Event

The Wine Club - Fine Wines of France!

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Time: 07:00pm - 08:30pm

Type: Class

Location: The Wine Cabinet

Event Free

Once a month we gather together to explore, in a very interactive way, a small slice of the fascinating world of wine.
While there is no charge for this limited seating, we hope that you will enjoy the wines sufficiently to wish to have them in your wine cabinet!
More importantly, we hope that this short experience with very good wine will make you a lifelong wine lover and a loyal patron of The Wine Cabinet!

We begin promptly at 7:00pm.


 

 

The appellation of Saint-Pourçain is situated in the center of France, in the Allier department and is considered part of the Centre-Loire.This region is better known to wine professionals for its forests of prized oak trees used in barrel production than for its wines. The history of vineyards in this area dates back to before the Romans, when the Phoenicians settled here and planted vines. In fact, they claimed to have civilized the barbarians with wine. During the 13th and 14th centuries the wines of Saint-Pourçain were highly esteemed. They traveled up to Paris via the Allier and Loire rivers and were favored by Popes, royalty and the aristocracy alike. By the end of the 18th century the vineyards of Saint-Pourçain covered more than 8,000 hectares. Today the vineyards total 600 hectares. 
Denis Barbara farms several separate parcels of land in Saint Pourcain totaling 8 hectares. Two thirds of his production is in red wine. He works alone except for the harvest and does much of the vineyard work by hand. He keeps his yields very low by bud pruning “ebourgeonnage” in the spring and green harvesting in the summer after “veraison”. He cultivates grasses between all the rows and does not use insecticides, pesticides or chemical fertilizer in his vineyards. All of his wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts.

Vintage 2010 Brut 0
Denis has produced a sparkling wine from Gamay in 2010 by harvesting early
and gently pressing the grapes to obtain a Blanc de Noir. The juice was fermented in stainless steel and after the “prise de mousse” rested four years “sur lattes” before disgorgement. The sparkling wine was finished without a dosage. – thus the name Brut 0. 

 

Nicolas Chemarin farms 5 hectares of land in the village of Marchampt and a few small plots in Regnié and Morgon. Marchampt is a tiny village secluded in the forested hills of western Beaujolais, on the edge of the Massif Central. Nicolas is the fourth generation to farm the family property and the only male of his generation to stay in the village, a fact that has earned him the nickname “Petit Grobis” or “little bear”. It was Nicolas’ father, Lucien, who first moved the family farm away from polyculture in order to concentrate his activities on his vineyards.

Beaujolais Villages “Vignes de Jeannot”
At the top of the Chemarin vineyard in Marchampt , at about 500 meters in elevation with a 50 degree slope, is a small plot of vines planted on exposed granite soils in the 1930’s and 40’s by Nicolas’ great uncle Jean(thus the cuveé name “vignes jeannot”). We like to refer to it as “Uncle Johnny’s” wine. This plot has very low yields and the wine sees extended maceration of up to 20 days, giving the wine great concentration and body.
The wine is matured in both stainless steel cuves and old barrels before blending and bottling.

 


The appellation of Irouleguy stretches along a small band of hillside vineyards in the Pyrenees within the French Pays Basque. Practically all of the vineyards were wiped out from phyloxera over a century ago and when the Branas planted their vineyard in 1984, they were the first to do so on a meaningful scale. The vines are planted along very narrow terraces that have been cut out of the remarkably steep hillsides. The Brana’s farming practices are non-intervening and include bio-dynamic principles. All harvesting is done manually.

 

 

Domaine Brana, Irouleguy Blanc “Ilori” 
The Irouleguy Blanc “Ilori” is  a blend of 50% Gros Manseng and 50% Petit Courbu. The Branas are one of the few families to continue with the Petit Courbu. It is a traditional variety of the region but has trouble with the wet and unpredictable spring weather and is not terribly productive. A selection “triage” of the best grapes is made followed by a gentle maceration of the skins “maceration pellicullaire” and a settling of the must “debourbage”. The wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks and bottled the following spring.

 


The Jurançon appellation is spread throughout the Bearnaise hills south of the city of Pau. The appellation’s mandate is for white wine only, though a very small amount of red wine is produced and falls under the Bearn appellation. Historically, the wines of Jurançon were “moelleux”. Dry wines are a recent development, receiving a separate AOC in 1975 and requiring the word “sec” to be on the label in conjunction with Jurançon. 
Jean-Marc Grussaute farms a small but remarkable vineyard situated in the Chapelle de Rousse area of Jurançon. The word “Camin” which is used instead of Domaine, is the local dialect for chemin or road.
The majority of the vineyard, planted by Jean-Marc’s father 40 years ago, is terraced and lies on steep and curved slopes that form an amphitheater. The vineyard is planted to 60% Petit Manseng and 37% Gros Manseng and 3% Petit Courbu. Jean-Marc Grussaute began estate bottling in 1988. He has farmed organically since 2007 with the first certified vintage being 2010. Jean-Marc names his wines after the vineyard parcels from which they come.

Camin Larredya, Jurançon Sec “La Part Davan” 
The Jurançon Sec which is called La Part Davan, blends two thirds Gros Manseng with Petit Manseng and a small quantity of Petit Courbu. The wine undergoes a “maceration pellicullaire” before fermentation in stainless steel tanks and foudres. The wine then is kept “sur lie” for at least six months. Blending and bottling are done in the late spring.

 

Domaine Roumagnac is a domain of 14 ha (hectares), located in the village of Villematier, on the western border of the Fronton appellation, on the Tarn river side. The appellation is located just outside of Toulouse to the northwest and is a slightly inclined series of terraces between the Garonne and Tarn rivers, composed of ice age deposits of alluvial soil. The primary and indigenous grape variety of the region is the fragile Negrette. 
Nicolas Roumagnac joined his uncle in 2008 to become the fourth generation to work on the estate. He is the first to sell the domaine’s wines in bottle. The estate has soils that cover the three types of alluvial soil generally found in the appellation: boulbenes (compressed sand/clay mixture), rougets (clay soils with deposits of flint, “silex”) and graves (gravel deposits.) The Roumagnac’s grow Negrette 7ha, Syrah 2ha, Cabernet Franc 2ha, Cabernet Sauvignon 1ha and Gamay 2 ha, and have paid great attention to marrying the particular grape type with the optimal soil type. They farm sustainably and are members of “La Charte Qualité”.

Domaine Roumagnac, Rosé “Authentique” 
Domaine Roumagnac Rosé Authentique is a blend of 50% Négrette, 30% Syrah and 20% Cabernets. The Negrette brings its highly aromatic qualities to the wine and and its beautiful color while the Syrah and Cabernets add complexity and spice to the blend. The grapes are harvested during the night in order to preserve their aromatic freshness after which the wine sees a short maceration in the “saignée” method. The wine is taken only from the first pressing giving it a purity of expression and a transparent coppery-pink color. The nose is of red berry and citrus fruits (red currants and grapefruit) while the palate is long and beautifully balanced.

 


Le Domaine de Lucie is the domaine of Lucie Fourel, a young “vigneronne” who in 2006, took over her parents 3.5 hectares in Crozes-Hermitage. Before returning to the family estate, Lucie spent a few years as an apprentice with different wineries in the Rhone Valley and during this time developed her philosophy and practices for organic and bio-dynamic farming as well as natural vinification. She does not use any sulfur during the winemaking process and only just before bottling does she add a minimal dose.

 

Le Domaine de Lucie, “Aux Racines de Saint-Jaimes” Crozes-Hermitage 
The cuvee “Aux Racines de Saint-Jaimes” is made from a parcel of 40+ year old vines planted by Lucie’s grandfather. It is located next to the family home and farm and takes its name from the hamlet’s “lieu dit”, Saint-Jaimes. The parcel is planted on soil with a very thin layer of sandy/clay topsoil on top of bedrock. Harvesting by hand is done as late as possible to insure ripeness of berry, seed and stems, as the grape bunches are fermented whole. The grapes ferment with their natural yeasts and are left to macerate for a full month with almost no intervention. The wine is then matured for one year in 600L demi-muids (of 6 years). The wine is bottled without fining or filtering.