Recognition

“Watch out for the old lady at the bottom of the well” : I think this comes from a local saying intended to warn children from falling in a well and drown.
Bordeaux has many sayings with common sense, and unfortunately some a bit silly too: “to drown in a glass of water” makes me think of “watch-out for over-ripeness”. How many wines affected by over-ripeness can be named?

When you think that under-ripeness can always sneak up on us in every vintage.
When you think that so many professionals are still afraid by over-ripeness, it is normal that Michel Roland is seen as an alien! I finally decided to listen and, this year, Jean-Philippe Fort (one of Michel Roland’s collaborators) has the full control over the date of the harvest (with Rémi Dalmasso and Christophe Lardière). This is why we are harvesting so late. Results expected in the bottom of the glass in March…

In the Saturday, October 6 issue of the Sud Ouest, an article called: “an insatiable builder” was published in the local section. Here are a few excerpts:
“These past years, the name of Jean-Luc Thunevin comes up frequently in conversations about wine. Of course, especially in the Libourne region where his success is attributed to the creation of “garage wine”, but also elsewhere. In the whole of Bordeaux as well as the Roussillon where he and others have given great encouragement for motivated winemakers from this area.”…
… “Since his beginning, the garagist has become a reference for many and the subject of criticism for others. He is indeed a builder who understands that wine is a profession focused on performance, not kindness”.

It is nice to get a bit of recognition. The media has not been kind with me a few years ago… It is worth not losing faith.

Saturday we had a business lunch with one of our most faithful friends, and who had a major part in our success : Michel Rolland. We talked shop, vinification, evolution, while sipping a very good Ruinart Blanc de Blanc, the Cuvée du Papet 2005 du Mont Olivet from Chateauneuf du Pape (ripe fruit, sun, and always pleasure) and Valandraud 2005.

Every time we see Michel Rolland, we feel rejuvenated by his passion and the pleasure he gets from his job in the wine world. It is not surprising why he is one of the most sought after consultant in the world today.

For dinner, with the Mauss and the Droulers and their daughter, we drank: La Bernardine 1972 from Chapoutier in Chateauneuf du Pape, incredibly good, Blanc de Valandraud N° 1 2005 , Valandraud 1999, Hugo 2004 and Maury 2004. And unfortunately 2 corked bottles of : Palazzi 1999 and Oratoire 1971 in a magnum. Michel Bettane, in a provocative way, during a tasting where too many bottles were corked, asked that the death penalty (commercially speaking) be reinstated for cork manufacturer. Fortunately, some progress has been made in that area and we will have less problems… Well I hope.

In the meantime, the harvest goes on.