Sunday, October 10, 2010

Question of style : every sort of taste exist in nature

Reading the last column of Jean Marc Quarin dated 1 October 2010, I came to write this little article, by analogy with the south.
Patrick and Laurent are a bit provocative, maybe even reactionary, cheeky, able to write on my blog rave reviews on the style of Gauby’s wines and those, less popular (it's a euphemism) of Bizeul or our Thunevin-Calvet, in the Roussillon. Even a commentary written with passion, talent, love, on the wines of Jerome Bressy “Gourt de Mautens”, Hervé Bizeul made me discover, highlight the opinion of Patrick compared to that of Laurent.

Vast subject of controversy, some vins “d’auteurs” (“author” wines) raise a lot of fiery comments, especially when, in addition, one meets people who make these wines. Fortunately, the unique taste so often announced is not yet imposed, some media like the style of Gauby, I can not deny it, as I read, like everyone else, the RVF or other media, others are opposed (see La Passion du Vin). After all, it is better to wait until tomorrow to find out which style is right, by still being around. And yet, why should a wine have to last, be a perennial property, is there an obligation to be a superstar from the 1855 classification to have the right to exist in France?
The key, I think, is economic viability which makes customers happy, as well as the winemaker and his employees.
Whatever style of wine is preferred by some or others, even if they are my friends, I rather prefer, and will for a long time, the opulent wines of Hervé Bizeul or those made by Claude Gros here, in the South, or in Bordeaux . The evidence of my taste for these wines: I asked Claude Gros to help us here in Bordeaux, for our property in Pomerol. He is helping us produce our wines in the Roussillon “Thunevin-Calvet”, where he is looking for fruit and clear aromatics, still in the area of maturity without complexity!
With Michel Rolland as consultant, it’s been a while that I chose my camp.

What would be good, a sincere wish of Hervé Bizeul and some of our friends, is that some influential journalists help us push the world to discover this sublime region, with the moral obligation (I only look at 1 or 2 well known media) to talk about the different trends of thought in this region and not just those about cold fruit.
It's not because I, we do not make wines like Gauby that we should be ignored, much less make venomous comments as I have read here and there.

It’s true that I am directly concerned, but still I do not see how and why wanting to produce southern-style wines in the south would be more abnormal than make in the south northern-style wines?
Spain makes many wine-lovers dream, Chateauneuf du Pape gets praise from major media and Roussillon is still very much a land to discover, to exist their should only be one style of wine, that is all.
The site La Passion du Vin is for the Roussillon, Languedoc and Southwest with its tremendous and different terroirs, the only real area of diversity of opinions and I have not forgotten this dream of seeing a great tasting in the style of the Grand Jury Européen with wines from the South. I'm sure we would be able to find the wines, the men and even the funding, for both the region, and its CIVR and Vins du Sud label, is motivated to defend its region, its wines and the people who make them.
(and one more time, I forgot to write about the fortified wines of Maury, Collioure, Banyuls, etc…)

This text was written a few days ago, before comments made by Patrick and Hervé. It’s so difficult to have such different friends !

No comments: