Roussillon, could do better!

David Schildknecht rates nearly 500 wines from the Roussillon for Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. Our Cuvée Constance Thunevin-Calvet 2011 which was given 91, and the 2012 recieved 90+ with some nice comments, will now be easier to sell in New York or Berlin with its value/rating/price ratio being very favourable. (18 dollars in the US)
 

The other wines, without doubt too full-bodied, ambitious and more expensive were rated between 90 and 93 by David. If they had been rated at the same time as some Priorat or Californian wines, I have no doubt that they would have recieved ratings between 95 and 100 and completely different comments.

Friday 31/01/2014 

Andrew Jefford

It is with great pleasure that we spent a few hours with Andrew Jefford on Tuesday, writer and journalist, to answer a few of his questions about ''terroir'' .

Although he lives in France, down towards Montpellier, I hadn't welcomed him to Saint Emilion for a few years and this is a shame as he is one of the English wine critics that backed our story from the early days. Something that wasn't too common for the English at the time, all too happy to bash the Garagiste liked by the 'uncultivated Americans'. 20 years ago, the English were still the gatekeepers of the good taste of Bordeaux wines.


A meal and wine tasting with a red Burgundy whose name I don't recall, Valandraud 2010, 3 Marie 2009 (because when one talks about ''terroir'', the Roussillon generally has something important to say), Clos du Beau Père 2010 and Virginie de Valandraud Blanc 2012.

A quick visit of our red and white vines at Valandraud with a tasting of Valandraud 2011 from the tank. It will be put in bottles with our own machines next week.

Time has flown too quickly.

Wednesday 29/01/2014