“Clos des Patris” 酒 莊 - 2006 葡 萄 收 成
Save this post馬 賽 友 人 Clod 在 九 月 時 於 一 個 名 為 Clos des Patris 的 有 機 酒 莊 裡 工 作 ， 我 也 想 在 下 年 到 那 兒 協 助 收 割 與 釀 酒 啊 ！ 以 下 是 Clod 的 酒 莊 手 記 ：
The 2000m Mont Ventoux, standing between the Mediterranean Sea and the Alps, is the highest point in Provence. Vines have been growing on its southern slope for centuries.
During the 14th -15th centuries, Popes settled in Avignon. Winegrowing became an advantageous business in the region. Vineyards are properties of rich bishops and princes properties.
Yves Morard, owner of Clos des Patris, lives in Caromb, his vines are in Caromb, Mazan and Bédouin; his wine stamped “Côtes du Ventoux.”
In France, a new class of winemakers known as “chefs” arise — they emphasize quality, purity and natural perfumes of the grapes. The unique art of caring the grapes has been here for centuries. People have such sense in their blood, some may even say in their reptilian brain. I have myself a few drops running in my veins — we had vines in our garden and my grandpas made their own wine too. Although our wine was sometimes a bit acid, sometimes of too low alcohol rate, we had all the skills to produce it. At harvest time, the whole familly worked in mosquito clouds for 3 days…
Well, let’s go back to the vineyard of Yves.
Yves’ blood is filled with the air of Mont Ventoux, of old green oaks (Quercus Ilex), berries, mushrooms, and every inch of land he walks on. His passion inherits from his grandfather and father — one bought the farm and land, the other expanded the property. Yves turns the vineyard organic and traditional. (Right photo: Yves observing samples of grappes with harvesters Alex and Xristof)
Some chefs like Yves are returning, not to a melancholic or romantic past, but a real work with Nature, a holistic practice. They refuse high stamps like VDQS or AOC, as these standards are too commercial, too “industrialized”, and too expensive for wine coming from a family farm.
The advantage of regional stamps like “Côte du Ventoux” is there’s no formal rules to mix different types of wines. Nature makes the decision! If my wine is different from my neighbour’s, it’s simply because our soil is different, even we may have the same plants.
Wine reflects the personality of its producer…
Now i have the luck to know Yves, I can say i’m able to recognize his wine from others! I would like to call his wine the “genuine Human Gift.”
Each time I put my nose near the glass, the aroma immediately takes me to his farm — in the cellar, between the tanks, and in the vines, crushing grapes under the burning sun, walking on the soil which is fine as sand and white as snow.
During harvest time, the air can reach 32-34°C during the hottest days . This is bad because when grapes are cut at this temperature, when crushed, the juice is about 30-31°C. But wine grows only under 29°c - the limit for yeast and enzymes to work. We need to cool it down or you can lose all your liquid and cry in the bank. (On the left picture you can see the Yves’ cooling system. Find out what it is ! Maybe some “connaisseur” could do.)
Light breezes caress the southern slope of Mont Ventoux during harvest time. You can observe the soil, the leaves, the trunks, the fruit, the clouds, the birds; making little discoveries of the beauty of nature — wild mints and thymes here, rosemaries, rose bushes or blackberries there. Some hidden between different plants; some under thick grass, or round pebbles.
Each vine is a world, with its own history - who bought the land? To whom? What types of grapes are grown? How old are they? What kind of wine will they be?
Quality of wine varies yearly; only until the wine is bottled, one can tell its character. Meteo is the goddess of wine harvesters.
Luckily, we had only 2 or 3 days raining in the harvesting month, otherwise, it would be impossible to walk in the mud. The grapes will contain too much water too. This dilutes the grape juice, and in turn reduces the alcohol level of the wine by a few degrees.
Yves has around 60 hectares of vines, not in one field, but a dozen scattered around. Some are even 20 minutes drive in between!
Harvest or picnic?
I stayed in the farm with a group of people, working hard and spending lots of time together. I feel like a teenager in a summer camp. One day we worked with a group of Canadian amateurs, who wanted to know the best way to cut the grapes. After a couples of hours, they filled up their cases proudly. Unfortunately, they didn’t see one of us cut even faster by hands only without shears! Experience is the key. Yves should conduct another training next year!
Wine is energy — and energy is affected by geographical region, time of harvest, the hands, mind and hearts of the people who harvest. Vines are grandmas, or young girls, or beautiful ladies who need our most gentle attention.
We were students of a remanence of a modern druid, a shaman.
In the next post, clod will tell us more about the winemaking!
