Again back at you with the best of wines news of France. By the way for the non Romans LXII is no 62, 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.
Despite the battle between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the juicy business of Miraval rosé wine for the third consecutive year, the guests of the Oscar ceremony toast in Champagne Fleur de Miraval. The previous year, Internet users were moved by the presence of these lacquered bottles of black during the celebration. The pretty pink bubbles with the flavors of Redcurrant and Raspberry (75% of old Chardonnay, 25% young Pinot Noir) were served during a party supposed to represent the best of the cinema.
It is undeniable, Burgundy makes as much dream as it frightens by its often inaccessible prices. The Wine Fair of Fall 2024 edition, gave us some good ones to seek out, These are the Geantet-Pansiot– Vieille Vignes red vines 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin : chiseled, delicate and precise, the mouth is very straight, The Domaine Jean-Jacques Confuron-Les Fleurières 2021 Nuits-Saint-Georges ,a vanilla touch appears to ventilation, the Louis Latour en Chevret 2017 Volnay 1er Cru , Wine is seduced, and the Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin- Fourchaume 2020 Chablis ,a sparkling precision wine,
The best red wines from the 2024 Fall Wine Fair, and the good ones me think are the Château Latour 2008 Bordeaux-Pauillac : The material is still of an insolent youth, opens with resinous aromas, pot-pourri and ripe red fruits in a charming and peaceful bouquet, all in finesse and elegance. The material is still of an insolent youth with a tannic frame that has not yet been sat. This assertive character is essential in the mouth and will require patience to appreciate all the potential. Château Mouton-Rothschild 2019 Bordeaux-Pauillac: Like a young fiery stallion ! (my fav) The intense garnet dress, with purplish reflections, gives an idea of the power of this vintage far too young to be fully appreciated. Like a young fiery stallion, the elegant aromas follow one another by puffs and tell the small bays with perfect maturity (blackberry, black cherry), without forgetting a touch of liquorice and a line of minerality. The mouth is only an enveloping fruity who has mastered the tannins. Freshness and refinement sign the final. An all in superlative wine. Château Pichon Comtesse de Lalande 2019 Bordeaux-Pauillac: On the palate, the material is brighter and fresh, deep, a bouquet of peony delivers its opulent and powdery perfumes, accompanied by cigar box notes and a point of incense for complexity. On the palate, the material is brighter and fresh with gourmet notes of berries (burlat cherry, blackcurrant) which accompany a very nice grain of tannins. Spices and cocoa notes are found in a silky finish.
The Rosé wines, at low prices, and yet delicious. My choices are : Domaine de Chevalier – Rosé de Chevalier 2023 Bordeaux: insurance and dynamism, An elegant nose, with aromas of white fishing and golden fruits, églantine, sap and spices. Then comes a delicious mouth, full of insurance and dynamism, revealing a pepper and salt finish.
Domaine Cavalier- Marafiance 2023 Provence – Côtes de Provence: (we buy it by the case!)The roasted grapefruit in a vanilla pod, a pretty flattering nose, ripe like a basket of beautiful fruits, also on the roasted grapefruit in a vanilla pod. It’s round and comfortable. A mouth in the same vein, round and comfortable, with a finely tannic and saline frame, beautiful bitters on the currant and a stony texture.
Les Maîtres Vignerons de la presqu’île de Saint-Tropez – Gold Rosé 2023 Provence-Côtes de Provence : A tangy trace bringing liveliness ,on the nose, a delicate wine on yellow fruits, sweet notes of pink petals, fresh hay and lemon flower. On the palate, it is more sustained than in the nose, with a tangy trace bringing liveliness (Kumquat, Cédrat). A little short finish, but the material remains.
Paul Mas – Nicole Rosé vines 2022 Languedoc – IGP Pays d’Oc , A few touches of autumn flowers on the nose, opulent aromas of ripe fruit and apricots, a few touches of autumn flowers, in the mouth honeyed, tangy finish, and a nicely suave final.
Visitors to Château Grand Puy Ducasse will be able to accompany their glasses of fifth Grand Cru classified in 1855 of a panorama on the Gironde estuary, the property of Crédit Agricole opening its doors to visitors on the quays of Pauillac for the first time . Welcoming its first tourists since the end of July, the ownership of the Green Bank intends to take advantage of its atypical location to differentiate itself and attract “at least we have been vinifying on the quays of Pauillac, The owners are the Credit Agricole Grands Crus vineyards. The official Château Grand Puy Ducasse : https://grandpuyducasse.fr/
Among the Loire appellations, Vouvray holds a special place. Here, only the Chenin has the right of a city and it expresses itself in a flamboyant way in a kaleidoscope of nuances, textures and styles. Some will be attracted here, a few kms from towers, by these Tuffeau cliffs which hide within them a survival of the past, the troglodyte habitats. These cavities, dug in particular to extract the stone which served for the construction of the surrounding castles, also house cellars which are reminiscent of their champagne cousins cut, in chalk. Because it may also be by wine that you will go to Vouvray country as we go on a pilgrimage. For almost 2000 years, the vine has found land here at its convenience.This vineyard, is from
Chenin , the true king of the country. Its history is closely linked to that of Saint Martin , bishop of Tours, who was the promoter from the 4C! From the Abbey of Marmoutier and the Clos de Rougemont which he then planted, the vineyards settled permanently on this land on the right bank of the Loire which is resistant to the growing urbanization of the Touraine metropolis located just downstream. Loire
by birth, it is still ultra -mostly use since it is 95% in this region inside France. And if South Africa has the largest planted area (50%) worldwide, it finds its most pure and most interesting expression here. Because the Chenin, although capricious and sensitive to cryptogamic diseases, is a born seducer. It is not content to allow the production of a type of wine. The cuvée « le Marigny » of domaine des Aubuisières
2016. But also great soft wines. The half-seventies are unparalleled, suggesting the successes more than putting it forward. To be convinced, it is enough to taste the 2015 of Domaine Sylvain Gaudron
or the 2016 of Domaine du clos de l’Epinay. The soft Vouvray for their part constitute one of the absolute nuggets of our heritage. Wines with a powerful nose, rich but of an incredible righteousness driven by an admirable acidity. The galants built to cross the decades or even centuries and of which very beautiful expressions come from the Paris père et fils ,cuvée origine 2015 or from the Domaine Champalou les Tries 2009. But let’s not forget that 60% of Vouvray’s production is effervescent. A tradition dating back to the 19C, and which today offers exceptional value for money such as the Brut réserve millésimé 2014 of château Moncontour. A racy, complex, appetite wine that will make you want, if it was not already the case, to go and discover, in situ, all the magic of Vouvray.
Known for 20 years under the name of “vines, wines, hikes” The oenotourism event of the end of the summer organized by the Loire Wine Interprofession becomes this year Les Echappées en Loire
or the escaped in the Loire. Thus, Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1, 2024 more than 50 “escaped” will be offered to discover through walks and animations, wine landscapes and Loire wines from Nantais, Anjou-Saumur, Touraine, as well as the IGP Val de Loire, spread over 42,000 hectares and 14 departments from Vendée to Puy-de-Dôme. Saumur-Champigny, Vouvray, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, … It is a total of 13 Loire appellations that will open their doors for a weekend on the program for this weekend intended for wine lovers and To nature lovers: carriage ride, mountain biking, terrestrial route, yoga, scooter, sale and wine tastings, walks guided by a winemaker or a winegrower of the appellation, as well as entertainment like treasure hunts, Concerts, a school of vines or even castle visits. A program accessible to all which is to be discovered with family or friends. Official Les Echappées en Loire
: https://www.echappeesloire.fr/
The 2024 harvest in France, affected by diseases favored by humidity as well as by episodes of
frost or hail, is expected to decrease in almost all wine basins, according to a first estimate published by the Ministry of the Agriculture. Viticultural production in France would be between 40 and 43 million hectoliters this year, a level below 10% to 16% compared to 2023, and from 3% to 10% compared to the 2019-2023 average, specifies the Ministry’s statistics service, Agreste. Mildew, a fungus whose propagation in vines has been favored by frequent rains that have fallen since spring, touches most wine
basins and could cause significant losses. Episodes of frost or hail have also locally reduced production volumes ; France had produced 48 million hectoliters of wine in 2023, 4% more than the previous year, which had allowed it to take the place from the world’s leading producer in front of Italy and Spain. For a program at the national level to mitigate this issue has been forward to the European Commission which must give its agreement,As usual no response as yet……
In recent years the price of wines drank and those that would like to be able to continue drinking has gone up, sadly. Beaujolais and Côtes-du-Rhône bought 12€ at the turn of the century are tangent, or even exceed 30€; The Burgundy at 30€ increased to 60€ and more, without forgetting the Champagnes whose bubble never ceases to inflate above 40 €; As for the great vintages, they jumped a few- tens of euros to a few hundred. And we no longer even dare to evoke the flight price to the restaurant, whose drifts many including me have already denounced , these increases include inflation. But if we believe the INSEE (the statistical govt agency of France) calculator, in twenty-five years this inflation, between the 2000s and 2024, did not exceed 50% (49.7% to be precise). That is to say that, all other things being equal, the little Beaujolais at 12 € from the year 2000 would be worth “only” 18, Burgundy at 30 € would be worth 45, and the Grand Cru 50% more “only” than its price for the year 2000. According to Franceagimer, (national establishment of agriculture and sea products) the volumes of wine sold in supermarkets fell by 26% between 2010 and 2022. In a single year, from 2021 to 2022, the volume of AOP wines sold in large distribution fell 7%. Downtown wine merchants are not better: according to the Federation of Independent Cavists (FCI), their wine sales recorded a decrease of 20 % in early 2024 compared to 2022. The collapse is announced. Already little focused on beverage (in 2023, 39% of 18-34 year olds declared that they did not drink it), they have less and less the means to discover it. Today almost half of wine drinkers are over 55. It would seem that the speculative bubble, dear to wine-horned hunters or labels collectors, is about to deflate. According to the Wine Decider site, the value of a body of twelve bottles from the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (spread over six cuvées) would have dropped by 11.7%in one year, and that of the big Bordeaux of 7.6 % … Furthermore, the Bordeaux 2023 Primers’ campaign accuses serious decrees and the Beaunoise house Joseph Drouhin reduced its prices by 15% (2022 compared to 2021). Will the wines that we love will once again become “almost affordable”, or even quite reasonable? Do not think so at least the labels we like, need to continue finding producers in country for new finds !!!
The Chardonnay is the 8th most planted grape in the world, and one of the most bus (around twenty liters per second) , It comes from the crossing of two other grape varieties, Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc. The first being a noble black grape, the second a slightly less noble white, they merged perfection into their French cradle in Burgundy, to give the best white wines from Chardonnay in the world. In the Chablis vineyard, it was even called the “Beaunois”, that is to say its Burgundian origin (Beaune) ! It represents half of the vineyard in this region, the terroir of which is perfect for sublimate it. This is also the case in Champagne where it is present on a third of the vines, especially perfect on the Côte des Blancs. Chardonnay has the ability to adapt everywhere, while best revealing the particular expression of the terroir in which it is produced. From one region to another, from one name to another, from one bottle to another, the Chardonnays are all different. We find him everywhere in France: in Alsace, in the Loire valley, in the Jura (where it occupies half of the vineyard), in Savoie, in Beaujolais. So many terroirs for a multitude of expressions. Its 3rd French land has no relation to Burgundy or Champagne since it is on the Vineyard of Languedoc Roussillon. Yes, France may allow more than 200 grape varieties, Chardonnay alone represents 6% of the country’s vineyard! Chardonnay is one of the most consumed dry white wines. However, it can be completely soft, everything will depend on the way in which the winemaker decides to shape it. But even if it is dry, Chardonnay is a very fruity and buttered wine. We find our grape variety in 300 million bottles of Champagne produced per year, where the price of grapes is the most expensive in the world and continues to increase from year to year. A grape that attracts producers from around the world since it is now planted everywhere: in Europe its cradle, in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, and especially in the United States which has 35,000 hectares for 150,000 hectares worldwide.
What is the story of wine bottles? Even before the Romans conquer the ancient world, the amphorae were already the stars of wine transport. These clay jars, with elegant and functional shapes, were used by the Greeks and the Romans to store and transport wine. Hermetically sealed amphorae with resin or wax kept the freshness of the wine and avoid oxidation. Much less glamorous than amphorae, these goat or sheep leather bags were practical for nomads, The first steps towards glass bottles as we know them today date from the Middle Ages. However, glass manufacturing techniques were still rudimentary, and these first bottles were often fragile and irregular. It was from the 17C that things really started to move thanks to technical innovations. In the 17C, Sir Kenel Digby played a crucial role in the development of glass bottles. Using coal to reach higher temperatures, it manages to produce more resistant glass bottles. It is the English who for logistical purposes have created the 75 -centiliters bottle! English merchants installed in Bordeaux have the brilliant idea of fixing their capacity to 75 cl. A round figure allowing them to easily calculate how a barrel contains bottles. Said barrels that can contain 225 L, or 50 gallons in an English measure (1 gallon = 4.54 l) (3,78 l is one US gallon), each barrel therefore contains 300 bottles. And a gallon is therefore equivalent to 6 bottles. Easy to remember! Pilled machines made it possible to produce bottles in large quantities and uniformly. However, this standardization has not only made trade in easier, but also introduced innovations. As such, we can cite cork caps and metal capsules for better conservation of wine. The shape of the wine bottles that we know today – Bordeaux, Burgundian, Champenoise is dictated by aesthetic considerations and by practical necessities. For example, the Champagen bottle is designed to withstand the pressure of the effervescent wine. The Bordeaux, on the other hand, helps to remember the wine deposit during the service of the ancient amphora with the elegant bottles of glass today, each stage of this story is marked by human ingenuity and a deep love for the wine. Interesting indeed,
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 !!!
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