Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Wednesday 27 October 2010

Quarts de Chaume: Florent Baumard



Am very pleased to have received the following information from Florent Baumard relating to previous posts on cryoextraction and yields in the Quarts de Chaume :

'We just finished our harvest today, under sunshine.

I just had no time to reply yet to your mail.

These green grapes were not going to produce Quarts de Chaume of course. Although, the fantastic arrière saison we had, brought amazing botrytis all over the vineyard this year. I had never seen such conditions, and the wines (even from so so grapes should be very fine...)

Of course, only the adequate grapes are used for Quarts de Chaume, the others end up in non aoc wine, or remain in the vineyard. But with chenin blanc, the color of the grape is not sufficient to judge it's quality, but we will talk about it when you next come. 

And selection in all senses makes Quarts de Chaume.

I am now grown up enough to know what to do with my grapes, and to decide of the way to cultivate. If you had contacted me then, I would have explained the reasons and situation.' 

Naturally when I next visit Domaine des Baumard I will be posting a full account of our discussions. 

3 comments:

Birk said...

They doing it in Sauternes so why not in Q Chaume? what i read here: http://www.answers.com/topic/cryoextraction
Great dynamic prodcucer Florent Baumard.

Jim's Loire said...

Birk. Your comment assumes that it is OK to use cryoextraction in Sauternes. I don't think it is appropriate for top quality Sauternes just as I don't think it is appropriate in Quarts de Chaume.

Birk said...

Of course you can discuss if it's appropriate or not (I'm on your side Jim). But are your sure Baumard use the technique or do you just assume through some pictures from the vineyard and that they not support the prohibition? Like you say - the have/or had dispensation to use it (in bad years?). Baumard makes high quality wines, and I don't cryoextraction can make so good wines if you don't have done good work in the vineyard as well... Look forward to your meeting with Florent Baumard and the answer he will deliver.