“sans poesie, il n’y a pas de vie. les gents sont les creatures d’habitude. moi je suis entre les esperances et les souvenirs….”

*uses vin dame jeanne (handblown glass) for storing wine

*plays classical music for fermenting wines (lots of Chopin)

*on several occasions mentions Japanese food as a great pairing with his wines

*if grapes are too dry at harvest, they will be empty in the glass….except for when he does passito

TASTING PROGRESSION =” REGISTERS”

• light reds
• heavy reds
• heavy whites
• light whites
• barrel whites
• sweet whites

Grolleau: 2 month maceration, grappe entiere, beautiful fruit, some rootiness

Cab Franc 1: 2 mois maceration, grappe entiere, vegetal, stemy green, liquorice

Cab Franc 2: whole cluster/6 mois maceration, racines, tannin, some brett

Cab Franc 3: 6 mois maceration, oregano!

Rouge ’15: Cab Franc 65%/Cab Sauv, macerated 10 jours ensemble, opened 8 days still energetic and very ^^^^^

L’Incredule ’14: freshly opened, bitter amaro, roots, nice fruit, myrte, a little hard to drink

Gélignon ’14: Cab Sauv pure, higher VA than expected, easier to drink, tasty fruit, cassis

Les Ecoliers: Chenin 3g sugar, salinic, iron nose, deep almost amber golden, umami

Clopin Clopant: tasted after 8 days open, totally fresh and high aromatic

Chnaploid (“chenin a ploid”= non reproducing/pasturized…genetically modified oysters that never produce milk, usually unused”) ’14: Chenin 1 g sucre, umami, oyster brine, tons of length! 10 days open !! ^^^^^

Chnaploid: just opened, Chenin concentré, bright zest citrus, tropical fruit, prickly

Isodore: Chenin concenté but in a higher register, DELICIOUS, ginger, mineral, salinity, papaya, mango

“Trouvent un cepage” ’15: Chenin 1g res sugar, more aromatics with residual

In Barrel (3 parcels)

• young vine 17yr Chenin
• 50yr Chenin, ever fresh, more depth, vertical duration
• vielles vignes 80yr, weighted, round, deep
• ALSO a 2016 young vine Chenin, very POPPY

Pierre 2009: Chenin avec oiseaus

2014 Vine Dame Jeanne: apricots, heavy brine, orange, done passito method

2015 Vine Dame Jeanne: saffron, curry, botrytis

“the idea is to be completely transparent about the cepage and the millessime. il faut permit la poesie. there is no premeditation, I am in the cellar one day and decide what to assemblage.”

“water is the nectar of our consciousness, i think”