Vivent Les Vins... Libres Singapore 2019
15th April 2019 in Singapore was hold the Paris born wine fair VIVENT LES VINS LIBRES.
Who they are and what are they doing?
Les Vivent Les Vins Libres is a collective of natural winemakers, whose goal is to share its common passion for natural wine and winemaking philosophy with passionate people.
For many years now, they have been gathering every June in Paris around a grand wine tasting event, where reputable winemakers and new young upcoming winemakers showcase their wines & passion.
In 2014, they decided to bring this event abroad and decided that each year they would organize this event in a different city to meet people from all over the world and share a common passion - natural wine, wine with a soul!
Amsterdam, Bruxelles, New York, Montreal, Hong Kong & Singapore.
Singapore is an outstanding city with an interesting equator climate condition hot and humid, a country where winemaking definitely is not possible, however, is a great destination for hospitality. Great restaurant, wine bar, and cocktail bar make this city on the map of Hospitality in southeast Asia. A destination for foodies and finance guest due to the strategical position close to the major big country in this part of the world Australia, China, Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan.
Hotels are truly strategical along with the service a great combination of Asia style and European influence.
The Fair was hold in the green area of the city called Dempsey in the Open farm community:
a restaurant and Caffe area immerse in a beautiful garden, the fair was outdoor in this spectacular frame.
I taste several good producers which I already had the pleasure to work with and others which I discover that day.
The first was the Montlouis Sur Loire Lise and Bertrand Jousset in Tourraine section in the Loire valley, this is the region mirror the famous Vouvray appellation Chenin is a great mineral, textural and lots of tension. Bertrand has a side project label called Exile which sort with his team organic grape in a different part of France doing harvest and winemaking from beginning to the end a different conception of the classic Negociant burgundy approach. This side label is to make sure the not profitable vintage they can still release wines with the same philosophy and concept of their natural idea of winemaking.
The 2016 Premier Rendez Vous version Lounge is a Chenin blanc with an extra year aging before release; is full of energy and tension with a rich mouth feeling without losing the freshness, a gourmand wine.
Maceration de Menu Pineau, a native grape's which seem to suggest a relationship with the Pinot family, as does its weak association with the Jura wine region of Arbois AOC (mostly through its similarities in leaf structure with Savagnin). It is most likely that the grape is native to the Loire Valley. Most of the grape's viticultural history is tied into the historic Touraine region where it is still most prevalent today, particularly in the Loir-et-Cher département. The grape is on the decline in plantings and importance though it is still a permitted grape variety in several AOCs including being the only grape other than Chenin blanc permitted in Vouvray.
This was a skin contact wine with light bright orange color, the nose was a classic white maceration as bruised apple, dried orange peel and nectarine with jelly sensation, spicy herbs and Peychaud's bitter, palate rich but still preserve the tuffaceous mineral character of the continental climate of Middle Loire.
Bertrand a truly nice growers and one of the mind behind Vivent Les Vins Libres
Domaine Bobinet from Saumur Champigny in Anjou section in the Loire Valley Sébastien Bobinet and his partner Eméline Calvez. Heavily influenced by the godfather of natural winemaking, Jules Chauvet of the Beaujolais, and under the guidance of the Loire’s renowned Foucault brothers of Clos Rougeard, the two have added momentum to the revitalization of the AOC Saumur-Champigny. While Sébastien has long been regarded as a rising star of the region, his collaboration with Eméline since 2011—a talent in her own right—has cemented the cult status of the domaine’s wines.
The 1,8 ha planted with vines on a magnificent tuffeau hillside in cabernet franc and chenin, produces natural wines, perfectly true, fine and bright. Barrel wine aging in the beautiful, historical tuffeau cellar of the domaine, gives life to the Amatéus Bobi, Ruben, and Echalier cuvee.
Amateus Bobi 2017 was a Cabernet Franc with wet stone minerality and crush fossil rock elements.
Black pepper with a tension palatable minerality. This wines I'll buy in cases how beautiful it is.
In Chinon, this lovely guy Nicolas Grosbois make Cabernet franc very enjoyable and complex. Here Mr. Franc is truly on his native place he makes a more approachable Cuvee called La Cuisine de ma Mere to single vineyard site Gabare and Clos du Noyer.
The Grosbois family vineyard is located at a place called “The Pressoir” Panzoult in the Chinon appellation in the heart of the Loire Valley. Domaine Grosbois consists of 9 hectares of vines spread over 13 different plots in order to adapt the cultures to the soil. The wines are made from the Cabernet Franc grape called “Breton”, the soils are a mixture of clay and limestone. Different soils modulate the personality of the wines. The aging is done in wood and cement tanks of course only natural yeast applies to the fermentation and the wine is not stabilized with any technical intervention.
2017 were classic traditional Chinon with the capsicum element and black pepper of the Breton grape. The palate is not invaded by oak but very attached to the grape. Elegant complexity with a spine of acidity which is the backbone of the wines of Loire Valley.
Gabare is 6.5 hectares on clay, limestone soil with 25 days fermentation in concrete tanks and aging in concrete for 24 months before release. Great Chinon.
Emmanuel Giboulot is not new in this blog:
Les Pierre Blanches is a terrific mineral burgundy white wines with match stick element with a slightly fat rich palate with a high level of energy. 2017 by Emmanuel is a very good wine.
Les Pierres Blanches rouge was truly good too.
Emmanuel and Jasper Button from Australia from a Winery in the Basket Ranges called Commune of Buttons in the hills of Adelaide make pure distinctive "Glou Glou" wines ... His Pinot Noir and Syrah are always focused on the drinkability and energy palate Vin de soif...
Emmanuel Giboulot he is devoted to making wines that are true to their place while respecting most rigorous ethics of viticulture and vinification.
Anton van Klopper
The father of Natural wine in Australia Anton van Klopper
Anton van Klopper is arguably one of the most influential characters in the Basket Range group in Adelaide Hills in South Australia has always had an interest in good food and wine. Originally working in hospitality he found himself surrounded by great wines. Eventually, years of tasting and trying persuaded him that it was time to try his hand at creation! After studying the arts and sciences of agriculture and enology he traveled the world creating vintages in places far and wide. It was on these travels where he came to understand that all great wines are an expression of the land where the grape is grown, and anything that interferes with and takes away that expression of the place makes for a dull wine. To that end, Anton purchased 16 acres of orchards in the Adelaide Hills, Basket Region and by growing their own grapes, biodynamically (in a way that maximising the vines’ potential while caring for the Earth), as well as being involved in every step in the winemaking process they began to produce a delicious range of natural wine.
His wines are a number of things; exciting, challenging, interesting, surprising and delicious to name just a few. Each vintage, each bottle even, have their own special quirks and idiosyncrasies, which is what makes this kind of wine production so special, something definitely worth sitting up and taking notice of. By pushing the boundaries of traditional winemaking, Anton and his band of merry wine-making men in the Basket Range (James Erskine, Tom Shobbrook, and Sam Hughes) all living in just down the road from one another, have formed a movement they have called Natural Selection Theory, where winemaking knows no bounds, and together they are working tirelessly to change the face of wines as they are perceived by most. Anton is scathing of many ‘ trends following’ winemakers who claim to be producing ‘natural’ wines.
All his wines having great personality and year by year are truly respectful of the soil.
Clement Lelarge at Lelarge Pugeot in Verzy Montagne de Reims Champagne
Champagne Lelarge-Pugeot is a winery in the premier cru Champagne village of Vrigny. They have planted Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with Meunier at 60 %. Husband and wife manage the winery along with their three children. Their father has worked the vineyards for over thirty years. He began implementing practices in 1985 to transform the vineyards from conventional to organic and biodynamic farming. In 2012, Lelarge-Pugeot's first 100% organic harvest was AB certified. A pair of horses, Ursulle and Samba, plow the vineyards during the year, preventing soil compaction. This allows the top layers of soil access to oxygen, boosting the overall health of the soil, vines, and grapes.
The Rose de Saignee which consists of allowing the grape must to remain in contact with the skins for a short while (just a few hours). Thus the natural pigments in the skins of the black grapes begin to color the juice and at the same time, they enrich the juice with their aromatic components. After maceration, the juices are bled off - hence the name. "Bled" pink champagnes generally have a more intense pink color. These "rosé de saignée" champagnes are generally richer in taste and have a vinous character which makes them particularly suitable to be served with food. The Lelarge Pugeot is a Brut Nature so zero dosage and it had such an incredible life and energy with all the complexity phenolic coming for the time on skin.
Chateau de Beru in the village of Beru in Chablis is an ancient close walled vineyard with an outstanding soil.
The Béru family has owned the historical Château de Béru domain for 400 years. Currently is run by Laurence and Athénaïs de Béru, they adopt organic farming, the harvests are directly pressed – in a pneumatic press at low pressure. The juice is directly transferred to stainless steel tanks for fermentation. The wines are aged 14 to 16 months and are bottled without any fining or filtration. At the fair we tasted her single parcels which having an incredible salty element which only particular soil can donate that to the taste buds, Beru definitely make age-worthy wines from Chardonnay and sometimes when mother nature due to frost and other weather problem they sort grape for other parts of Burgundy like in Macconais and in the Auxerrois area. All these wines are incredible with long life and great potential aging.
Marc Outin at La Grange Aux Belles
Marc is a lovely welcoming man with a great soul and a truly amazing hospitality versus his wines.
Great wines from Chenin, Gamay, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay. Marc is a man to watch...
Tomato distillate
The great distillery man of France is Laurent Cazottes...
Laurent Cazottes is one of the most conscientious producers in the world. His line of super artisanal spirits has quickly become the rage in top restaurants, bistros, and wine bars in Paris. The reason is simple; no one in the world makes anything quite like him and the sheer quality is unsurpassable.
Laurent, he has several varieties planted and uses all of them for this one-of-a-kind liqueur! After the fruit is fully ripe, he picks them all by hand, de-stems them by hand, quarters them and removes the seeds by hand and then macerates the fruit in freshly distilled organic Folle Noire eau de vie for 10 months. Next, this pomace is pressed and re-distilled. The tomato distillate is then added back to the original Folle Noire/tomato infusion and left to marry to create the final liqueur! Notes include leafy greens, super fresh tomatoes, garden scents, cantaloupe, sultanas, mulberries, fresh dates, grass, and more. An absolute must-try.
This was the revelation of the fair Domaine Des Hauts Baigneux
Most of the vineyards are located in Azay-le-Rideau on the lieu-dit "Hauts Baigneux". The Domaine also owns a two-hectare plot in Saché. This great flint-heavy terroir produces the two top cuvées of the domaine: Le Clos des Blancs and Blanc Chenin.
The wines of Domaine des Hauts Baigneux are all produced with natural yeast and bottled with minimal intervention. The cuvées Les Chenes and Les Pentes are delicious vins de soif that showcase the best of Loire Valley. The sparkling wines are fantastic bottles of everyday bubbles, and the single vineyard Chenin Blancs are a testament to the towering quality of this terroir.
Blanc Chenin from 2017
had an amazing energy complexity and power, something to make shake producer as Mark Angeli, Foucault Brothers, Domaine du Collier, Domaine de Bellivière etc...
Technical sheet of the Cuvee.
Average vine age: 30-60 years. Flinty clay with limestone underneath. Hand harvested. Direct press, natural yeast fermentation in demi-muids. Elevage for 18 months on the lees in concrete eggs, barrels, and demi-muids.
The magic wines of Julien Guillot at Clos du Vignes du Maynes which we already talk on this blog
Clos des Vignes du Maynes, in an area of Burgundy known for mass-produced, industrial wines, it’s easy to understand why Julien is such an advocate for tradition. The grapes are harvested by hand and fermented in old oak foudres. The fruit undergoes partial whole-cluster fermentation, without any additional sulfur or foreign yeast cultures, and Julien leaves the finished wines unfined and unfiltered to showcase the layers of fruit. A MUST ...
Clos des Vignes du Maynes, in an area of Burgundy known for mass-produced, industrial wines, it’s easy to understand why Julien is such an advocate for tradition. The grapes are harvested by hand and fermented in old oak foudres. The fruit undergoes partial whole-cluster fermentation, without any additional sulfur or foreign yeast cultures, and Julien leaves the finished wines unfined and unfiltered to showcase the layers of fruit. A MUST ...
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