A weekend in the vineyards #2 / Festive day and meetings at Fabien Jouves
A day at Fabien Jouves' is the assurance of spending a festive day and meeting people. On the programme: tastings (obviously), discussions (logical), discovery of Jérémie Illouz (a chance)!
On Saturday 8 July, I received a short text message from Fabien, who invited me to his house for Sunday lunch with, he said, "a few winegrower friends from the area who are doing well". Knowing him, lunch can only be a festive and joyful moment. So here I am on the road. A cloudy, cool and pleasant day. Beautiful maison with a magnificent kitchen-dining room all in length. Aperitif outside at around 12:30 with a magnum of Blanc d'argile from Vouette et Sorbée to give the measure, then a blind chenin from Richard Leroy, the discussion is still about their night escapade, and their respective dinners: obviously not sad. Around the table, Fabien Jouves and his wife, Kévin Barbet and his wife (Wineryde Lafage - Coteaux du Quercy), Jérémie Illouz (WineryIllouz - AOC Cahors which is being talked about a lot at the moment), Yann (who works for an agent-distributor of natural wines in Cahors) and yours truly A nice table of honest drinkers!
Discussions about the life of Cahors wines, natural wines, distributors, the wine trade, agents, and the wines that we enjoy drinking are going well, and all this at the table in front of an enormous rib of beef (for 7 people!). Fabien quickly, very quickly, pulls the pin on the wines ofEric Pfifferling, an Austrian wine (Oggau wine). I blindly slip in a Ploussard 2011 from Manu Houillon-Overnoy, then the slope slides again. We taste Haute Pièce 2015 by Jérémie Illouz (which puts everyone back in the saddle, incredible finesse), a few bottles of Kévin (to be continued), then an old Rayas for thirst and I must say that I forget and will forget others in the long list of the day. I went to Fabien Jouves' personal cellar to grab a few bottles, some of which he gave me to taste later (WineryL'Oustal by Louis and Charlotte Pérot, who have recently moved to the area). At 6.30pm, some people leave for other activities. Fabien asks Jérémie if we can go and see the vineyards and why not taste some wines on the barrel in his new winery (Grèzes). And here I am, following their car on the small country roads.
Here we are in truly magnificent vineyards with, if all goes well, good yields to come for the 2017 harvest. Fabien Jouves charms Jérémie by telling him that he has a lot to worry about in terms of containers for the harvest. Jérémie is euphoric in front of this parcel (there is reason to be). We pass by old vines of Jurançon noir and Valdiguié. The latter are forgotten grape varieties of the appellation and for which they are fighting for their reintroduction in the decree. In the middle of the vines, the shrubs, the trees, it is really magical. We push on to the new winery, the construction of which was completed in 2016. A practical and beautiful building with a welcoming wood and steel exterior. Jérémie grabs 3 glasses, a pipette and we line up to taste half a dozen barrels of the 2016s being aged. I find the signature in the wines drunk earlier this afternoon. Wines with real substance: tactile, freshness! [Currently the 2014s are on sale and the 2015s are scheduled for release in autumn 2017].
Because it is complicated to leave each other like that, we climb above the chai in a huge room, kitchen, bar, table etc... to drink a last canon. It will be the improbable XVI of Mathieu Coste who will close this day and in any case for me because they are already going to party at their friends' place.... No comment ! Meetings with Kévin (winemakerbut also a calf breeder) and Jérémie punctuated this superb wine trip organised by Fabien and Audrey Jouves. Thank you, thank you, thank you. See you soon for more hotties and orders. Yes, it's ordered!
