Teuillac (France) (AFP)
At Château Grand Launay and Haut Lorettes, in the north of the Gironde, pruning shears and harvesting machines are running at full speed for the red grape harvests. Pierre Henri Cosyns has a smile: "We will make a great vintage, thanks to a very hot summer".
This Bordeaux winegrower produces in Teuillac a Bordeaux "modern", fruity more than woody, silky, fresh, ready to drink in all circumstances, far from the "bodybuilded wines" that Bordeaux has known under the era of the American critic Robert Parker and the taste is lost.
"Today, most of my markets, in France, Canada, Finland and Lebanon, want low degrees, they do not want hyper alcoholic wines," says Cosyns who assembles several grape varieties to make this "funky" wine.
"Today, we have an image of a Bordeaux wine unaffordable, large investors.Yes, there is but not only," adds his oenologist, Thomas Duclos.
"We are in France one of the regions that has evolved the most technical and environmental in the last ten years, and on the range of 5-15 euros, Bordeaux is unbeatable in quality". "But we have no clear message!" vis-à-vis the consumer, he says, lamenting the image "hypertraditional" of Bordeaux.
In the cellar, Mr. Duclos quickly tastes the first pressed grapes: "This is very promising, with fairly significant similarities with 2018. Overall, we go to rather warm wines with aromatic freshness, rather dense, tannic "he develops.
"We have a beautiful maturity, the rains of these last days are very interesting for the Cabernet Sauvignon which will finish their maturation", adds the oenologist. "The mistake of Bordeaux right now is to chain the good vintages!", He laughs.
In Bordeaux, spared this summer by diseases, winemakers take the time to harvest to obtain a perfect maturity.
- "Gravissime" -
Recent rains have made it possible to develop the noble rot, which is essential for the sweet wines whose harvest should start next week in Sauternes.
They could also increase yields. In all of Bordeaux, the inter-branch expects a return in the decennial average of 5.1 million hectoliters.
The rain would also dilute sugars and acids, very concentrated in the berries this year and source of high alcoholic degrees, as for whites whose harvest ends with average or even low yields.
Pierre Henri Cosyns, a former engineer, went organic in 2012, the sulfur-free the following year.
This approach allows him to sell his wine, too well even since these stocks are low after hail last year and the freeze in 2017 that has reduced production by 40% in the largest wine region in France.
In contrast, other winemakers do not know where to put the new crop, their cellars are still full as the sales of Bordeaux are at half-mast with extremely low prices for bulk.
The image of a "bourgeois" wine, which discourages some consumers, but also the disaffection of China who turns to Australia and Chile, countries with which it has entered into customs agreements: the winegrower prepares a " state of affairs very serious ".
"Those who do, are the great wines and small innovative owners", summarizes the winemaker.
© 2019 AFP