It's already the end of the holidays! Well rested, rejuvenated, and full of new ideas...
At the end of July, we told you about our trip to the Loire vineyards. We hadn't told you everything... there's still Pierre Menard, Aurélien Revillot and Claire et Florent Bejon!
Greek wines are back at the Cellar! We love them too much, we adore them!!! Always feel like traveling, sitting on a terrace surrounded by flashy neon pink bougainvillea against white walls and blue shutters, a nice fish or octopus on the plate, fresh tomatoes and a drizzle of bright green olive oil.
So let's set sail like Odysseus, brave Poseidon, and drop anchor in one of the cradles of wine civilization, Greece. Divided between the mainland and the myriad of islands that make up its terroir, the Greek vineyard offers a wide and varied palette, sometimes pre-phylloxera, of local or more international grape varieties. Discover the indigenous grape varieties with Xinomavro from Naoussa, Mavro Kalavrytino or Agiorgitiko from Peloponnese, or Kotsyfali from Crete. Reds with fragrances of black olive, laurel, rooted in this Hellenic culture, between maritime landscapes and mountain pastoralism, the very essence of the Mediterranean.
We were also captivated by the surprising expression of fresh, subtly zesty dry Muscats or Vidiano, this little-known Cretan grape variety. And how can we forget Tetramythos Retsina (resinated wine), this Greek essential where a hint of pine resin (1%) is added to preserve the wine longer. Exotic.
Στήν ύγειά σου (Cheers in Greek, pronounced "stin iyia sou") !!!
Aurélien Revillot, Bourgueil Olympique through and through
After a few hours spent with Aurélien, one better understands the decathlete physique of the man. This native of Burgundy found his playground near the Loire, and the least we can say is that he doesn't spare himself, chaining events, jumping, running, from plot to plot to allow his terroir to reach Olympic heights. He does allow himself a few moments of relaxation in the evening, when he goes to braid his vines....;) The result is astonishing: complexity, elegance, and depth, like a mirror of these Bourgueil terroirs that he continually magnifies. This month, we present three single-plot cuvées from the 2020 vintage. Undoubtedly on the highest steps of the podium!!!
Claire and Florent Bejon, naturally artisans
Here we are in Saint-Germain-sur-Vienne, at the confluence of the Loire and the Vienne, stronghold of a couple of naturally talented winemakers who are uncompromising in their precise approach. Healthy Cabernet Francs and Chenins, accompanied without artifice, serving the terroir and its purest expression. Thus, no chemicals in the vineyard or in the cellar, gentle extractions, and well-integrated aging. Claire and Florent know what they want, and we are in complete agreement! Sparkling fruit, fine and fresh tannins, their wines are always an invitation to have another glass in good company, around a joyful and dynamic table, just like Claire and Florent can be. Pure Chinon joy!!!
Spending half a day with Pierre Ménard in his stronghold of Faye d'Anjou is first and foremost a geology lesson, so passionate is he about the soils that make up his terroir: schists, micaschists, quartz veins, phtanite, silica.... Then we look up and notice the vigor of these gnarled, thick, sometimes centuries-old vines that command a certain form of respect. Pierre's work in the cellar is rigorous and respectful so as not to distort this terroir for which he has such admiration. Whether red, rosé, dry white, or sweet, Pierre's wines are always tinged with great intensity without wanting to be showy. Just like this learned and reserved winemaker. Let's take height, our minds in the cosmos but with our feet firmly on the ground!
