Ten minutes before landing the captain came on to say we'd not be landing where our hire car was waiting, but at Montpellier due to snow!
There followed some heavy bribing of taxi drivers who claimed not to like the look of the weather. And Ouch! That exchange rate hurts! We got to our car eventually. Snow coming down fast, following the snow ploughs past miles of stranded lorries. We had sadly to abandon our Châteauneuf du Pape visit and push on in the dark north through Orange and down some really icy little roads to our hotel in Serignan du Comtat. The Pre du Moulin looked ominously like one of those big echo-y places which gives you coolness in summer and hypothermia in winter. But no. It must've cost them a fortune to keep us warm as toast all night, what with the outside at minus 6 and the Mistral furiously rattling the shutters!
The food's great and not expensive. Pascal Alonzo seems to get in a lot of game from local hunters who presumably then come back to eat it. He sure can cook! We had beautiful partridge and mallard. (Predumoulin@libertysurf.fr)
Following morning we drove nervously (because they don't clear or grit roads here) to Domaine Soleyrade where the dynamic Denis and Mireille Raymond were supposed to be bottling our Domaine Soleyrade. But snow had stopped all that. So quick taste only.
Sheesh was that wine c c c cold! The Rhône prunes vines very different to us in Bordeaux and it fascinates me but we cut the lesson short before frostbite.
Then on, mostly forwards, sometimes sideways, to Violès and Gil and Etienne Henri at Domaine des Vialles. The hard bargaining having been done, we got them to push out 'Dandelion' their old Citroen and she looked truly splendid in the snow. Nice picture. But
glad we didn't have to drive in her. Then Ruby (Rubis actually) the Black Lab badly needed a walkie in this strange white stuff and that turned out to be the most profitable dog walk ever because he's a truffle hound and blow me down if he didn't find us a couple. This might have been set up for our benefit I suspect but he sniffed under this little oak, scratched a couple of times at the earth, then sat, smiled, and asked for his biscuit. Viola! A black truffle. Then another! The aroma of those things!!!!! They knock you out. [pic4] So as well as the ham and cheese we got treated to a truffle omelette. (Day going very well!)
Gil makes a floral (violets) red which reminded strongly of my first ever Cote du Rhone which I bought from André Roux back in the Seventies. That must be the old 'gout du terroir' because Gil's vineyards run alongside those André used to own. André's retired now, in Paris, and we'll be going to see him soon and I'll take him a bottle of Vialles.
The motorway was now shut (truckers, gendarmes, angry scenes!) but I know this area well after 40 years of visits so we use the old rat-run over the Rhone hydro dam to get on the 'Nationale' to BezIers. Slide-y roads, so, terrified, I go to sleep. Then I wake and … has its all been a dream? The sun is shining and there is no snow!
Bruno Andreu at Condamine de Bertrand is a joker. He'd been getting all these panic calls from us about the weather and delays so, work done, he says all nonchalant we'll go have a picnic! And as Yves my photographer chum is with us, I am not allowed to say no. So up to the old cabane and bring out the goodies. Yes, its sunny but I decline the ridiculous straw hat and only remove my coat when close to the fire. Its still January for Heaven's sake!
Father in law, Bernard Jany. Bernard and I reminisce about the man who inspired us – and everyone – to believe that Languedoc could do great wines. Due to the great Dubernet and his partner Henri Demolombe, Bruno replanted his entire vineyard with the first 'noble' vines in the region, and now Bruno is making wines of astonishing richness, sublety and style. His syrah from whole bunches fermented in special casks with little portholes is amazing and for me particularly his Roussanne; a grape I adore, is a stunner. Bruno's consultant is Jean Dubernet's son; Marc who I remember as a teenager. I write a message on sample bottle on its way to Marc's lab. "Been too long a time" …
Then on to Chateau de Mermian where over dinner the owner, another old timer Michel Bricage also growls "it was Dubernet and Demolombe who 'made' the modern Corbieres and Minervois". They raised the bar. I tell him of the time they came, with their wives on the first Mediterranean Wine Cruise we ever organised with the Sunday Times in 1975. There was one great floating party followed by one great storm but these two great wine scientists just kept on tasting the wines when all about were losing theirs over the side! We miss tough pioneers like them. We are wimpier now. After dinner I shamefully manage to creep off before the others hit the bar.
Because it was a 6 am start!! Thanks to Yves wanting to get across to the Minervois by dawn. To catch Laurent Anger in his St Benoit vineyard, pruning as the beautiful dawn lit the scene. But of course it was pouring under a black sky instead. We hung around waiting for the sky to clear but it didn't. Shame because the vineyards around La Livinière – a village we 'discovered' back around '78 – which is now officially a 'Cru' (a 'Five Star sort of thing') are so beautiful.
We lit a fire and looked miserable for the camera – Laurent is not a big smiler at the best of times. But no sun came. We even climbed up to ask a favour at St Benoit's chapel that Laurent's great uncle vowed to build if he survived the WW1 trenches. But still no sun. So went back to Laurent's place and he grilled fabulous local sausage for us. I've never eaten so well on a trip. Everyone was trying to compensate for that lousy weather, I guess.
So hope it rains again, next trip.
Finally, met up with Andrée (Ferrandiz) who I've known since she was a sweet little girl and who has carried on the good work of Dubernet and Demolombe (for whom she worked) for more years than a gent like me could possibly reveal. She doesn't change!
I got an earful for being unpardonably late, as usual. I went on my knees even but I think I must've tried that one before. However she finally thawed over (another!) lunch that she'd brought along – she likes to ensure I eat healthy – at Chateau St Germain (another old supplier). This is a really isolated old farmhouse. Just a mother-in-law and 40 wild pigs as neighbours. They have gîtes though and they are very warm hospitable people so … try http://perso.orange.fr/gites.stgermain/ if you fancy it.
We then saw blue sky so thought we'd walk in the vineyards but it was just a mirage and we got covered in mud. Who cares! [pic8] On to Toulouse, weather warming. No probs. Fast BA flight and home for supper … of lettuce.
A very nice trip. Such great deals. Over the last forty years this region has learnt to make wines (admittedly only a few) on a level with the best from anywhere - anywhere! - in France. But hardly anyone realises! Perfect for the fine wine lover needing to economise. Plus they are such lovely, modest people down there.
To the City, to Guildhall. To see some of my cleverest young people collect their scholarships from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. Kate – now who would've thought a girl grew up in the Falklands could win the Burgundy prize! But she knows what goes with penguin.
