Sébastien David: an update

Sébastien David with a bottle of Coëf 

yesterday @Orléans

Back in early May I posted about the legal threat to destroy all of the production of Sébastien David's 2016 Coëf, Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil because of an alleged excess of volatile acidity. On Friday 11th May there was an hearing in Orléans when Sébastien attempted to get the order from the Préfete de Indre-et-Loire – Corinne Orzechowski – to destroy these bottles overturned. 

The judges decided that this case needed to be heard urgently in greater detail and this happened yesterday in Orléans. Sébastien and his lawyer, Eric Morain who successfully defended Olivier Cousin, made their submissions to the judges, who will apparently give their judgment on 11th July. 

Curiously there are now eight analytical results for Sébastien's 2016 Coëf – four above the permitted level of volatile acidity for Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil and four below. It does seem very odd that it appears impossible to obtain and agreed figure.     

On May 6th Rémy Bossert launched a petition in support of Sébastien. It has had an extraordinary success now having reached 171,529 signatures. Here Rémy gives an update (21st June 2019).    


Update from Rémy Bossert:
'At the hearing on the background of this Thursday, June 20th at the court of great instance in Orleans, the judges listened carefully to the arguments of Sébastien David and his lawyer Me Eric Morain. What would push these judges to order the destruction of these 2078 Bottles?

Is this wine illegal? The measures carried out give 4 results above the limit and 4 below. So he is off-law for 4 measures and compliance with the law for 4 others! What are we talking about: a difference of 0, xx on a threshold set by an outdated law of 1920 and which has no reason to be. In fact, a hundred appellations, elsewhere in France, allow rates of volatile acidity of 25 or 30 (while in Sébastien's case, the maximum measures are 20,5).

Is this wine dangerous to health? No, a rate of volatile acidity has no impact on health. In addition, this 2106 cuvée, has no inputs except grapes, while most conventional wines contain about twenty chemical molecules (Pesticides, etc).

Is the consumer clearly informed about the product? To be informed about a product is to indicate the list of ingredients that make it up. As this wine contains only grapes, Sébastien proposes to add on the counter-Label: " contains exclusively fermented grape juice, without any added inside or sulfite and with a rate of volatile acidity near or slightly above the Upper Limit, following the bottle."

Is this wine drinkable? Just read the comments of cavistes, professionals and amateurs during the trade shows and on social networks to convince themselves.

If the judges, who have to deliberation on the background, have the "sense of good", they will show common sense.

Decision towards mid-July at the earliest.

change.org/vinslibres'

Like Rémy I hope that the judges show good sense and stop this order to destroy 2078 bottles of Sébastien David's 2016 Coëf Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. I have to wonder what is behind this move to threaten the livelihood of a Loire wine producer, who is outspoken and campaigns against weedkillers and unnecessary additives in wine.