This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
I make it my duty to highlight, with my weekly suggestions as well as with this section gathered for you, those winegrowers without whom I would be reduced to consuming only still water. Do you see the blackboard. My thoughts this week go to Bernard Descôteaux, who opened the pages of the Duty there are already 30 vintages and who, very skillfully, knew how to “pull the corks from the neck”. And this, while he wanted to drink a good bottle for the weekend. He was not the “big red that stains” type, Mr. Bernard! His finesse of mind protected him from this.
Piedra Roble 2021, Toro, Spain ($19.75 – 15229060)
A local version of tempranillo here supplemented with grenache noir, with which it shares a high-level spicy complicity. Above all, a richly colored organic red, structured with density and freshness, provided with abundant tannins, all supported with power, but also with balance. It was worth the money ! Especially served on a braised oxtail or, for the more conservative, with large pieces of pulled BBQ pork. (5) © ***
Château La Gasparde 2018, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France ($21.80 – 13364364)
“Papy” Janoueix knew how to delight with his reds whose skillful roasted woodiness supports his numerous vintages where Merlot dominates. This one is no exception, in this vintage where the aromatic intensity and the softness of the mouth are expressed wonderfully. Here we are in the pure tradition of right bank reds, with this slightly old-fashioned approach which adds to the charm of the whole. (5) © **1/2
Materia Prima “Orange” 2022, Parés Baltà, Penedès, Spain ($25.50 – 14800738)
Sommeliers who are not shy are delighted when the opportunity arises to make wine and food pairings with this type of organic wine, born from the maceration of the skins of the xarel-lo grape variety. It’s hard to resist, whether it’s meat, vegetables, fish or shellfish. The flavors here are particularly exhibitionist, with this sensation of hanging on and maintaining at the top pleasant and tenacious notes of bitterness while prolonging the long finish with a lot of energy and freshness. An experience to live, even if only once, outside the boundaries of tough prejudices. (5) ***
Gavi “Rovereto” 2022, Michele Chiarlo, Piedmont, Italy ($27.85 – 15249706)
The Cortese grape variety announces both this floral and lemony atmosphere that the fine bitterness and the great freshness of the tone push to express itself, even to flourish even more in the mouth. Nice dry white with character, sapid and structured, with appreciable length. Not bad on the pasta alle vongole. (5) ***
Beaujolais “Is Not Dead” 2022, Chasselay Family, France ($28.95 – 14559913)
The expression “Bojo is not dead” takes on its full meaning with this very eye-catching organic Gamay. It is above all strong in the mouth, with a very lively fruitiness fueled by pure energy of which it is very appropriate to say that it has nothing from beyond the grave. It makes your dimple tense with happiness due to an acidity which carries and supports beautiful ripe tannins, very digestible. Why wouldn’t he sprinkle a braised veal cheek? You have to live well, after all! (5) © ***
Château Patache d’Aux 2016, Cru Bourgeois, Médoc, Bordeaux ($29.95 – 11338226)
We treat ourselves to this classic which offers a glass of serious, very well-structured wine, but also abundantly fruity. And this, even if it is not subtle due to its roasted character where the woodiness dominates. It is enjoyed with an animal protein such as flank steak or grilled entrecôte, accompanied by fries and green p’tite, of course. (5) © ***
Clos Triguedina 2019, Jean-Luc Baldès, Cahors, France ($32.50 – 746412)
Any comparison being what it is, I come to think that Baldès is to Cahors what this Brumont is to Madiran. Two learned, authentic and hardworking farmers who know the message of the land and the grape varieties that are sublimated there. This, without an ounce of pretension, just a job well done. This Cahors continues on its momentum, faithful to this integrated style of a tannic framework which never provokes, but rather evokes the character of a gourmet hinterland, in the shadow of fashions and label drinkers. Here we have a juicy Malbec, ample and full, sustained, but civilized, of good length. These “small” great wines to be put in the cellar the better to wake them up with a few lovingly simmered stews. (5+) © ***1/2
Pinot noir “Commuter Cuvée” 2022, GC Wine Company, Willamette Valley, Oregon, United States ($34 – 13234771)
This Pinot Noir is neither better nor worse than Burgundy. Only different. Fortunately ! It is similar, however, in its great freshness which details the fruitiness to better emphasize its thickness, grain and consistency. A youthful, expressive red, with spicy nuances of cherry and undergrowth, very digestible. (5) © ***1/2
“Taste” climate change
We would have to bury our heads in the sand not to realize that the climatic contrasts which affect, among other things, the world of wine may have only a minimal impact on the future. As consumers at the end of a chain of which we are the last link, we cannot remain indifferent to the fact that the industry is under increasing pressure. And this, from the winegrower on the ground to the marketing of his production in all directions, if only to adapt to the speed of the vagaries which spare no one in the four corners of the wine planet. The biannual symposium Tasing Climate Change / Taste of climatic changes, implemented by Michelle Bouffard since 2017, brought together, during the very last 2024 edition, the most brilliant luminaries to discuss the issue. Where are we at the start of the 2024 vintage? We were there to glean some ideas that would allow us to update the debate among the topics developed.
Growth/decline
“Economic growth is only two centuries old,” says Yves-Marie Abraham, associate professor in the Department of Management at HEC Montréal. With this consumerist-capitalist headlong rush that we know. Does the Anthropocene era that we are barely entering already require us to opt for a reduction in vineyard plantings and in wine consumption? It is true that organic and biodynamic agriculture, particularly due to a reduction in inputs, already constitutes a significant avenue! However, it remains that a certain form of cooperatism, of “communalism”, would then open a way where each of the actors could have a voice in the debate. And this, in the microcosm of its own environment while bringing together strong forces to share solutions. In this sense, wine cooperatives are pioneers in the field.
Soil health
“In the Rhone region, the weight of grape berries has fallen by 26%, and this in just 30 years! » commented the dynamic Marc-André Selosse, professor at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. It estimates that soils and subsoils are home to between 25 and 60% of all terrestrial species. From the amoeba to the earthworm — with everything in between — responsible within their respective biotopes for promoting the exchanges essential to the balance of the vine plant. Plowing? “Let’s prefer a vegetated cover, because they kill these microscopic fungi, which are so precious, guaranteeing diversity, but also local typicality. »
Varietal innovation: preserving the identity of a place in a changing climate
“The uncertainties are great despite the models developed,” underlined Etienne Neethling, teacher-researcher in viticulture and oenology at the Angers Higher School of Agriculture Group. To continue: “Are consumers elsewhere ready to consider new hybrids? » The question is relevant. This goes without saying for Quebec wine lovers already familiar with local hybrids. But it remains to be seen how intravarietal diversity within known and recognized appellations such as Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, for example, could affect the appreciation of the average consumer. No fewer than 52 new grape varieties are currently being studied in the Bordeaux region. The Latour 1961 and Cheval Blanc 1957 are obviously things of the past, and so are their organoleptic references. The future that begins tomorrow will further distance them from the perception that we have always had regarding their own typicality. We will have to get used to it: varietal innovation will play a key role in strengthening the resilience of the wine sector.
A few quick quotes
“Any wine tastes better if it’s made responsibly,” says John Szabo, wine critic at WineAlign. “Perhaps I should think about what I can improve in my vineyard instead of destroying it with counterproductive measures. In this sense, we should not destroy the 3% of pest insects, but rather encourage the remaining 97%. In the end, we must consider a diversification of crops from monoculture, which is not a long-term solution,” says Michel Gassier, of Vignobles Michel Gassier. “If I had to replant hybrids, I would do it again! » said Quebec winemaker Marc Théberge, from Domaine Bergeville in Quebec. We can only agree with him! After all, aren’t the hybrids here part of our very Quebec specificity, like the language we use?
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.