2017 will remain on record as the smallest harvest in France since World War II. A combination of factors including freezing, hail, shattering and drought severely limited production in France, and across Italy and Spain. For the first time in a very long time, world wine production will be significantly lower than consumption (I am […]
2016’s growing season was exceptionally favorable to the vine. Nature has given us a vintage that won’t soon be forgotten. After a mild and slightly rainy winter, a cool wet spring triggered a somewhat delayed bud break (marking the end of winter dormancy, bud break is the moment when the new leaves push through their […]
The terroir of the Costières de Nîmes is sedimentary, a “layer cake”. Huge variability of the contents of this “millefeuille” exists, not only from one zone to another, not only between vineyards, but sometimes even from one vine to another. To simplify the overall pattern, today we see two broad geological types in our vineyards, each one with significant nuances.
One of our family’s favorite spots is a knoll that to the north is sheltered by a small Garrigue forest and to the south is blessed by an unsurpassed view of our vineyards descending toward the marshes of Camargue (and in the evening the lighthouses that dot our part of the Mediterranean). On the center […]
Driven by a desire to do better, each year Eudes and I think about aspects of our craft that we can improve. This year we met Roman Mirc, a young consultant specializing in vine training and pruning. Competent, passionate and full of a farmer’s common sense, he quickly opened our eyes on the improvements we […]
Here in Costières de Nîmes, we had a late bud break but by bloom the vintage had caught up with a normal year. No significant shattering to report and crop size is looking good. The summer was hot and dry and veraison started late mid-July. Late August produced two storms with, in some cases, significant […]
Winemaking goes against the prevailing winds of our modern life. While today we are driven to do everything more quickly, to expect that every need can be met immediately, to believe we can understand anything straightaway with increasing amounts of information at our fingertips, to craft a great wine means knowing how to wait… Nature […]
Our Viognier from the 2014 vintage continues to have its signature liveliness with an additional touch of sensuality. Alongside its characteristic aromas of apricot and tangerine, its fans can detect an additional perception of creaminess. This is the handiwork of several years of malolactic fermentation trials on our white wines. Although not a common practice […]
A wine owes its character to the potential of its soil and how it’s interpreted by the winemaker. I often compare winemaking to music — the results depends both on the musical score and the musician. Reducing the equation to just these two parameters is a simplification that I can easily overlook, but it ignores […]
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