Paroles de vignerons - Vinparleur - Winzer talk

Tasting of Santa Duc Gigondas 2017 vintage

Sebastian Nickel — 2020-03-13T16:07:00Z

Aux Lieux Dits 2017 A little hesitant at first, the wine quickly finds its ease in the glass. Red fruit on the nose, a little nougat… On the palate it quickly reveals its real assets: dark fruits, sweet spices, as well as a vivid freshness, together with fine and well integrated tannins. Young, crisp and fiery, a beautiful ambassador of the vintage in Gigondas.
Clos Derrière Vieille 2017 This wine from a vineyard perched above the medieval village of Gigondas presents typical characteristics (...)

- Tasted & recommended

Tyson Stelzer on Champagne J.Vignier

Champagne J.Vignier — 2019-12-17T06:30:00Z

Nathalie Vignier is the tenth generation of her family to grow grapes in Champagne and the sixth in her village of Cramant. In team with her family friend Sebastian Nickel, their substantial estate spans 16.5 hectares, planted exclusively to chardonnay in Cramant, Oiry and Chouilly and the Coteaux du Sézannais. Vines date from as far back as 1950 and are tended today without herbicides or insecticides. These are generous champagnes, built around ripe fruit, vinified in stainless steel vats (...)

- Press Wine / Champagne J.Vignier, Bubbles, AOC Champagne , Chardonnay, Delicious!, Press

Sauvignon, Sémillon, Muscadelle, Viognier... Château du Cèdre Cahors shows up in white !...

Sebastian Nickel — 2019-12-10T06:30:00Z

As already in 2016, the two white wines were entirely made without addition of sulfur and have since shown an undreamt evolution of aromatic finesse and complexity. Only a small amount of sulfur (10 mg / L) is added during bottling to help the wines overcome this final, crucial stage.
Le Cèdre Héritage blanc 2018 This wine shows a full bouquet of exotic fruits, butter and citrus oil, gradually adding delicate floral scents. Pleasant smoothness accompanies the outstanding freshness on the (...)

- Tasted & recommended / Château du Cèdre, White wine, Cahors, Viognier, Sauvignon blanc, Delicious!, Vintage 2018

Pure Syrah from Pierre Cros - To age for years, certainly, but devilishly attractive now.

Sebastian Nickel — 2019-12-03T06:30:00Z

Les Aspres 2017 **
Tenacious, Pierre Cros pins two stars and one more “coup de coeur” to his list of achievements, thanks to this high-end, pure Syrah aged for long time in barrels. Smoke, spices, black olives, black fruit, truffle and cocoa, the nose fascinates. Fleshy, concentrated, with finely carved tannins and nice grip, its taste impresses by volume, structure and the body of its spicy and vanilla fruit that still bears the imprint of oak wood. To age for years, certainly, but (...)

- Press Wine / Red wine, Minervois, Syrah, Pierre Cros, Press, Tasting, Vintage 2017

Happy harvest ! chez Pierre Cros - Minervois

Pierre Cros — 2019-11-29T08:00:00Z

Harvest is over since a couple of weeks now. Wines are going through malo now and everything looks just fine after a long, long harvest this year… The first results are promising, with a beautiful base of Cinsault and Grenache for the cuvée Tradition, with Aramon, Picpoul noir, Morastell, tasty as always, eager to join the Carignan in the cuvée Les Mal Aimés... It certainly is a great vintage for Syrah, showing as majestic and elegant as ever. To be (...)

- News / Minervois, Photographs, Harvest, Pierre Cros

J.Vignier – Art Extra Brut : With Nathalie Vignier and Sebastian Nickel

Sebastian Nickel — 2019-11-26T06:30:00Z

This wine for laying down, from the still little-known Sézannais region, bears an artistic label that speaks volumes about its contents. It is a particularly inspired wine from this innovative small company, run by Nathalie Vignier.
J.Vignier is based in Cramant, a Côte des blancs commune with legendary Grand Cru sites. It might seem like treason to present a wine from the Sézannais on these pages, but J.Vignier stands for creativity, inspiration, originality and authenticity. We aim to (...)

- Press Wine / Chardonnay, Bubbles, Press, AOC Champagne , Champagne J.Vignier

Cahors Extra Libre 2018 - already the fifth vintage of this sulfur-free Malbec wine

Château du Cèdre — 2019-11-05T06:00:00Z

Together with my brother, we have been working the vineyards and making wine in Cahors for over 30 years. A cyclical life, in the rhythm of nature and seasons. But no two years are alike and each vintage brings new questions, surprises and successes.
As you may know, over the past decade, the part of sulfur-free wines in our cellars had been steadily growing . This was especially possible thanks to the outstanding work of my brother Jean-Marc and his team in the vineyards. Every year, we (...)

- Tasted & recommended / Château du Cèdre, Cahors, Malbec, Vintage 2018

Santa Duc 2016 in Châteauneuf-du-Pape : Between the Rhône and the Sky

Sebastian Nickel — 2019-10-29T06:00:00Z

It's fairly rare for nature to exceed winemakers' expectations two years in a row, but this was the case in the Rhone Valley with the 2015 and 2016 vintages.
Almost as if 2016 had taken the previous vintage as a yardstick and then attempt to surpass it and reach out for perfection. With a mild winter, a wet spring and a hot summer, 2016 was moderate from a meteorological point of view.But this moderation proved to be the perfect catalyst for a slow and steady ripening of the grapes which (...)

- Tasted & recommended / Red wine, Châteauneuf du Pape, Santa Duc, Organic farming, Vintage 2016

Another “coup de cœur” for Pierre Cros and his wines in the French Wine Guide Hachette 2019

Sebastian Nickel — 2019-03-25T14:08:10Z

Minervois Vieilles Vignes 2016
A hundred-year-old Carignan, bottled as a single vineyard selection, is the origin of this “magic potion”, which brings the winemaker his 10^th “Coup de Coeur” in our wine guide. Our tasters have taken a lot of time to study the beguiling scent of cassis, spices, hints of vanilla and flowers. The well-controlled tannin extraction and perfect barrel ageing bring in some roasted notes, which combine well with the light aroma of plum eau-de-vie. Its soft, silky (...)

- Press Wine / Minervois, Pierre Cros, Vintage 2016

A savoury tasting & dinner after Millésime Bio

Pierre Cros — 2019-02-28T13:03:53Z

- Pierre Cros in pictures