occasion of the Wine Paris show, the representative of the eighth family generation unveiled the bottle created specially to honor the 2022 edition of this essential on the Bordeaux right bank , Despite the drought, the property said have never seen as round, and intact with the ability of their oldest Cabernet Franc from 70 to 100 years old to overcome water stress. Their energy, their minerality, their beautiful depth and liveliness mark this vintage. In 2022 three hectares of Merlot on a cold clay soil that completed the estate. Since 2007, they have been a 50% owner from Château Bellevue north of Angélus. The plot was split in two, and we recovered 100% of the Merlot. It is therefore the first time that these Merlots have returned to the assembly. This results in minerality and an almost telluric resonance. Bottled eighteen months later, the wine will not be marketed until November of this year 2024. In the meantime, there will be the tasting of 2021 and the presentation of the primeurs 2023. This new story of Angelus is also illustrated by the arrival of a new generation of chefs at the controls of the Cadène Logis, their restaurant in Saint-Émilion, and at Gabriel in Bordeaux. As well as the creation of the 1544 Ferme in Saint-Loubès.Go Angélus ! Webpage : https://www.angelus.com/en/

In 2023, the Comité Champagne or committee can thus be proud to have won a great victory in China, where the Champagne appellation was already recognized, but where it obtained the status of “notorious name” which offers still reinforced protection. We will also note in Canada the prohibition for effervescent wines other than those of the Champagne appellation to now use the mention “Champagne method” to designate the traditional method , Next April,2024 the international network should be completed with a new office Champagne that will settle in Stockholm. An investment justified by the extraordinary boom in the Scandinavian markets where shipments increased by 67 % in ten years. The Champagne Committee which had already created in the past a MOOC has decided to launch a complete and certifying program called “Champagne Education” in partnership in particular with the Wine School in Paris, the Napa Valley Wine Academy and the Deutsche Wein und Sommelierschule Germany. Epernay was formerly known to shelter factories manufacturing locomotives. It is in these old Eiffel style buildings, along the Marne river, that the new head office of the Champagne committee should settle down, as well as the new research center of the Champagne wine association, so far dispersed in four different sites , The old historic headquarters built in 1947, insofar as it constitutes an element of the Champagne architectural heritage, it will be preserved and should maintain a use in connection with Champagne, even if nothing has yet been decided. The rosé which at the end of 2022 represented more than 10 % of export sales, responding to a request for rosé champagne which has multiplied by five in twenty years. Another sign of an evolution towards a more gastronomic use of champagne, the very impressive boom in little dosed extra crude and not dosed champagnes, whose volume marketed has been multiplied by 70 in 20 years because if the export has passed in ten years from 45 to 60 % of the appearances of the appellation, 80 % of sales remain centered in only eight countries (France included). New destinations thus arouse great hopes, such as Canada where consumption has doubled over the last ten years to reach 3.5 million bottles in 2022, South Africa, where it has been multiplied by almost three, for reaching 1.3 million bottles, or, even more spectacular, South Korea where it was multiplied by 4.5 to reach 2.3 million bottles in 2022. Webpage : https://www.champagne.fr/en

I like to tell you a bit more than already in my blog on an up and coming area of my belle France which wines are catching up with the world, This is the Languedoc !! This is part of the old Midi-Pyrénées region, and approximately to the old Languedoc-Roussillon region.Today all is under the Occitanie region, These are their wines !!!

The best Languedoc winegrowers arrived at a stylistic maturity which finally allows them to overcome the influence of the wines of Bordeaux, the Rhône or Burgundy, to define their own wine identity. The renewal of indigenous grape varieties or at least identity, such as Carignan, Cinsault, Macabeu, Grenache Gris, even Ribeyrenc, White Carignan or Terret, turns out to be an excellent thing for Languedoc . The reds seem to us generally of a level higher than that of whites and rosés. In thirty years, the Languedoc vineyard has been deeply restructured, from 450,000 to 218,000 hectares. Today, it is available in five main categories.

The Languedoc is largely dominated by red grape varieties (75 % of the vineyard). Syrah (more than 40,000 hectares planted), Grenache Noir (38,300 hectares), Carignan (29,900 hectares), Merlot (28,100 hectares), Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Marselan, Alicante, Caladoc, etc, White grape varieties represent only 23 % of vines, the undisputed star of white grape varieties in the region is none other than Chardonnay, the one who made the reputation of the great white wines of Burgundy, past a thousand hectares at 14,400 in twenty years. There are also many white grape varieties: Sauvignon, Muscat (small grains and Alexandria), Viognier, Grenaches Blanc et Gris, Macabeu, Vermentino, Piquepoul, Colombard, Roussanne, Mauzac, Ugni Blanc, Marsanne, etc.

Wines without geographic indication ,this category only represents 7 % of production. Some winegrowers, who wish to get out of the name system, develop sometimes very expensive wines. The IGPs d’Oc, this category represents almost 75% of production. It brings together wines that do not benefit from an AOC. If there is a generic IGP d’Oc country name covering all of Languedoc, there is a subdivision for each department (IGP Hérault, IGP Aude .etc..). Finally, Languedoc benefits from a Kyrielle of local denominations: IGP Haute Vallée de l’Orb, IGP Côtes de Thau ,etc. The regional appellation AOC Languedoc. It is intended for entry -level wines and also replaces the old name: AOC Coteaux du Languedoc. Adjoined in the name of AOC Languedoc, these names identify twelve sectors. We thus find the AOC Languedoc-Quatourze, Languedoc-Pézenas, Languedoc-Grés de Montpellier, Languedoc-Sommières, Languedoc-Cabrières, Languedoc-Saint-Saturnin, Languedoc-Montpeyroux, Languedoc-Saint-Georges-d’Orques, Languedoc-La Méjanelle, Languedoc-Saint-Drezéry, and Languedoc-Saint-Christol.

The AOC Cabardès: appellation of reds and rosés, which marries the “Atlantic” grape varieties (Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec) with “Mediterranean” grape varieties (Syrah, Grenache) Malepère: recognized since 2007, this name requires in its reds at least 50 % Merlot. The cooperative cellars dominate very largely, with a production in mass, Limoux: Crémant, Blanquette or Ancestral Method constitute the major part of the production. Reds must still prove themselves. The whites of Chardonnay, Mauzac or Chenin can be remarkable in the altitude sectors. Picpoul de Pinet: Small coastal appellation of white wines, of a tonic and sometimes peancing style, dedicated to Bouzigues oysters. Pic-Saint-Loup has been a full-fledged name since 2016, recognized for its structured and fine red wines developed mainly from Syrah and Grenache. Saint-Chinian ,there is nothing in common between the reds of the northern shales area, very tender and those of the southern part, clay-limestone, dense and structured. Faugères ,the name progresses a lot around assemblies often dominated by Syrah, but where Carignan and Mourvèdre express themselves with panache. Minervois: Production is now homogeneous; Some areas have been above the lot in recent years. Sometimes we would like more freshness and originality, and less focused grape varieties on the Syrah. Minervois La Livinière: This distinction, inside the Minervois appellation, concentrates a certain number of quality winegrowers, whose wines are displayed in a round and suave style. Fitou: (my sentimental favorite) divided into two very distinct parts (coast and interior), this old name has real assets to produce deep and structured red wines. Cooperative cellars are omnipresent. Corbières: This vast appellation produces a lot, and not always the best. There are many very dynamic areas, which offer red wines that are better and better constructed, especially in sectors like the Montagne d’Alaric, Corbières-Boutenac: This appellation is now distinguished with a few talented winegrowers. Terrasses du Larzac: altitude terroir located northwest of Montpellier, this new AOC (created in 2014) concentrates a good number of ambitious winegrowers. La Clape: created in 2015, this appellation, located between Narbonne and the sea, mainly produces red wines (80 %) and a small minority of white wines (20 %). The Muscats: In this set, we find the historical AOCs of Muscat de Frontignan (797 ha), Muscat de Lunel (321 ha), Muscat de Mireval (260 ha) and Muscat de Saint-Jean-de-Minervois (195 ha) . Clairette du Languedoc: The smallest name of Languedoc produces quiet white wines from the Clairette grape.

The Paris Wine Show asserts itself and confirms the commercial appetite of the wine sector, Before exceeding the objective of 40,000 visitors, the 2024 edition closes its doors on a reassuring assessment of Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris is generally satisfied, and exhausted, after three days at the Porte de Versailles (this past Monday 12 at Wednesday February 14, 2024). Noting that on French exhibitors, the special cellars represent two thirds of the stands (with half of independent winegrowers members ! Yes !), The meeting is schedule again in 2025 from Monday 10 to Wednesday 12 February for the fifth edition of the Parisian show. Webpage : https://wineparis-vinexpo.com/

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. See you in the vineyards of my belle France, Again, hope you enjoy the post as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!