Domaine Pech Redon
The dramatic scenery of La Clape, but on a rather grey day.
I always enjoy seeing Christophe Bousquet as he is nicely opinionated and does not mince his words. Asked about the 2025 harvest, he quoted a colleague who described it as a millésime de merde; in other words a shitty vintage. And then he proceeded to explain. Quantity is small and things are complicated. We met at the beginning of Sepember and he was expecting to start the harvest a few days later, on 8th September. They have had drought and coup de chaleur, or heat wave which harms the grapes. The wild boar are problematic too. There was a good storm with 70 mms of rain in the middle of July, but it was so dry that there was no reaction from the vines, with no trace of the water two days later, and still very tiny grapes. The skins are thick and there are sun burnt leaves and grapes. They gave up leaf-plucking years ago. Then there was a second coup de chaleur in the middle of August, so that the vines were quite tired by the end of August. Some people had already started the harvest, but Christophe thought that the grapes were not really ripe. It’s complicated. Entrees maritimes, or sea breezes can help, and there was a little rain at the end of August which fattened the grape a little. However the coup de chaleur just guzzled the acidity. Some early ripening white varieties were picked in the middle of August, but grapes with virtually no malic acid. And a soil temperature of 52C was registered in the middle of July and they have had 20 days with a soil temperature of 50C. In comparison 2024 was dry but not so hot. Three years of drought and heatwaves makes things very difficult for the vines
Olivier Julien in the Terrasses d Larzac is a good friend and he observed that Olivier had had a hotter August than la Clape. The Terrasses du Larzac have started picking before la Clape, which is very unusual as La Clape has some of the highest sunshine hours in the whole of France. Then we talked about rainfall levels. This year the Terrasses du Larzac have had 700 mm as opposed to 300 mm in La Clape. The figure for 2024 in la Clape is 250 mm and in 2023 150 mm. The last generous la Clape vintage was 2022 with 700 mm of rain. In other words they have lost one and a half year’s worth of rainfall in three years. We also touched on irrigation. Christopher is not a fan. It does not protect the wines against the heat. Rainfall is not the problem; it is the heat. Pic St Loup gets enough water, as does the Terrasses du Larzac, even if they have some burnt grapes. The plant just gives up at a certain moment. The temperature reached a peak on 6th August with a mind-blowing 54C in his sheltered courtyard.
Christopher has a stagiaire who is looking at the impact of cultivation methods. If the soil is tilled and the vines trained on wires, you can reach a soil temperature of 52C. But with untilled soil and gobelet bush vines, the soil temperature remains around 40C The bush vines provides shade and the grass protects the soil. So you should leave a bed of dry vegetation to cool the soil.
Domaine Pech Redon is the highest estate of la Clape, taking its name from the highest point of the massif, with vineyards at 160 - 180 metres. Christophe has 30 hectares of vines including ten hectares of Syrah trained on wires, as well as Mourvèdre, Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault, Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Clairette, Piquepoul and Vermentino. He has worked organically since 2005 and was the first in the appellation to do so.
2023 La Centaurée - 27.00€
80% Bourboulenc with 20% Clairette. The Clairette is blended just before bottling. 14%. Vinified and aged for 12 - 18 months in demi-muids from Stockinger. Some ageing on the lees. Malo faite. Very good acidity. Very focussed, with some weight and a long finish. Christophe enthused about Bourboulenc and Clairette. They are two of the oldest grape varieties of the Languedoc and they are usually picked late, at the beginning of October. Clairette always gives good acidity.
2024 L’Epervier
2024 was a complicated vintage for white wine. The grapes were very small with no juice, but they gave freshness and focus. A blend of Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, with a little Marsanne, Roussanne, Piquepoul, Clairette and just 3% of Viognier - it is limited to 10% in the appellation. All pressed together, and fermented in vat with indigenous yeast.
Some appealing herbal notes on the nose and palate. A nicely rounded palate, notes of white flowers, with good mouthfeel and lots of nuances form the mixture of grape varieties. A touch of tannin with good structure and acidity. Maritime freshness and a salty note on the finish. For Christophe, it defines la Clape and the white wines of the Mediterranean. A modest 13.5% .
Another observation from Christophe that the whites are a catastrophe. There is a big demand, but not enough wine He had sold out of this 2024 months ago. He produces 20% white wine and has planted some new vineyards, but they are not yet in production.
And commenting further on climate change - they need 400 mm of rain this winter for the vines to survive. There are areas where vines will not longer exist, maybe in the Corbières where they have reached the physiological limit of the vine. Christophe planted some Assyrtiko four years ago, but has yet to have a crop. Thirty years ago Bourboulenc didn’t always ripen properly. Initially there wasn’t any at Pech Redon for that reason; then it was picked at the end of October, with an alcohol level of 11.5%, whereas these days the harvest is at the beginning of October and the alcohol reaches 13.5 - 14%.
2024 les Cades, Languedoc - 13.00€
It is AOP Languedoc as it is bottled in the spring, which is too early for AOP La Clape.
A blend of Syrah and Grenache with a little Cinsault, Mourvèdre and Carignan. Destemmed and vinified in vat. From younger vines and picked early. Young fresh red fruit. Medium weight. A streak of tannin and a juicy finish.
Asking Christophe how his wine-making had changed - he talked about natural yeast. He does a careful sorting of the destemmed grapes, so that he has whole berries for a static maceration, with some gentle remontages to dampen the cap but not to extract tannins. Some pigeage after everything is mixed up. It is more of an infusion; and easier to extract the tannins. The problem of tannin is one of climate; the last two weeks of summer determines the character of the vintage.
2023 L’Epervier - 18.50€
For 30 years the blend was Syrah and Grenache, but Christophe has decreased the quantity of Grenache, quite simply because he has less Grenache vines - now only 4 hectares as opposed to 14. And he has included Mourvèdre in the blend. This has been the cuvée identitaire of Pech Redon since 1980 and very much the style of the estate. It does not resemble the other wines of la Clape. It is very garrigue, with the herbs and essences, and pine resin of the vegetation of the Massif. It is kept in new 25 hls foudres; Christopher was the first to re-introduce foudres, gradually using larger barrels. The wine is quite solid and rounded, with ripe fruit. Foudres do not “boise” or add any oak, even with 18 months élevage. And 2023 was a small vintage, producing tight wines, with firm tannins and structure that will age. I did find a touch oak, with appealing notes of the garrigues, and an element of restraint.
Christophe observed that there are new oenologists working in La Clape, with a different vision, making wines that are less alcoholic and not so ripe. It is not just a question of the terroir and the vigneron, but also the influence of the oenologist, who follows the vinification and the market trends.
2023 la Centaurée - 30.00€
Christophe said he was trying to combine ageability with structure and power and drinkability. The generation of the oenologist plays its part. A 30 year old oenologist has a different vision, with less barriers, as they will have travelled much more than the older generation.
A blend of 50% Syrah and 50% Mourvèdre, with 24 months in demi-muids.
Deep colour. Rounded spicy fruit. A streak of tannin. Fresh fruit. Youthful. Aged in Stockinger foudres and also barrels from the Tonnellerie Centre de France in the department of the Allier.
Christophe talked about the evolution of the estate. 1988 was the first vintage. At the beginning he worked with Marc Dubernet, one of the Languedoc’s leading oenologists. It was the period of carbonic maceration, for Syrah and for Carignan. Only Grenache and Cinsault were not fermented that way. Then he worked with Claude Gros - it was the period of Robert Parker with very ripe wines, and from 2002 he moved towards simpler vinifications and gave up on oenologists’ advice, and followed his own ideas. The grapes are destemmed, but not crushed with an element of laissez-faire.
And in the vineyards things have changed too. Weeds were removed, the land was tilled, and they leaf plucked. There were 8 - 12 treatments a year. In 1998 he turned to organic viticulture, with integral enherbement, and a maximum of five or six treatments, based plant preparations. There is no more leaf plucking and sheep are left in the vineyards in winter. He talked about the importance of freshness; yields must not be too high, or else the grapes drop. He was the first to have a sorting table, in 2001, which vibrates and removes a surprising quantity of insects, mainly bees and wasps as well as unripe grapes.
2022 la Centaurée
The last vintage of quality as well as quantity. A blend of Syrah and Mourvèdre, with a selection of barrels. Deep colour. Rounded spice. Nicely rounded and evolved.
2020 Centaurée
Deep colour. Nose and palate gently evolving, though some quite solid. Ripe fruit but quite sturdy and quite alcoholic. The oak was more apparent even though the wine was older. I preferred the 2022.
The other current problem is the number of closed road and tracks on la Clape because of the risk of forest fires. However, Christophe depends on local customers coming to the estate, up a dirt track with signs saying do not enter. He reckons he has lost 60,000€ over the season, so I thought the least I could do, as a gesture of solidarity was buy a few bottles of delicious white Centaurée.
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