a Yankee in Ventoux

Harvest 2008 began on September 24th. Let the show begin…

We started the the Grenache Blanc in front of the winery on a beautiful, cool morning…

Harvest begins

Two days later we attacked the Cinsault and below you can see the sorting table in action!

Quick update…lots of rain…we’re just a few weeks from harvest…I hope…

We are 4 days away from exactly 1 year ago when we started harvest 2007 & so far this year we are not close at all!!

Good news is that the sorting table is on it’s way…

Total vineyard treatments 2008:10 compared to 3 total for 2007…yikes!

More soon when harvest starts…

So, it’s been awhile…

It seems, to me, that my ability to blog is directly related to the work stress level…outside of harvest, which is S.O.P. for me.

The stress is related to weather. I’m aware that stressing about weather is about as useful as stressing about taxes…IOW, not much I can do about.

But, the weather here in France is VERY different from my normal comfort zone of northern California. Here, we get less rain through out the year (Annual averages of 67 inches {1700mm} Sonoma county vs. 22 inches {550mm} here) but it rains each month of the year. Napa/Sonoma get next to no rain from May to November.

So, rain each month presents a bunch of new issues including a disease not found in California, downy mildew. This nasty little bug attacks mostly in the Spring and will quickly destroy a whole season. 2008 has been a textbook downy mildew year with many neighbors losing 20% to 50% of their potential harvest. We’ve been a bit luckier…let me explain.

I’m not a big fan of the tractor. Don’t get me wrong, they’re fun enough to drive around. What I don’t like is the soil compaction. Ploughing the soil, generally, affects only the top 30cm or so and everything below gets more and more compacted. This chokes off oxygen supply and encourages water runoff. Plus, vines have roots that go very deep…the deeper the roots, the less the vines will stress in the heat of the summer…

Anyway, we did NO ploughing this year and what a year to impliment that! With permanent grass cover, we are able to enter the parcels right after the rain to treat the vines. For us that means, sulfur, a bit of copper, and a bunch of herbal teas made of horsetail and stinging nettle…more of about these for a future post.

Anyway, we basically dodged the downy mildew bullet but we have treated already 6 times compared to 3 total last year.

We shall see what the rest of the growing season will bring…note to self, order a sorting table for harvest!

Pruning

It’s winter time here and so pruning is the main activity in the vineyards both here in France and across the pond in the states.

I can’t say I did a whole lot of pruning in California. I did oversee that the pruning was properly done but not too much of the manual labor. Don’t get me wrong…I know how to prune but I wouldn’t win any speed contests. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the majority of Californian winemakers don’t spend much time pruning themselves. That is the job of the vineyard teams and in California that means MEXICANS! As a generalization (and I hate generalizations) these are the hardest working people I have ever had the pleasure to work with. In fact, most of them use the simple hand pruning shears pictured above to the right. The main pruning time in Napa/Sonoma takes place in February with maybe a bit done in January and stretching a bit into March.

The story is quite different here in France…well, at least here in southern France. The often tiny pruning team usually includes (maybe just only!) the winemaker/owner. The pruning therefor begins early…really early. Many will start this task in November and prune through March depending upon how many people for how many hectares.

Another difference is in equipment. Here, believe it or not, even in France, we are most likely to use “better, newer” equipment! The average pruning in California uses a pair simple manual pruning shears! Here in France even the small guys are likely to use compressor shears or the new battery-pack power shears. On the left below is compressor shears and the right the manual version.

This difference is directly related to team size. In California, a vineyard will be attacked by an army of pruners equipped with simple, middle-age technology manual shears. In France, with a tiny team, technology must come to the rescue.

Speaking of tiny teams…I need to run back to the vineyards! We use a compressor-system attached to the PTO of our tractor. From this, two thin hoses with compressed air power two shears that remind me of a guillotine…fitting as we are in France! These bad boys chop down with impressive force so keeping inventory of your fingers pre-chop is vital.

We started pruning much later than our neighbors. I’d like bud break as late as possible which require late pruning. With late bud break, we’ll hopefully delay véraison (period when grapes color and accumulate most of the sugar). I’ll explain this theory of mine on a later post…

What’s happening in the cellar?

I’m busy racking the wines. Here’s what I mean…

I know that when I went from being a Sommelier to production in 1994, one of the biggest surprises was how much air wines are exposed to in the cellar. I had visited many wineries before working in a cellar and witnessed quite a few rackings and other winemaking procedures. Plus I had read “Knowing and Making Wine” by Emile Peynaud. Yet as a sommelier and wine collector, my understanding of wine and air was a bit off track. Air is the enemy of wine, right?

Actually, no. Proper winemaking exposes new wines to a lot of air! Racking the wines is one of the fundamental tools we have in the cellar. A general  outline, red wines from the Rhone (and Bordeaux) are racked 2 to 6 times in the first year followed by a couple of times the second year. Some varietals like Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon need regular racking. Others, such are Pinot Noir and Grenache, need little to none.

The basic definition of racking a wine is to move the wine from one vessel to another with the goal(s) of decanting the wines off any sediment and giving the wines a bit (or more than just a bit) of air. This aeration is crucial in the evolution and stabilization of young wines…especially reds. Aeration of reds is a bit counterintuitive. Generally if the wines are exposed to a fair amount of air early in their lives, the better they resist oxidation problems later. An analogy…if you come here to Provence in August (after spending all year indoors) take your shirt off in the midday sun, you’ll most likely get a nasty sunburn. But if you visit us here in the spring and then again in the early summer, spending time “exposed” outdoors, you can take your shirt off, while back again in August, and are less likely to get burned…you are in effect acclimatized to the sun. This is the same with red wines and oxygen.

I could go into a whole bunch of technical blabber about this but I’ll post some pictures instead!

So, the French are good at making do…not going for the latest/greatest just because.

Well, here’s something they don’t do so well…back labels. That’s right! I can’t tell you what percentage of French wine labels do not have a back label but its a BIG number…I’ll guess more than 50%.

When I’m out shopping for wines to try, I like to explore region I don’t know well and producers that I don’t/hardly know. So, I key in on a region and look over the selection…pick up a bottle or two and do what I think everybody does, flip the bottle around for some more information. And, like I said, I’m disappointed more than 50% of the time to find the naked glass reflecting back an odd image of myself.

Why is this? Why are there so few back labels?

Is it the additional cost? Not likely as a back label would add 0.04 euros per bottle. I know many French vignerons are having a bad time economically of late but I can’t see that 4 euro cents will firmly push them into the poorhouse.

Is it arrogance? As in…“well everyone should know my wines!” attitude. Also unlikely. The average French winemaker, the same guy most likely not using a back label, is the salt-of-the-earth farmer who has pride in his country’s wines but no attitude.

My guess is related to something found on the front label. On your average French wines front label, what is most prominent? More times than not, it’s the appellation of the wine, that is the place it is from. Not the name of the winery or cuvee or such but the A.O.C. I think most winemakers here have a trust and pride in the system A.O.C. and that’s why many lack a back label.

Let me explain… The system A.O.C. (Appellation d’Origine Contrõlée) basic premise is that where a agricultural product is from is the most important issue…not the grapes, nor techniques, nor…and here’s the kicker…the brand. Personally, I think the system is the best in the world. Sure, it has it’s flaws but as a winemaker I completely agree with the premise: A Chardonnay is not a Chardonnay because it’s a Chardonnay. Or, Chablis is not what it is because it’s Chardonnay BUT because it is a unique place called Chablis. You cannot substitute a Russian River Chardonnay if your favorite wine shop is out of your preferred Chablis just because they are both Chardonnays! The A.O.C. system covers not only wine but cheese, sea salt, chickens, oysters, etc. BRILLIANT, I say.

So, how does this connect to the lack of a back label? Well, the French trust that if the wine clearly identifies it’s point of origin that should be enough to sell it. That is probably true…in theory!

In today’s world, you must establish a more specific reason to by that particular bottle of wine than just a fairly general point of origin. All Cotes du Rhone do not taste the same, thank God!

And the specific solution is to create/highlight the BRAND. Yes, the general point of origin is important but your specific story, place, techniques, history, etc. is totally unique! This, in my opinion, is the necessity of a back label (or a multi-million dollar/euro advertising campaign!). For a loose comparison, bookstores have a type of A.O.C. in that books are grouped by subject or genre. If you write a crime thriller, your book will be with other crime thrillers. But if all you do is title the book and put it with its peers, you better be pretty famous if you intend to sell any books without a back cover giving some indication of plot or story or some background. To me, many French winemakers have trusted their classification system too much.

In California, the AVA system (America’s A.O.C.) is a bit less restrictive and broader. It specifies that a certain AVA has unique soils and/or climatic influences and leaves it at that. It does not restrict nor specify grape varietals, trellising, spacing, harvest dates, etc like the French system. Hence, it states something like “Napa is unique due to X, Y , and Z now go make some wine”. I have not encountered a winemaking region that has better back labels than California. Many times, there is a wealth of information and therefore (and most importantly) another reason to buy that specific bottle of wine. Take a look at one of the best at this…Ridge Vineyards Geyersville Label

A wise man once told me “We are not in the business of making wine but rather in the business of selling wine” As a passionate winemaker who loves (almost) every aspect of the craft, I respect this statement…I working on my back label!

So each side of the “pond” do many things (in the wine world) extremely well and somethings not so well. I thought I might concentrate on a couple of things on that theme. I’ll discuss one at a time…

Making do

My winemaking background, as most of you might know, is northern California, Napa and Sonoma specifically. These are privileged places. I kinda knew this while I was there but, boy, did that become apparent after the search began here in 2004. In our search, we looked at between 40 and 50 wineries for sale…I lost count… Obviously, the most important search factor (at least to me) was the potential of the vineyards and the soils. In my mind, everything else is changeable. So, a typical visit began with a tour of the vineyards and facilities followed by a tasting of the wines. It turns out to be some of the most difficult tasting I have done. Not because the wines were bad…some were…but the goal was to taste through winemaking in all it’s flaws and benefits to get to the core of the wine, the transparency that should be the the vineyards talking. Anyway, I digress…

One of the most surprising and impactful discovers is how the average vigneron (winemaker/winegrower) in France is able to make wine, sometimes great wine, with very little. By very little, I mean minimal manpower, (very) old equipment,
tiny production facilities, etc. They really can (sometimes) make a silk purse for a sow’s ear. The average wine making guy in old France will update his cellar only if he has to as in a piece of equipment cannot be repaired or more vineyards are in production so more help is necessary. Who needs two pumps? Stainless steel tanks? Full-time help? Everything I have works just fine, the average bloke reminds me. And, when I did taste flaws in the wines, they probably had little to do with the equipment rather outdated techniques and attention to details. New equipment wouldn’t hurt but it will not make great wine from mediocre grapes, and, that’s the point…the time and effort is rather spent in the vineyards.

Contrast that to my Californian experience, wow! I remember when working as a cellar rat at Silverado Vineyards, we (the cellar team) requested a new funnel to use to fill barrels with collected lees. $800(!) later, we had a stainless steel monster mostly to be used on lees wine. Oh, I’m sure it’s still in use…unless they found a “better” $1000 version… Not to necessary single them (Silverado) out, but they have invested major amounts of cash in better equipment, new cellars, caves, etc. and at least the last time I had their wines, I can’t taste the difference. The point again is that new equipment is not necessarily equal better wines. It is, however, the answer to more expensive wines. All these new toys need to be paid for and that cost is passed on the the consumer. Of course some investment makes sense and can lead to efficiencies and lower production costs which should/could lead to lower prices.

I do recognize that on the tip of the quality/high-price-per-bottle pyramid, certain investments are direct contributors to higher quality. Sorting tables come to mind. Sorting out MOG (material other than grapes) and any mold effected grapes will have an immediate quality return…at a high price.

In hindsight, the two year search for a vineyard has given some valuable lessons. If, as planned, we would have closed on the first domaine of interest, I surely would have spend tons of money on new equipment. Our new home here in Cotes du Ventoux had/has a VERY primitive cellar and some equipment absolutely needed to be replaced but I’ve made due and I am thrilled with the results from 2007. I know where I need to invest and upgrade but it will be gradual based mostly on logistics.

Sure, a great deal of the wineries of France could definitely use some upgrades in equipment, more care attention to details, and updated techniques. When and if they do, look out world…the sky’s the limit!

A bit of time to explain the difference of “exploiting” vineyards that one does not own, France vs. California. Here at our domaine, in addition to the 15 HA we own, we farm ~10 HA (~25 acres) in fermage.

Here’s a summary of my experience in sunny California…

A large percentage of the vineyards of California are owned not by wineries but “farmers”. They sell their grapes to a winery via a contract.

In most cases, the vineyard owner (AKA farmer or grower) would do all the farming and the winery would make suggestions/demands on techniques, crop load, etc. The picking decision is always up to the winemaker. With 11 harvest experience in California dealing with about 50 growers at various times and for various wineries, the system works…sort of…most of the time. While growers/vineyard owners are open to suggestions and direction, very few will agree to anything drastic like dropping fruit, changing spray programs, etc… unless specified by contract. And writing a contract to allow “drastic” changes is not easy. Mind you, I completely understand the point of view of the growers. A request like a “green” harvest (dropping excess fruit) is to a grower like dropping money on the ground. Likewise with changing spray programs as this would/could increase risk of disease. Hence, some contracts in California are moving to per acre which pays a fixed sum for the amount land planted as compared to tons delivered. The grower will now follow specific instructions from the winery…well, at least, they should. Ultimately, the farmer is still doing the farming and not the the winery. I found that in California I was managing growers as much as I was managing vineyards! The number of phone calls I got from growers demanding to know why I had not chosen to harvest yet was… well, I don’t remember.

So how do they do it in France? It’s called fermage and basically you rent the land from the owner who then does nothing!. All viticulture is up to the winery: pruning, spraying, harvest, everything! If I want to drop 50% of the fruit…no problem. If I want to harvest in July or December, all the power to me. In addition to carte blanche on all viticultural decisions, the lease agreements are easy to swallow. Leases are usually open-ended and it’s difficult, near impossible for the owner to get out of the lease as long as the winery does the bare minimum in upkeep such as keeping (most of) the vines alive. And the lease amounts are normally extremely reasonable and I do mean extremely! Well, I guess, everything is relative… The average bottle price here in Cotes du Ventoux is a far cry from the Napa Cabernet median. With only one harvest under this system, I should be careful to judge…but so far so good.

The advantage of the Californian norm is that the everyday management of the vineyards is left to the owners and there are many fantastic owner/growers. The disadvantage, sometimes, is that the management of the vineyards is left to the owners! Less control but less responsibility and risk too. The French system of fermage has an advantage of total control… to the winemaker. The disadvantage is that management and upkeep is my responsibility the yet I don’t own the land.

Personally, a major reason that I wanted to make wine here in France is that complete control of the vineyards. With it, I’ll make the best wine that I can (I accept that the concept of “complete control” is somewhat fictitious in any agricultural endeavor). DONC (therefore) the fermage system suits me just perfectly…so far…

Seems everyone has a blog these days… That maybe a good reason not to start one! Yet… It’s easier than sending hundreds of emails bogged down with pictures. So what do I have to say?

Well… after 11 harvests in Sonoma/Napa I am now in France, Cotes du Ventoux to be exact which is part of the southern Rhone AOC. Specifically, we have bought a domaine just outside of the town of Le Barroux which is the northern most limit of Ventoux right next to Baumes de Venise and very close to Gigondas and Vacqueras.

Besides sharing some of the daily, weekly, monthly, seasonally happenings here at the domaine, I am hoping to do some compare & contrast with how things are done here and in California. I hope the tone will not be “this is better, that is worse” as both regions are equally legitimate…just different…very different!

Let’s start with a few details about where we are…

Again, northern limit of Cotes du Ventoux… We have 15 HA of vines (37 acres) plus another 10 (25 acres) in what is call fermage. Fermage is a lease agreement and worthy of a compare & contrast….next time. About 60% grenache, 19% syrah, a bit of cinsault, carignan, grenache blanc, and clairette. Production will hover around 80% red, 15% rosé, and 5% white.

Harvest 2007 is now finished and we’ll end up with a “good yield” of 885hl or about 23,300 gallons or the potential of about 112,000 bottles after lees loses and evaporation. So, with about 23 HA of producing vineyards (we have ~2 HA of newly planted, non-producing vines) that gets us to 38.47 hl/ha or 2,6 tons to the acre…not much but not bad considering the average age of the vines is plus 39 years.

Anyway, that’s the summary and where the adventure starts!

As I expect that the bulk of my audience will be family and friends…QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS are required!! You can require this from family and friends… doesn’t mean they’ll listen but they have been told!!

Ciao for now…