Domaine Binet-Jacquet
I had met Pierre Jacquet at an event for Faugères’ 30th
birthday party, and wanted to follow up the suggestion of a cellar visit before
the summer had gone. So one afternoon we
tracked him down in an old cellar in the heart of the village of Faugères. His cellar is very discreet. I was glad that he was waiting outside for us;
otherwise I might have walked straight past it.
The Binet part of the domaine is
Oliver Binet, who lives in Switzerland.
It is Pierre who does the work sur place. And wine for him is a second career, after
working in la commerce internationale.
In good Burgundian tradition, we tasted from vat rather than
bottle, but wines that would very shortly be put in bottle, beginning with
2011 Faugères Tradition
- 11.50€
A blend of 30% Carignan, 30% Syrah, 20% Grenache and 10%
each of Mourvèdre and Cinsaut. The wine
had been blended in June, and it was now July, and it would be bottled in
August, on a fruit day. They follow the
biodynamic calendar. The élevage is in
vat. There was some berry fruit on both nose and palate, with some ripe
flavours. I enjoyed the slightly rustic notes that come from the Carignan.
Pierre explained that they have nine hectares. The estate was created in 1999, from bare
land. They planted the first vines in
2001 and made their first wine in 2005, and found this small cellar in 2006. Their first vintage was made chez Didier
Barral. In 2006 they bought two hectares
of old Carignan; this is the only vineyard that they bought, rather than
planted, or replanted.
The vines are in the villages of Lentheric and
Cabrerolles. Pierre particularly
appreciates the schist of Faugères. They
have about 12 plots altogether. Each
cépage has its own particular univers à lui, considering aspect
and slope and micro-climate. Carignan in
particular needs sunshine.
Pierre explained that they look for finesse and elegance; he
wants natural acidity which will emphasise the minerality of the wines. It all depends on the travail du sol; he uses
no chemical products and minimal sulphur, just as a disinfectant. Yeast naturally produce a little sulphur and
that is a good thing – otherwise the end result would be vinegar. And he also uses a little sulphur at
bottling. He is registered with
Demeter, which is very strict – the Demeter dose of copper for oidium is half
that of the usual dose for organic viticulture.
They vinify in a tronconique vat, but do not use it for
élevage. That is easier in
barriques. And they also ferment in some
open barrels, and also cement and fibre glass vats. And favour pigeage in the open top vats.
2010 Faugères Réserve – 17.00€
2 years élevage, all in wood, and then into vat for
bottling. 40% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Carignan and 10% Mourvèdre. Deep colour. Quite dense fruit on the nose and a touch of
oak. On the palate good length and some silky
tannins and lots of black fruit. Belle concentration and length. Very promising. With their later vintages they are
moving towards using less wood, and look for the minerality and finesse, with
some ageing in vat. They buy second
hand barrels from Château Rauzan Gassies in Bordeaux and use a basket press,
which gives a very gentle pressing. Their
average yield is about 25 hl/ha – in an ideal world they would prefer 30 hl/ha
2007 Faugères Grande Réserve – 30€
In 2007 they made a Grande Réserve, from Mourvèdre vinified
in barrique. It was so good that they
kept it separately and used new oak for it.
And since then they have made a 2009 and 2010 Grande Réserve, in years
when the Mourvèdre has shown particularly well.
The decision to make it is taken at the final assemblage. 40% Mourvèdre,
40% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 10% Carignan.
Deep colour. Quite perfumed spicy
fruit on the nose. Quite dense and solid
fruit on the palate. Very good
concentration. Good tannins. Ripe fruit from the Mourvèdre. Very good structure. All very promising, with lots of potential. As is the future of the estate.
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