[Billet vins] Again and again Alain Brumont (yes!)

From a builder, he has become a ferryman. More than 45 years after the acquisition of the Bouscassé and Montus castles in this gourmet Great South-West where people feast, Alain Brumont passes on the keys to knowledge to his son-in-law Antoine Veiry, a young man who, from the height of 30 years old, is already perfectly integrated into the dynamics, but above all into the particularly high aspirations that his stepfather already imposed on himself when he was his age.

A generational transmission from which the coach Brumont invites the members of a small team to find their marks at the estate, identifying as closely as possible the potential of each one. The result is strong, family and human cohesion, but also a relevant solution to the problems of succession (the rate of 80% is advanced) which today affects so many artisan winegrowers. A smuggler’s knowledge cannot be deliberately passed over in silence.

Brumont is obviously in great shape; his wines are in my opinion much superior to what they were before

The transfer is done here with all the more success because not only is Laurence Brumont’s son an outstanding taster, but he already has solid experience in the field. Whether in Oregon, in the Barossa Valley, in Languedoc (with Hervé Bizeul at Clos des Fées), in the Drouhin house, in Burgundy, or in that of the Carmes Haut-Brion, near Bordeaux. In short, it is a question of a well-equipped succession, nourished by the instinct and peasant logic of an elder whom hard work has never frightened, but also a salutary succession endowed with a clear vision. challenges to come, if only on the vagaries of an already perceptible climatic “catastrophe”.

We have amply traced in these pages, over the years, the portrait of this great builder. Alain Brumont is quite simply one of the giants, as there are few on the wine planet. Of the temper, for example, of Marcel Guigal in Côte Rôtie, Robert Mondavi in ​​California or Jean-Pierre Amoreau at Château Le Puy. Common sense shines without the slightest compromise in terms of wine quality and ecosystems.

The 120 hectares currently in production (out of a total potential of 200 hectares between Montus and Bouscassé), where King Tannat reigns — supplemented by Cabernet Francs and Sauvignons, Pinot Noir, Petit Courbu and other large Mansengs — form a patchwork where its ‘include agroforestry, agriculture, livestock and other fallow land contributing to an environment where “auxiliary flora, natural mycorrhization and microbial life” are all factors that nurture healthy biodiversity.

My ex-colleague Jacques Benoit, to whom I had the range tasted this week, rightly underlined this: “Brumont is obviously in great shape; its wines are in my opinion far superior to what they were before. From sturdy and rather one-dimensional in the past to concentrated and tight in finesse today, not to mention that they are also very elegant. I would add that, although they are black as a priest’s cassock and of a subtlety worthy, in the thickness of their texture, of a page of the Pléiade edition, their reds are naturally endowed with an admirably integrated acidity, guaranteeing the longevity of the wines. And what longevity!

Because the irreducible tannat, now ennobled by Brumont, lacks neither acidity nor anthocyanins. It also needs to be finely nuanced, depending on whether it is planted on the terroirs of Montus (abundant rolled pebbles evoking those of Châteauneuf, but on terraces here) or on the famous place called La Tyre, a sloping cleared plot of 10 hectares and highlight of the appellation. One wonders, so confusing is the illusion, how such rich, dense and visibly opaque reds to the naked eye can offer legibility, even a “touch in the mouth”, so worthy of a Romanée-Conti … Nothing less !

We are also here at the level of “mature wines”, in the sense that the house is absolutely keen to put on sale bottles that have been educated by a minimum of three years in barrels and vats. A commendable operation that adds to the patina and nuance of the wines. Note that the wines are neither chaptalized, nor acidified, nor tanned, nor fined. A few words about three wines available from the wide range offered. The Prestige 2018, XL 2015 and La Tire 2008 cuvées available for private import are referenced on the website of the Duty.

Château Montus 2014, Pacherenc du Vic Bilh Sec ($47 – 11017625). The quintessence of the little curvy! The amplitude of a Meursault, the finesse of a Puligny, the vitality of a Chablis, with that little something that evokes the dry Doisy-Daëne of the great Denis Dubourdieu. By its brilliant sap, its flavors of wax, candied lemon and its finely grilled touch. The 2015 ((5) ★★★★) to come is top ! (5) © ★★★1/2

Château Bouscassé 2017, Madiran ($21.55 – 856575). The Cabernets perfectly complement the tannat (60%) in this sunny vintage, offering a melted red, with notes of plum, undergrowth and light oak (20% new here). At this price, any good restaurateur should serve it as house wine, at a good price. (5) ★★★1/2

Chateau Montus 2017, Madiran ($32 – 705483). At the height of a 21e Or of a 3e grand cru of Bordeaux? It’s up to you to judge the richness, subtlety and freshness of the abundant and very civilized ripe tannins of this magnificent tannat (80%). Concentrated while remaining very elegant. Nice deal at this price. (5+) ©★★★★

The mythical cuvées of Alain Brumont at Château Montus

Grab while there’s some left!

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