JC in France May - June 2018 | Day 11
Beautiful morning! Petit dejeuner out on the terrace of my hotel. First meeting this morning is at Domaine Yves Gangloff in Condrieu. We have been chasing this domaine for over three years. Considered a micro-domaine, Yves’ wines are made with exceptional quality and in very limited production – they are hugely sought-after. He does produce Condrieu, St Joseph and Cote-Rotie wines and I tried with him the 2016 and 2017 vintages. Yves is an artist and his wines have personality and energy that made them a class on its own. We are delighted to confirm that we have secured a very small allocation of his wines, they will be due in NZ early 2019. Please let us know if you are interested to be on the list to get prices - Contact us here!
Just before lunch my next tasting was at a new domaine for MV – Maison Clusel- Roch based in the Cote-Rotie Appellation. Although the family always made a very small amount of Cote-Rotie they grew the Domaine by making wines from the unknown Appellation of Coteaux du Lyonnais (vineyards north of the Cote-Rotie and just around the town of Lyon). They are real lovers of the land and today, they are hugely famous for both Appellations (and a minuscule amount of Condrieu) by making wines (organic and biodynamic) with good texture and 'matiere' yet with lots of finesse and elegance. We are expecting our first order in the next few months.
Next I was planning to visit Nelly France (ex Clos Henri in Marlborough) and her husband who owns a small vineyard in St Joseph but also making wines from the southern Rhone – unfortunately I had to drive to my home town to settle some family affairs. St Etienne is were I was born, where my family started their wine business (since 1879) and where my Mum and my two sisters still live. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with them for the next 24 hours. I will also take this opportunity to have a bit of rest before being back on the road Sunday afternoon. - JC
Yves Gangloff