Turner Pageot, a name that sounds good, a little Anglo-Saxon, like old car or aircraft manufacturer in the 50s. At Rainier, in this small village mixing of souls, built in circulade, assembly ideal for streets well turn around and catch the passing tourist, the Turner -Pageot their home and winery. The one with the other, the house to accommodate the growing family, the cellar to bring about a common project: to have their own vineyards, his wines to Call Home. Turner is the name of Karen, Australian winemaker, Pageot married to Emmanuel, Alsatian heart. After 10 good years "circulader" around the world, sometimes in a field in South Africa, sometimes in Tuscany, driven by the opportunities this wonderful world of wine, here they are now firmly attached to the land of Languedoc .
In part by creating a GFA, they chose carefully plots, one by one, rather old, favoring northern exposure, Northwest on clay and limestone. Only one parcel of Grenache finds himself facing south on a slate floor. Already at this stage, they select vineyards based on the wine they wish to create "digestible wines, says Emmanuel, with bitterness and acidity."
In the basement, clean, precise, bottles containing an orange liquid, support each other, in serried ranks near the stainless steel equipment. The mystery deepens when we confess that Emmanuel is not wine, but it is sour grapes!
Verjus : green juice made with unripe grapes that are picked up in July, just at the beginning of the ripening of the fruit, the plant to concentrate on clusters that are left on foot. Like grapes picked are not walls, the juice is not sweet, just a little acid and alcohol. It turns out that this is a substitute for making highly original culinary preparations like sauces , dressings, marinades. According to Emmanuel, verjuice is very famous abroad as a specific product of France and its cuisine. It will therefore, if you're like me, into the wind or neophyte our hours, rediscover this product. My first tests by preparing a little blindly, hake (Maillard), on a bed of cherry tomatoes, spring onions and of small granules was much appreciated.
Another little quirk, I like to find, is located in the garden, behind a wall, passing a door clairvoie, in large barrels. Followers of biodynamic wine, which does not mean " winemaker alien to crazy about, "I remind those who still want to believe that the difference in thinking is akin to magic, they cultivate several kinds of spray as infusions of nettles and horsetail to bring vigor to the plant in spring , or the juice of onion and garlic, real natural insecticide. We must, nevertheless, not less than 50 kg of fresh plant to 300 l of water. Everything will be sprayed in the vineyard. When he does so with essential oils of rosemary and lavender, it must come as a pleasant smell of garrigue on the nose of the villagers. For cons, I would not recommend nettle juice. Saturated with potassium, iron and nitrogen, the smell reminds you very nervously strong smell of a barn.
But then the wine in all this, how is it? Certified in the first year of conversion to organic agriculture by Ecocert and biodynamic by Demeter. Past red tape, Emmanuel we first proposes a blended rosé, with grenache in bled, and Syrah, pressed. Very colorful, very little sulfur, is an input range spicy, to taste on fish dishes.
Then comes the moment of the rupture, vintage wine country in the Herault, sublime Sauvignon Blanc , aged in barrels, and some new wines. The little trick Alsatian domain of the ferment is hot, dipping a stick in the drums, a few hours. Varietal aromas, very typical of the grape, will be mitigated. "It sauvignonne least" Emmanuel likes to say "it's more mineral, more round like that."
The reds are not yet in bottle but the tasting at the foot of the tanks and barrels is very pleasant, and surprisingly for such grenache.
great blog, thank you to Karen and Manu having us so warmly Beatrice and me, having me explain biodynamics. See you soon Brigitte.