July 2022: The mentor-mentee dynamic of winemaking
- Posted on
- By Kevin Nguyen
- Posted in Wine Share
Hey Stranger,
For the month of July, we spotlight a famous winemaker mentor-mentee lineage and dive deep into one of our favorite Loire Valley producers.
The July 2022 Standard “Stranger” Share:
For this month’s wine share, we are spotlighting one of our favorite Loire Valley producers: Pierre-Olivier Bonhomme! We love conducting horizontal tastings with Loire producers as they are notorious for creating a wide variety of cuvees, given the diversity of grape varieties they have at their disposal. Without grape variety or terroir as a constant, horizontal flights allow us to really hone in on a winemaker’s fingerprint and point-of-view. Pierre-O got into winemaking after he dropped out of high school and began working at the legendary Clos du Tue-Boeuf winery in Cheverny. In the late 90s, Clos du Tue-Bouef faced many vintages of tiny crops due to harsh weather conditions so Thierry Puzelat, the younger of the two brothers running the estate started a negoce project to supplement revenue. Puzelat found a partner in Pierre-O and thus the Puzelat-Bonhomme project was born.
The project was a booming success for many many years but Thierry and Pierre-O both knew it wasn't going to last forever as Thierry would eventually return to his family estate. In 2011, Pierre-O took over full vinification duties and in 2013, Pierre-O assumed full ownership. Pierre-O learned everything he knew from Thierry and so it makes sense that there are striking similarities to Clos du Tue-Boeuf in that all red wines undergo semi-carbonic maceration and most whites are direct-pressed and aged in old barrels. In the more recent vintages, Pierre-O has stepped out into his own purchasing 4.5 hectares of his own land to create single-variety wines and experiment with skin-contact white wines. We’ve loved watching Pierre-Olivier Bonhomme get better year-over-year and we think his current release of wines are his best yet.
2020 Pierre-Olivier Bonhomme “L'Ormeau Des Deux Croix Macération"
The “L’Ormeau Des Ceux Croix Macération” is 100% Chenin Blanc and is conveniently named after the Ormeau des Deux Croix Ronne parcel of land it comes from. It sees one month of skin maceration in both fiberglass and amphora and rests for an unknown amount of time in an unknown vessel - probably old barrels - before bottling. What we love about this wine is that the skin-maceration technique doesn’t obscure the inherent characteristics of Chenin Blanc but rather enhances it. Expects notes of super ripe apricots and toasted grapefruit rinds. Pair with duck a l’orange or Chinese takeout - particularly General Tso chicken.
2019 Pierre-Olivier Bonhomme “KO, In Côt We Trust”
This cuvee is 100 % Côt aka Loire Valley Malbec sourced from a single parcel in Touraine that Pierre-O owns called Les Automnes. It sees a whole-cluster maceration for 15 days and is fermented and aged in Rhone-style barrels for 18 months. In Côt We Trust is a vibrant expression of Loire Malbec, pouring a dark ruby color and showing notes of plum, violets, sweet mulch, eucalyptus, and roast meat. Pair with roast meat (with sweet mulch if you’re into that kind of thing) or anything grilled over an open fire.
The July 2022 Deluxe “Not A Stranger” Share:
This month, we are taking you to Roussillon, the Catalan region of France. Historically, this wine production region has been overlooked as a quality wine production region and when it is referenced, it’s often lumped in with its neighbor Languedoc. To us, we think the Roussiollon is one of the most dynamic wine production regions as the diverse terroir and relatively easy access to land has attracted some of the most daring and innovative winemakers. The three bottles we’ve selected for you all this month are all connected not only by a shared sense of place but by a mentee-mentor relationship.
2012 Domaine Gauby "La Roque" Blanc
We’re starting off with the initial innovator, Gerard Gauby. Gerard was born into a winemaking family and took over the estate in 1985, where he began to bottle the wines under the estate name versus selling their wines to large cooperatives. He pioneered using indigenous grapes and native yeasts not only in the region but in the country. Gauby is often credited for single-handedly putting Roussillon on the radar for global wine enthusiasts. The “La Roque Blanc” is a skin-contact blend of two different Muscat varieties: Muscat à Petit Grain and Muscat d'Alexandria. It is a deep-hued amber wine that blew us away upon first sniff and sip. Incredibly perfumed yet pure with notes of spiced peaches, apricots, and dried grapefruits. Pair with Moroccan Chicken Tagine or with your friend who majored in philosophy.
2020 Matassa “Mambo Sun”
Tom Lubbe is a New Zealander who grew up in South Africa and moved to the Roussillon region to learn how to make wine with Mediterranean varieties from the legendary Gauby. Tom’s initial contract was a three-month internship but he ended up staying for three vintages, befriended Gauby, and marrying Gauby’s sister! Matassa was founded in 2003 and the first vintage was hastily produced in the newlywed’s living room. Gauby, being a gracious mentor and brother-in-law, gave Tom his old cellar in 2004! The “Mambo Sun” is 100% Grenache from old vines. Tom prefers a light extraction method, allowing for the inherent Grenache flavor to come through without as much tannins. Expect a beautiful bouquet of red and purple flowers with notes of plum and savory herbs. Pair with Yakitori skewers or a beautiful sunset.
2020 Domaine des Lampyres “Margot” Rose
François-Xavier Dauré, F.X for short, is a 4th generation winemaker and the final generation of our mentor-mentee trio of wines. F.X is a Roussillon native, growing up in a small village called Espira de L’Agly near the famous sweet wine appellation of Rivesaltes, and has always wanted to be a winemaker. In 2015, F.X joined Tom at Matassa to learn the ways of organic and natural winemaking. For the next 5 years, F.X was Tom’s right hand man in the vineyard and cellar, while also farming 16 hectares of his own! During that time, F.X would be in his vineyard before sunrise using a headlamp to see. Friends joked that he looked like a lampyres, or firefly in French, and thus Domaine de Lampyres was born! The “Margot” is named after F.X’s daughter and is a blend of Syrah, Carignan Noir, Carignan Blanc, Macabeu, and Grenache Noir. Since there are both red and white skinned grapes, this is technically a hybrid rose-orange wine. This salmon-colored wine is incredibly versatile and could be paired with mesquite-smoked salmon or prosciutto wrapped melon.
We hope you enjoy. Don’t be a Stranger and join our wine share here!