The new winery on the eastern edge of Maury
My final visit during my short stay in Roussillon was to visit the new Thunevin-Calvet winery, which is on the eastern outskirts of the small town of Maury. From the name you might imagine that this is a joint venture by two famous Bordelais names but you would only be partly correct. This is a partnership between one famous Bordelais – Jean-Luc Thunevin of Château Valandraud renown – and Jean-Roger Calvet a producer in Maury.
Until Jean-Roger took over in 2000 grapes from the Calvet's family vines had gone to the Cave-Coop de Maury. In 1999 Jean-Roger worked in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. When he returned to Maury the following year his ambition was to make Grenache here of similar quality to those produced in Châteauneuf. This proved to be difficult because the conditions in Maury are not the same as in the southern Rhône Valley.
"The soils are hotter and less fresh here," explained Jean-Roger. "Also many vines are planted facing south so that grapes gain as much alcohol as possible for vin doux naturel as producers were paid according to the alcoholic degree. Now that producers are turning to making unfortified wines they are looking for cooler, north-facing slopes. In 2007 we acquired some vines in Lesquerde at 400 metres, so cooler than around Maury.
In 2001 Jean-Roger decided that he needed a partner. With the help of Jean Pla, a former Bordeaux négociant now based in Maury, he was introduced to Jean-Luc Thunevin and the new domaine was set up. They now have 65 hectares in production and in 2008 the new winery was built. It is the first to be built in the area in a contemporary style, although they will probably not be the last in view of the number of new investors in the region.
99% of the production is dry wine with only 1% VDN Maury (3000 bottles) made. The vineyards are planted with 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 8% Carignan and 2% Mourvèdre. All are harvested by hand.
We tasted a number of 2009s from barrel including an 80-year-old Carignan, which showed again that this is a vintage with finesse and delicacy.
We then tasted the range in bottle starting with the soft and attractively blackcurrant fruited 2008 Cuvée Constance, a blend of Grenache and Carignan, which retails at the winery for 6€ making it very good value. There is some freshness in the finish making this a good bottle to share amongst friends.At 140,000 bottles this represents the majority of the domaine's production.
Next up the scale is Cuvée Dentelles (18€), which is a similar blend but from old vines. This was my favourite wine – herbal, black fruits and black olive with power and length. 2005 Hugo (30€), named after Jean-Roger's son, followed. A blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah – both picked at 15%, this has the sweetness supplied by the Grenache with some freshness and bright fruit in the finish from the Syrah but with still quite marked wood spice. It is, however, on the edge of being 'over the top' – just too powerful to enjoy, although perhaps a different matter in the winter.
We finished the dry reds with the 2005 Les Trois Marie – 100% Grenache. Full of dense, rich, brooding black fruits with a complex mid-palate and powerful but ripe tannins. This is a wine that while is impressive to taste is heavy – difficult to imagine that you can drink much of it, especially as it retails at an amazing 100€. This is 30€more than the top wines from Domaine Gauby and nowhere near as good.
We end with the fine 2007 Maury (25€) with good concentration of fruit, complexity and balance.
Although an interesting visit, Thunevin-Calvet I think is again an example where more power and more concentration can equal less. I'd be happier drinking the entry level and excellent value Cuvée Constance than struggling through the way more expensive Les Trois Marie.
Jean-Roger Calvet
"The soils are hotter and less fresh here," explained Jean-Roger. "Also many vines are planted facing south so that grapes gain as much alcohol as possible for vin doux naturel as producers were paid according to the alcoholic degree. Now that producers are turning to making unfortified wines they are looking for cooler, north-facing slopes. In 2007 we acquired some vines in Lesquerde at 400 metres, so cooler than around Maury.
In 2001 Jean-Roger decided that he needed a partner. With the help of Jean Pla, a former Bordeaux négociant now based in Maury, he was introduced to Jean-Luc Thunevin and the new domaine was set up. They now have 65 hectares in production and in 2008 the new winery was built. It is the first to be built in the area in a contemporary style, although they will probably not be the last in view of the number of new investors in the region.
View from the winery
99% of the production is dry wine with only 1% VDN Maury (3000 bottles) made. The vineyards are planted with 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 8% Carignan and 2% Mourvèdre. All are harvested by hand.
We tasted a number of 2009s from barrel including an 80-year-old Carignan, which showed again that this is a vintage with finesse and delicacy.
We then tasted the range in bottle starting with the soft and attractively blackcurrant fruited 2008 Cuvée Constance, a blend of Grenache and Carignan, which retails at the winery for 6€ making it very good value. There is some freshness in the finish making this a good bottle to share amongst friends.At 140,000 bottles this represents the majority of the domaine's production.
Next up the scale is Cuvée Dentelles (18€), which is a similar blend but from old vines. This was my favourite wine – herbal, black fruits and black olive with power and length. 2005 Hugo (30€), named after Jean-Roger's son, followed. A blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah – both picked at 15%, this has the sweetness supplied by the Grenache with some freshness and bright fruit in the finish from the Syrah but with still quite marked wood spice. It is, however, on the edge of being 'over the top' – just too powerful to enjoy, although perhaps a different matter in the winter.
We finished the dry reds with the 2005 Les Trois Marie – 100% Grenache. Full of dense, rich, brooding black fruits with a complex mid-palate and powerful but ripe tannins. This is a wine that while is impressive to taste is heavy – difficult to imagine that you can drink much of it, especially as it retails at an amazing 100€. This is 30€more than the top wines from Domaine Gauby and nowhere near as good.
We end with the fine 2007 Maury (25€) with good concentration of fruit, complexity and balance.
Although an interesting visit, Thunevin-Calvet I think is again an example where more power and more concentration can equal less. I'd be happier drinking the entry level and excellent value Cuvée Constance than struggling through the way more expensive Les Trois Marie.
If I may invade your blog as well – I promise I won’t make it a habit, the more so because harvest is approaching and time will be in short supply soon – I will tell you I’ve been the cellar neighbour of Jean-Roger in 2007. Indeed, we both hired a few square meters (he actually more than that) of the “Cave Gély”, one of the buidings belonging to “Les Vignerons de Maury”.
ReplyDeleteHe’s a charming and softly-spoken man, always ready to lend a helping hand and keen on hygiene. It is funny he also alludes to Châteauneuf as a reference, because I’ve always said the same thing. But, then again, he actually worked there, whereas my limited experience has been more one of Bandol and northern Portugal.
Still, I wonder why everybody (or nearly everybody) run away from the very sunny slopes and seek their salvation in cooler parts of the Roussillon. Of course, it makes sense not to WANT a potential 17 or 18° of alcohol, but I, for one, am a firm believer that the typicity (here comes the word) of Maury wines, be they fortified or dry, is just that sunny character.
Thanks to the acidity of our schist soils (very similar to the Cima Corgo of Port fame), and thanks to the dessicative activity of the Tramontana which concentrates everything, we manage to keep a good freshness (i.e. low pH of tartric quality with high total acidity), an interesting minerality AND robust wines with ripe tannins and overwhelming fruit. In a way, Châteauneuf with an added “finesse”. I love that ... and wine connoisseurs as well.
The Hell with the low-alcohol/low-pleasure trend !
I will also give you (see next post, because I don’t want to be boring) an overview of the quantities of ethanol we are talking about when the proof increases: no reason to go flogging a dead horse!
We first need to set the frame :
ReplyDelete. “degrees” of alcohol stands for “percent by volume” (vol %)
. alcohol weighs about 20% less than water for the same volume
. half-a-bottle of wine is a “reasonable” quantity to drink during a meal, and amounts to
37,5 cl. To make calculations easier, I round it up to 40 cl, just short of a pint (56 cl, or
1/8th of an Imperial gallon as every pub-goer knows)
If you drink that quantity (40 cl) of a “light red wine”, i.e. 12,5° in alcohol – as in most of your beloved cabernet franc-based Loire reds, Jim – you will have swallowed 0.4 liter x 125 gram x 0.8 = 40 grams of pure alcohol (ethanol).
If you drink the same quantity of a “heavy red wine”, i.e. 14.5° in alcohol – as in most of our grenache-based southern nectars - the same calculation yields: 0.4 x 145 x 0.8 = 46 grams of alcohol.
The difference is ... 6 grams of alcohol.
The alcoholic content of one glass of decent lager (33 cl in most European countries which respect themselves, and beers at 4.5°) equals: 0.33 x 45 x 0.8 = 12 grams of alcohol.
So, if you drink a solid half-a-bottle of “strong wine” rather than of “light wine”, you swallow the equivalent of half-a-glass of beer in excess! Is it worth all the fuss?
May I remind you that the “allowed” quantity of alcohol in order not to damage the health of an adult devoid of liver disease and well fed is round 200 gram per week in men and 150 g per week in females, according to most conservative and puritan health authorities. The actually “beneficial” quantity is more disputed, and amounts to “2 drinks” a day, whatever this means.
So anyway, if you drink half-a-bottle of whatever wine you choose with every meal, as any decent wine-lover does, you fuck up your liver and your pancreas and your brain and your nerves, according to the censors. Why bother then?
“ Il y a plus de vieux ivrognes que de vieux médecins ».
Thanks Luc but it is the straw that breaks the back of the camel.
ReplyDeleteGreat information about the origins of this winery (which at times are a little obfuscated). Glad you got to visit the region.
ReplyDeleteI wonder though, do you think you'd have the same opinion about concentration if the constance cost 100 Euro and the Trois Maries cost 6. :) The answer could very well be yes, but it's an interesting thought experiment. :)
Ryan. Thank you. None of the wines are remotely worth 100€. Constance would still be good value at around 8. At 6€ it is particularly well priced.
ReplyDelete