White wine — Paroles de vignerons - Vinparleur

Sauvignon, Sémillon, Muscadelle, Viognier... Château du Cèdre Cahors shows up in white !...

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

As already in 2016, the two white wines were entirely made without addition of sulfur and have since shown an undreamt evolution of aromatic finesse and complexity. Only a small amount of sulfur (10 mg / L) is added during bottling to help the wines overcome this final, crucial stage.

Le Cèdre Héritage blanc 2018
This wine shows a full bouquet of exotic fruits, butter and citrus oil, gradually adding delicate floral scents. Pleasant smoothness accompanies the outstanding freshness on the palate, which creates a balanced and harmonious wine from the beginning. An amazing, nuanced wine that will accompany your aperitif, as well as raw fish, all kinds of terrines, salads and cream cheese.

Le Cèdre blanc 2018
While Viognier seems to play a major role in the beginning, with its full scent of apricot, peach and pineapple, the bouquet quickly develops into more complexity and elegance: White pepper, flower scents, herbs and freshly baked pastry... A lively and fresh Wine, in constant evolution, with surprisingly intense aromas, defies its delicate and fine character. Gentle on the palate, at the same time rich and light, with a long, very aromatic finish: Lemon and spices, as well as a bouquet of dried flowers.
A fresh, fine-grained wine that will accompany your “aperitif dinatoire”. It also perfectly matches with refined seafood or flavourfull cheese (Chaource, fresh Munster cheese, goat’s cheese).
Put on the pressure, but keep it friendly! #wine #harvest

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

No matter what color - red, rosé or white - pressing grapes or pomace is always a decisive stage in wine production. First step on the way to white wine and some rosé wines, last step in the red wine production, pressing the grapes as gentle as possible always is the key to succes and great wines.

Carried out with special wine presses of different types and constructions, the press cycle takes about two to three hours for freshly picked grapes, for pomace often a little less. During the process, pressure is steadily increased, held, and removed again. The pressure-free phases are used to drain the juice or wine from the press. For the same reason the grape mass may be turned around in the press from time to time. But beware! All operations should be done with moderation, because the rougher you handle the harvest, the rougher the wine will taste!

Gentle and progressive enhancement of the pressure are two essential factors to obtain a high-quality must or press wine. It is not just about brutally crushing the grapes. Instead, one tries to burst each individual cell inside the berries to release its juice. Maturity rarely is homogeneous inside the berries. The central part of the fruit is usually more mature (more sugar, more acidity, more aromas), than the parts close to the pips and the skins. This difference is even more pronounced when harvest is brought in early. During cautious and progressive pressing, mature cells burst first, while the less mature cells release their juice only at high pressure towards the end of the pressing process. Thus the first two thirds of the must are usually of finer quality than the last third.

Some winegrowers and winegrowing regions, such as Champagne, separate both factions and make different wines from them. Both fractions can, however, complement each other and produce a more complete wine. So, unite or rather separate? The answer to this is left to any winemaker.
A good glass of… Les Costes 2016 by Pierre Cros

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

This white wine from the Minervois made from wide range of grape varieties (Grenache blanc and gris, Vermentino, Muscat, Picpoul blanc and gris ...), has already surprised me with its fresh acidity and minerality in the past. The vines grow predominantly in a location called “Les Costes”, a gentle hill chain with loamy and stony soil. The north-facing position is certainly responsible for the unusual acidity, but one should not underestimate the influence of Picpoul, a grape variety which could be called the Chardonnay of the South, and which maintains its acidity despite the warm, Mediterranean climate.

The crisp acidity is well integrated, giving a straight, juicy and full flavors to the wine. Citrus aromas and exotic fruits prevail in the nose and on the palate: lime, grapefruit, peach, mango... A perfect wine for Mediterranean cuisine, but it also perfectly matches to Asian dishes. Surely one of my favorites for this summer!

FOOD MATCHES FOR HERBIVORES: Try a cauliflower curry casserole or a quinoa or quinotto with fresh summer vegetables, lemon and ginger.

FOOD MATCHES FOR CARNIVORES AND PESCETARIANS: Roasted red mullets with peppers, black olives and fennel on basmati rice, fried noodles with prawns and chilli, lemon chicken, grilled squid, Nasi goreng…
Great White from the southern #Rhône - Domaine Santa Duc Les Grands Calcaires

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

If the reputation of the wines from the Rhône Valley mainly relies on great red wines, the whites from this region have conquered the heart of connoisseurs for a long time. Rather rare and sometimes even precious, those wines mainly surprise by the freshness and minerality that accompany her most effusive perfume. In the vineyard as in the cellar, the production of these wines requires utmost attention and precision. Yves Gras opted for organic farming years ago, the soils are ploughed and particular attention is payed to a balanced maturity and healthy grapes. Fermentation is done in the steel tanks in order to preserve the pure expression of the grapes. The name of this cuvée invokes the oldest soil types of the Rhone Valley, the calcareous subsoil. Mostly overlaid by several meters of alluvial soils, limestone rocks extends to the surface in some places however. It’s from this limestone, that the wines draw their mineral acidity.

This wine is made strictly according to traditions of the Rhône. Therefore, several varieties are processed to produce a so-called blend. For the most part made of Mediterranean varieties - Grenache, Picpoul, Ugni Blanc, but also Bourboulenc and Clairette white – the wine can and will not deny the influence of Viognier, originating from the northern Rhône. Intense and plentiful in the nose, with flavours of peaches, apricots and cinnamon, as well as a dash of green lemons. Pleasant and elegant, the wine particularly convinces by its tense and crispy acidity, embedded in mellow softness and exotic fruit flavours.

It will perfectly entertain you during an aperitif! Incidentally, it is outstandingly compatible with fried prawns, grilled fish and ripe goat cheese.
The whites from Château du Cèdre in #Cahors are available!

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

The grapes for this wines, produced only in small quantities, come from vineyards next to the winery. The Cèdre Héritage, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle, surprises by its lightness and its crispy acidity, proposing a wide range of fruit flavours. A wine full of fun, but not without depth, that you may enjoy with raw or grilled fish, a fresh summer salad or goat cheese.

The Le Cedre Blanc is almost a myth. A proud country wine from the Lot, 100% Viognier, fermented and matured in large oak barrels. Behind its bright, golden color it hides a complex bouquet, with fragrances of roses, apricot and lychee, as well as subtle wood flavours. On the palate it comes up with force and body, ending on a round and mineral final, accompanied by a hint of violets. A white wine that likes to age for a couple of years and appreciates the company of scallops and fine cheese from Burgundy.

Furthermore, these two white wines from the 2015 vintage even keep a little surprise for us: both have been fermented and matured without any addition of sulfur. Only a small amount of sulfites has helped them to pass the shock of bottling.
A good glass of... Château du Cèdre blanc 2014 #Viognier

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

During a visit in Cahors, I had the privilege of doing a « prerelease tasting of Château du Cèdre’s white wine. This pure Viognier fermented and aged in 500 liters barrels, has been preciously kept on fine lees for 9 months. Bottled next month, it will be available in September.

The nose, first kept discreet by the presence of the fine lees, shows amazing aromas of honey and beeswax. With a little air and opens up in the glass, showing more and more fruit with notes of apricot and white peach, but mostly develops increasingly, powerful fragrances of lilac and elderberry.
Soft and elegant on the palate, it shows a very nice freshness, underlined by tasty “saltiness”.

HERBIVORE SUPPORT
Its aromatic diversity, as well as its roundness and the long salty final, this wine will make a great companion for various fresh and slightly aged cheeses: Brillat-Savarin, Chaource, Rocamadour ... After a couple of months of bottle aging, try it on a Rigotte de Condrieu, a tasty goat cheese produced on the soils of the Pilat mountains in the northern Rhône area.

CARNIVORE SUPPORT
Sweet water fish, crayfish, but also a chicken supreme on lemon butter, accompanied by snow peas. Keep it simple, using rigorously tasty ingredients!
#Vermentino - Our grape variety of the month.

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

It’s a rather secret variety, this Vermentino. Originally from Malvasia, it first travelled to the vineyards of Madeira and Spain before conquering Corsica, Sardinia and Italy. Beyond Corsica. Traditionally it makes part of the white grape varieties in Provence under the name Rolle, and for many years is silently spreading out into further French wine regions around the Mediterranean. It can be found in Portugal and even in California, where its plantation has been authorized since 2001. Today’s global surface of Vermentino is estimated to some 7500 hectares.

Its berries are relatively large and provide juicy, bold and refreshing wines with multiple flavors: apples, almonds, white flowers, lemon peel, pineapple … just to name a few. As a late variety, it likes warm climates and tolerates seeking for full maturity without losing its acidity and without becoming heavy. Fresh and aromatic when used alone, it is also an excellent grape for blends, especially in combination with Grenache Blanc, Ugni Blanc or Picpoul.

Beyond its many advantages as a grape for wine making, the size of the berries and the amount of juice and flavors also make it an excellent table grape. Nothing better than having a morning snack in the vineyards at the end of August with fresh bread, a piece of Cantal cheese and some freshly picked bunches of Vermentino …
#VIOGNIER – GRAPE VARIETY OF THE MONTH ON VINPARLEUR

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

Looking closely at grape varieties you may learn a lot. That’ s what we did with VIOGNIER at the beginning of 2015. The variety almost had disappeared in the sixties (there were barely 8 hectares left in 1965), but nowadays it guarantees for international reputation of the wines of CONDRIEU, with more than 100 hectares of vines planted on steep terraces and slopes of this AOC in the northern Rhone Valley. Thanks to its flavours, this variety has gradually conquered the world. Today it occurs frequently in French Mediterranean vineyards, as well as in CALIFORNIA and in AUSTRALIA. And it may also be found in CAHORS, where Pascal and Jean-Marc Verhaeghe cultivate one hectare of this Rhone varietal (under the label IGP du Lot), simply because they love its taste.

viognier

Generally considered as being intensely floral and fruity (and unfortunately often reduced to the scent of “apricot” as a single sign of recognition), it is also said to be fat, large and smooth. Rather appealing as a promise. But this is also where problems may arise: too much fat, too large, too thick... Maturity and balance of both plants and grapes are to be monitored closely. It is therefore not surprising to meet Viognier regularly in blends rather than bottled as a single varietal wine. It’s a great teammate for grapes like white GRENACHE, CLAIRETTE and MARSANNE, but it is also good company with CHARDONNAY or CHENIN, as frequently shown in so called “new world wines”. The latter fromfrom the point of view of the “old world countries” of course.

Personally, I often compared VIOGNIER to MOURVÈDRE. Not in with respect to the taste, but rather on a agricultural level: both are identified as high quality grapes all over the world, but you’d better think twice before planting those varieties on the first available plot. If the vines find their balance with a terroir, the grapes are very good and the wine being made of it can be REALLY GREAT. But if it growths without balance, the power of VIOGNIER and the tannic structure of MOURVÈDRE may cause you problems for decades...