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MILLESIME BIO 2010 – DAY 1
MILLESIME BIO started on Monday January 25… 3 days of tastings, interviews, chats, conferences, visits…
Update 25-01-2010: first day at MILLESIME BIO. Wow, what a big change in years… From Mas de Saporta to Narbonne, than one year to Perpignan and one to Montpellier, now definitely (at least for a while) at the Parc des Expositions in Montpellier. The whole event is organized by the Association Interprofessionnelle des Vins Biologiques du Languedoc-Roussillon, shorter AIVB-LR. Since the first official MILLESIME BIO in 1993, started with only a little group of local Languedoc-Roussillon producers, the event grew every year a little bit more, getting more and more international. In 2010 nearly 400 exhibitors attend MILLESIME BIO, 25% of them coming from outside France (Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland… but also Argentina, USA, South-Africa and even … Egypt!).
The well-known Chilean company Viñedos Emiliana Orgánico was also expected on Monday, but no one came. Last news I heard was that the one who should be coming just quit short before the event… No good move from the largest organic wine producer in the whole world… They could have asked me, I would have done it… (grin)
On Monday and Tuesday, 20 regional organic delicatessen producers present their products at the Forum Agroalimentaire Bio (Organic Food Forum): olive oil, tapenades, spreads, sauces, breads, olives, vegetable preserves, toasts, Mediterranean food specialties, ready cooked meals, vinegars, mustard, biscuits, chocolate, jams, honeys etc…
Monday was a long and busy day. It was just great to see so many old friends, colleagues and wine producers. I tasted many wines from my old friends.
Domaine Emmanuel Giboulot: lovely fresh, mineral, juicy, pure, elegant, gastronomic white wines like the Côtes de Beaune Pierres Blanches and Combe d’Eve. Big surprise for me was the cheaper white wine TERRES BURGONDES, a ’simple’ Vin de Pays (IGP) de Sainte Marie’ (never heard of that before), made from ‘pinot beurrot’ the little Burgundy brother of the pinot gris! Very gastronomic and a surprising price(11,40 euro consumer!). The 2008 reds Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Sous le Mont and the Beaune ‘Lulune’ were promising well, nice acidity, good fruit, strong minerality, pretty elegant and juicy… Unfortunately no website yet…
Domaine de Pinchinat: Alain de Welle is an old friend, a very warm and kind person. His wines are wonderful examples of good priced Provence wines, as well in the protected origin range (Côtes de Provence) as in the Vin de Pays (IGP) range. Gastronomically speaking, I certainly do prefer his Côtes de Provence. For a few Euros a bottle more, you do have much more complexity and depth. The VENUS range (VDP/IGP) is however fantastic value for money. Website
Château Le Payral: Thierry Dauilhac, president of the Saussignac wine producers associations, is also a very good friend. His wines are absolutely ridiculously too cheap. But don’t tell it further, make your own profit out of it, as long as you can. The basic range is fresh, fruity, light and easy drinking. The middle range has much more depth and minerality. I LOVED the 2008 Terres rouges and Héritage reds… The last one is just a huge challenge, without any added SO2… You HAVE to taste it! I did not taste the Saussignac this time, but believe it is great! Website
Bodegas Luzon: the organic wine is very typical from the Jumilla region, lot of sun, positive oxidation, round, naturally fresh, fruity wines for a very good price. This bodega makes more wines, some of them from very good quality, but not (yet?) organic. Website
Domeniile Franco-Romaine SRL: Denis Thomas is a man with a very strong opinion, and even if you do not completely agree with it, he will just continue agreeing with his own opinion. No problem with that, surely if the wines are OK. The merlot didn’t catch my attention, too international. The pinot noir (the reason why this Burgundy man actually went to Romania) is not bad at all, but just a little bit too ‘fruity UK style’ for me. I have much more trust in the low yields autochtonous Fetească neagră with a very own character. Website
Domaine Jean David: the whole range is here absolutely recommended. The ‘plain’ basic Rhône, the Seguret, the ‘Beau nez‘ , the ‘Levants‘, … wonderful, genuine, mineral… But the real surprise was for me a ‘table wine’… rosé table wine. I know, I know, I understand your doubts, but they will completely disappear when you taste the wine. Jean was getting really pissed off by all those crazy rules about making Rhône rosé, and decided to drop his right to use the origin claim Côtes du Rhône and make his own daily booze… In this rosé, you will even find some ‘tempranille’, as the froggies say… You might recognize the Spanish grape tempranillo… Website
Two big, bigger, biggest surprises for me:
Azienda Agricola CEFALICCHIO: Puglia is a very underestimated wine producing country. About 80% of the production (also for olive oil) is just anonymously disappearing in bulk through Northern Italy and France. Terrible, if you consider the real quality and genuineness of those products. The family Rossi (3 brothers) is making fascinating products (wine, olive oil, delicatessen) with a very own character, completely different from the rest of the world. This is definitely what I like. Their wines are fantastic, very gastronomy minded, white (Jalal, Petraia), rosé (rosato Puglia, Ponte della lama) or red (Canosa, Romanico, Totila). I am a big fan of nero di Troia varietal… Website
Azienda Agricol I CLIVI: the Dutch importer Marc Collard (Vinoblesse) gave me a very useful hint about this wine house. Very genuine wines, with a great own character, from mostly autochtonous varietals. Not so easy wines for the average wine drinker. You have to know a little bit more about Colli Orientale del Friuli and about varietals like ‘friulano‘ (= ex-tocai F, sauvignon vert, sauvignonasse etc.), ribolla gialla, malvasia istriana etc.). The wines are coming from old vineyards (60-70 years old), with a high concentration and even higher mineral saltiness… My favorites were the Clivi Brazano 2006, Clivi Galea 2006 and… 1999 (WOW! WOW!! WOW!!!), and the very aromatic (long macerated) malvasia! Website
Tomorrow more…. So, stay tuned!
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