Portrait / Jean David, the red hat

Published on 15 March 2017

A supporter of organic farming since 1987, Jean David has attracted a good number of winegrowers from the Rhône Valley (and elsewhere) in his wake, led by Marcel Richaud. Portrait.

Leaving to come back Jean David is one of those winegrowers with imposing hands, a tanned face, marked by gusts of wind and work in the vineyard. The face of a man who has lived. An admirer of Kerouac, when he was younger he took to the roads of travel, towards Egypt and the unknown. Moving away from Séguret contributed to his construction and his open-mindedness, which he still has today. In the mid-1980s, Jean returned to the village, located a few kilometres from Vaison-la-Romaine. His father, a former director of the local cooperative, did not wait for the son's reappearance to give up part of the family land. Jean David then shaped his knowledge by renting out his aunt's vines. Immediately, he started to produce organically and obtained the label in 1987. A philosophy that will even convince Marcel Richaud, motivated by the idea of following in the footsteps of Jean David. Thirty years later, the 17 hectare Wineryhas lost none of its original identity. Listening to these beautiful terroirs of the Ouvèze plains and the slopes of the Dentelles de Montmirail Massif is a priority. The terroirs are very varied, ranging from deep, sandy-limestone soils to very chalky soils, worked with a fierce and benevolent love. The three Ps: Passion, Patience, Pleasure At Jean's, there are no rules. Each year is different and it is up to winemakerto adapt to the conditions of the vintage to obtain a quality wine. No weedkillers or chemical fertilisers, no synthetic products... and a lot of pleasure in observing the plant, the plants and all the living things that surround it! The watchwords for the work in the cellar: vigilance, rigour, reflection, decision, patience and always passion as an objective. Passion with a capital P! Jean David, with his red hat on, is constantly on the lookout for new ways to produce his wines, favouring roundness over power. In love with old Grenache vines, he offers the magic of this great Grape varietyof the south in his silky and always intensely perfumed wines. The whole production is a reflection of the man himself: without concession, with no other pretension than to transmit pleasure. A pleasure that we taste with fervour.