A passion for wine, art and architecture - Chateau La Coste

22 Sep 2015: About a month ago, we were very fortunate to be invited to a very special winery visit and lunch.......as part of a birthday celebration for a dear friend.

With winemaking evidence dating to Roman times, enriched by a bastide built in 1682 by the Bishop of Aix, current owner, Irish entrepreneur Paddy McKillen has developed Château La Coste into a 3,000-acre community of wine, art and architecture based in Le-Puy-Sainte-Réparade, near Aix-en-Provence. La Coste in another time was La Côte (or hillside). Inspired by the wild nature, Provençal light and size of the property, Paddy’s vision was to build a sustainable wine estate in the Provence, esthetically and functionally in harmony with the wild landscape and peaceful surroundings, and producing world class wines using the best technology and talent possible, while respecting the soil, vines and biodiversity for sustainable growth. In 2006, he appointed Matthieu Cosse, who came with reputation established in Cahors at Domaine Cosse Maisonneuve, as the Oenology Engineer to transform the vineyards and upgrade the winemaking skills. A detailed soil analysis was performed to ensure best matching of variety to soil type. Château La Coste has been organically certified (French AB) since 2009 and having followed biodynamic principles for a while, the team is now set to engage in the biodynamic conversion process. With ‘carte blanche’ to do whatever he felt necessary to achieve the high standards set by Paddy, Matthieu has made significant improvements to the quality of the wines, especially at the high end cuvées: Bellugue, Les Pentes Douces, Grand Vin and Grande Cuvée. Average yields are kept low, with 35 hl/ha for reds, 40hl/ha for whites and 50 hl/ha for rosés. 

 

Grande Cuvee

The Grande Cuvée red is luscious wine made from 50% old vine Syrah and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, produced at very low yields, seeing 18 months in a mixture of new, one and two year oak barrels. This is a relatively new cuvée by Matthieu, limited to about 1,000 bottle production at the moment.  The 2012 vintage still has some chewy ripe tannin, wrapped in the velvety texture to resolve, but the ageing potential is evident.  The Grand Vin white is an IGP wine, as it has incorporated 10% Chardonnay and 30% Sauvignon Blanc, to lend aromatic familiarity and fleshy body to crisp Vermentino (60%), still retaining sound minerality and remarkable freshness from a land that basks in glorious Provencal sun. While excessive dryness is not an issue today, the challenge to nurture young vines to reach their potential remains.

Inaugurated in 2008, the state-of-the-art gravity-fed cuverie, designed by Jean Nouvel, allows the winemaking process to follow the estate’s philosophy of nurturing this natural expression of terroirs. The two giant cuverie buildings, made of corrugated aluminium with insulation, measure 10 metres high and 17 metres deep below ground to house the vats. Although renewable energy is not a reality yet at La Coste, Paddy and the team have already installed a water purification plant and are studying waste recycling to further reduce carbon footprint.

Visiting the Château any day, one will see visitors and families enjoying a day out at the estate, which boasts a collection of modern artworks and creations of architecture by artists and architects from around the world, dotted over the premises. One needs to take a tour to visit all of them – 2 hours are recommended for this walk. The Tadao Ando Centre, laid out on a V-shaped plan, conceived by the eponymous architect is the art centre of the estate, housing the reception area, bookshop and cafe. The Japanese master’s signature elements, especially the interplay of exterior and interior spaces, are incorporated into this structure to create an experience of light and space in nature. The centre overlooks an infinity pool that hides the underground carpark. I was particularly impressed by the Oak Room by Andy Goldsworthy: a hemisphere-shaped cavern dug inside the sides of the hill, with the walls lined with continuous oak tree branches. One needed to adjust the eyes with help from the natural light coming in through the narrow opening, to be able to admire this artistic wonder in stunned silence. One could not miss the giant Crouching Spider by Louise Bourgeois in the infinity pool, Frank O. Gehry’s Pavilion de Musique across the field, the hilltop small chapel by Tadao Ando, or Sean Scully’s Wall of Light Cubed, and many more. The art and architecture project at La Coste has developed in an organic way over the last 10 years. Each artist or architect was invited to La Coste by Paddy to experience the beauty of the landscape and was encouraged to find his/her own unique spot on the premises, and to design a piece of work that would best express the location and the experience. One can say the landscape of La Coste is an evolving one, every visiting artist or architect adding a distinct and unique feature to the estate.

 

Crouching Spider by Louise Bourgeois

Local organic and seasonal fresh produce is integral to the design of the Provencal and Mediterranean-themed menus at both dining outlets at La Coste (the more casual outdoor La Terrasse and the more urbane Tadao Ando Café). I was delighted to see La Tarte Tropézienne on the menu too, for that extra Mediterranean touch!

 

The V-shaped Tadao Ando Centre and Jean Nouvel's Cuverie, view from an altitude

Paddy has already embarked on the next project which will see his hospitality expertise applied to La Coste, through the development of Villa La Coste consisting of 28 individual villas, with a gourmet restaurant, club house and spa, on a hillside site overseeing the vineyards. We were told La Coste should welcome its first resident visitors as early as Easter 2016! To arrange a visit or reservation, http://chateau-la-coste.com/en/

Hong Kong Thinks Pink

9 July 2015: Just before Typhoon Linfa temporarily shut Hong Kong down for a few hours, about 20 trade professionals turned up for Rod Smith MW’s talk on “Think Pink: La Vie en Rosé” organised by SPIT, a membership-only community started in 2014, dedicated to the professional training and development of Hong Kong’s wine trade professionals, based on a series of skills development workshops with topics such as winemaking and viticulture techniques and trends, selling, marketing and negotiation skills and training on social media. During the first year, SPIT organised 12 workshops plus a full day seminar, with a number of industry-respected experts and speakers amongst the guest speakers. Think Pink kicked off the second year of workshops.

The selection of rosé was sourced from France (Provence and Tavel) and Australia (Barossa). Smith enhanced the tasting with images of picturesque Provence and Mont Sainte-Victoire. A very similar number voted for the Turkey Flat Barossa Rosé as for the Whispering Angel, Domaines Ott Château de Selle Coeur de Grain or Château Coussin. The wines were appreciated for different qualities, including strident pink colour as sign of romance, the light residual sugar in some rosé for its pairing ability with mildly spicy Asian cuisine and savoury character as ideal for pairing with the multi-faceted flavours of Cantonese cuisine. Smith also highlighted a few interesting rosé producing regions not featured in the line-up, such as Corsica, Bandol, Rioja/Spain, and Sardinia, and Mateus, with its more recent introduction of dry style Expressions range, to differentiate from the traditional off-dry bestseller.

Debra Meiburg MW, moderator and founding chairperson of SPIT, encouraged the group of trade professionals and sommeliers to put more rosé wines on our wine lists – not just one! The customers needed to be educated about the diversity of rosé and it would be a shame to limit its availability in the on-trade and supermarkets. Rosé can be enjoyed throughout the year. To reinforce the message that rosé does not need to be forced into a summer seasonal offering, the second half of the workshop saw the group breaking up into a brainstorming session on how to sell more rosé in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a predominantly red wine market (according to a report by USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, about 95% total wine imports into HK were red in 2013 with white wine accounting for 5% in the same year), despite visible signs of increasing white and sparkling consumption. The group came up with this party line: an affordable everyday tipple that can be enjoyed with or without food. Or swap the Champagne with rose to kick off a party? Restaurant owners were tipped to play their part in contributing to the community by sharing a percentage of rose wine sales to breast cancer charitable concerns. And how about World Dress Pink Day?!

My Ideal Pink Wardrobe This Summer!

6 May 2015: It was really a privilege to be included amongst a room full of experts to blind taste 36 premium rosé wines from around the world (9 countries) and across a range of prices with the most budget-friendly being Chateau de Sours, Bordeaux (Retailed Recommended Price (RRP) GBP 11.50). Richard Bampfield MW had organised this tasting in collaboration with Chateau Brown, whose wines were amongst the wines tasted. A widespread line-up of samples were drawn from France (Bordeaux, Provence, Tavel, Bandol, Languedoc-Roussillon, and Loire), Spain, Portugal, Sicily, Chile, South Africa, Australia and England - some countries/regions had just one wine represented.

Tasting is a very subjective affair and especially with something like rosé wine which is more often associated with summer holidays in the sun than being an everyday beverage. Colour gave an immediate first impression, followed by organoleptic qualities and balance (alcohol, freshness and ripeness of fruit). Overall, I seem to have given higher scores to a certain style of rosés: pale salmon colour, lively acidity, aromatic attractiveness with bright but subtle floral and fruity character of raspberry and grapefruit with just a hint of savoury character to give some complexity, well-integrated balanced alcohol and a harmonious finish. A good rosé for me is one that helps conjure the image of sun, sea, seafood and sea breeze.

The following 10 were my top-scoring wines (note that they came in a wide range of prices!):

2014 Domaine des Diables Rosé Bonbon, Côtes de Provence, Sainte Victoire 

(50% Cinsault, 30% Syrah, 20% Grenache) 12.5% abv (RRP GBP 13.95)The estate was established by the Fabre children from Domaine Sainte Lucie. First harvest was 2007. Soils composed of clay, silt and sand, ideal for the production of characterful and aromatic rosé wines. 70% of the grapes for Rose Bonbon came from one of the oldest parcels planted in 1914. 3 hours cold maceration before fermentation. 6 months on fine lees.


2014 Miraval, Côtes de Provence 

(Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah, Rolle) 13% abv (RRP GBP 21.50) The Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie venture. Winemaker is Marc Perrin.

2014 Domaines Ott, Clos Mireille, Côtes de Provence 

(70% Grenache, 20% Cinsault, 10% Syrah) 14% abv (RRP GBP 34.99) Clos Mireille is one of 3 estates owned by Domaines Ott. This location benefits from the proximity to the sea and the clay soil.


2014 Château Léoube, Rosé de Léoube, Côtes de Provence 

(40% Grenache, 40% Cinsault, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre) 13% abv (RRP GBP 14.50) Château Léoube in Bormes-les-Mimosas (65 hectares of vineyard with mainly schist and clay soils with another 20 hectares for olive trees) is owned by Sir Anthony Bamford (also owner of Daylesford Organic, itself a very successful sustainable farm in the UK). Winemaker is Romain Ott. The château has 3 rosé wines: Rosé de Léoube, Secret de Léoube and the latest addition of Léoube La Londe made from a selection of the estate's best old vines, low-yielding (less than 35 hl/ha) with 50% Grenache and 50% Cinsault (only 1,500 bottles produced for the latter and this Super Rosé retails at around EUR 38). The estate is certified organic and follows biodynamic approach in respecting the life cycles of its vines and fruit to achieve balance, as well as an integrated pest management approach to nurture biodiversity in its natural habit.

2014 Domaine Sainte Lucie MIP (Made in Provence) Classic Rosé, Côtes de Provence 

(60% Cinsault, 20% Syrah, 20% Grenache) 12.5% abv (RRP GBP 11.95)The estate at the foot of Mont Saint Victoire in Puyloubier, near Aix-en-Provence, was created by Michel Fabre in 1979. Now joined by Guillaume, Virginie and Aurelien, their children, who contributed to fresh input in the way wines were made by the introduction of technology to optimise freshness of fruit in the vinification process and to prevent oxidation in the bottling line. The Classic Rosé vinification: immediate pressing followed by fermentation, with 4 months on fine lees.


2014 Château Pibarnon, Bandol 

(40% Cinsault, 60% Mourvèdre) 13% abv (RRP GBP 21.99)
The secret of Pibarnon's wines lies in the complex alchemy of its local soil: a unique Triassic limestone soil (rich in fossils and with subsoil of Santonian blue clays) born of a particular geological characteristic which perfectly regulates the flow of water to the vineyard, a brilliant grape variety, Mourvèdre, and an altitude of more than 300 metres above sea level, matched by microclimates offered by the natural amphitheatre. For this rosé, the Cinsault is pressed directly and only free run Mourvedre (saignée) is used after several hours of skin contact. Co-fermented at around 22 degrees Celsius.  Aged 6 months in stainless steel tanks.

2014 Domaine Tempier, Bandol 

(Around 50% Mourvèdre, Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan) 13.5% abv (RRP GBP 23.75)

Must is obtained by direct press or press after cold maceration (12 degrees Celsius) or by saignée (5 - 10%).

2014 Domaine de La Ribotte, Cuvée Anais, Bandol 

(90% Mourvèdre, 10% Grenache) 13.5% abv (RRP GBP 14.99)


2014 Chêne Bleu, Vaucluse 

(60% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 5% Cinsault) 13% abv (RRP GBP 17.99)The estate is situated at high altitude in the Dentelles de Montmiral, near Gigondas.


2014 Château La Sauvageonne, Coteaux du Languedoc, Gérard Bertrand 

(Grenache, Syrah) (RRP GBP 12.99)The 40-ha vineyard is located northwest of Montpellier, at an altitude of 300 metres on the Larzac terraces. Achieved biodynamic status in 2013. The soils are based on three types of rock, sandstone, schist and ‘ruffe’. The region’s subsoil is rich in water and also in aluminium or bauxite. The ‘ruffe’ which predominates in many of the plots is very rich in minerals. The climate is hot and humid.


I ought to also make mention of some of the non-French selections by Richard that I thought were worth considering. They included 2014 Segura Viudas, Clos Juvència, DO Catalunya, Spain (RRP GBP 12), 2014 Niepoort Redoma Rosé, Douro (RRP GBP 14.99), 2013 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosato, Sicily (RRP GBP 12.45), 2014 Ritual Terrazzas, Valle de Casablanca, Chile (RRP GBP 15). From the Château d'Esclans/Domaines Sacha Lichine range, I gave Garrus (happens to be the top of the range) the highest score, but with a price tag of GBP 99.80, it does not offer the same price-quality ratio for the sensible consumer.


Richard had summarised the scores from the 45 tasters who submitted their scores at this tasting: 13 of the top-scoring 14 wines were from Provence or nearby, the only exception being Château Brown from Bordeaux. In fact, in the top 20 wines, only one other wine was from outside the south of France - Turkey Flat from the Barossa Valley in South Australia. Château Léoube was the most successful producer, with its 3 wines submitted all ranked in the top 7.  Voilà!  

Celebrating Single Varietal Rhone Wines

26 Dec 2011: A few days ago, a group of us got together at the New Shanghai Restaurant at the HK Convention & Exhibition Centre for dinner.  It was a relatively chilly evening in HK and in anticipation of the hearty Shanghainese food, we decided on the theme of Rhone Valley wines. 

2008 Les Chaillées de L'Enfer, Domaine Georges Vernay: 100% Viognier.  Floral, honeysuckle and violet, apricot, peach, with nuances of smoke and minerality.  Full-bodied, unctuous, but deftly balanced with good level of acidity.  Very very long finish.  A little young to drink now - plenty of decanting is recommended.  Drink over next 10 - 15 years.  It went brilliantly with the Shanghainese ham sandwich smeared with osmanthus-flavoured syrup.  17.5/20 

The vines for this wine are planted at south to southeast exposure on very steep granitic slopes.  Average age 40 years old.  Production is about 5,000 bottles. Cold soak on skin before fermentation.  Fermentation in 225 litre barrels during 3 - 4 weeks, plus ageing on fine lees before bottling - about 12 months after vintage.

This domaine is the second largest producer in the appellation of Condrieu.  Georges Vernay created the business with just 1.5 ha of Condrieu vines.  Today, the estate has 7 ha of Condrieu vines, of which 3 ha are planted with very old vines dedicated to the prestigious cuvées of Les Chaillées de L'Enfer and Coteau de Vernon.  They now also have substantial plantins in Côte Rôtie and Saint Joseph.  See: http://www.georges-vernay.fr/


2004 Pure, Châteauneuf du Pape, Domaine La Barroche: 100% Grenache.  Red cherry, raspberry, white pepper, liquorice, slightly vegetal, Mediterranean herbs, slowly developing into prune, dried fruit and caramel notes with further aeration in the decanter.  Initially a slight bitterness at the finish, which dissipated after some aeration.  Sweet fruit on entry, expanding with its complex flavours on the palate and a long finish.  Med-weight Châteauneuf du Pape, made with a light touch.  Lovely complexity and finesse.  Drink now and over next 8 - 10 years.  16.5/20

The vines for this wine come from a single parcel (named Grand Pierre) of 100-year-old vines planted on sandy soils, next to the Rayas sector. Fermentation at 31 degrees in concrete tanks with maceration of about 4 weeks.  15-month ageing takes places in old 35 hectolitre oak casks for gentle oxygenation. 

The family has been making wine at the domaine siince 14th Century.  2003 was the first vintage sold in bottle and not in bulk. Julien Barrot took over the running of the domaine in 2006.  They now have 30 acres of plantings in the Châteauneuf du Pape area, mainly around north and northeast.  Harmonious viticulture, respect of the ecosystem, gravity-feeding and biodynamic practices (activities linked to the lunar calendar) are prevalent at the domaine.  This is a domaine worth watching!  Check out: http://www.domainelabarroche.com/


2004 Hermitage, Chave: Deep ruby core.  A rich bouquet of sweet ripe fruit of red and black berries, black cherry and cassis, spiced up with black pepper and liquorice, complete with chocolate and earthy and herbal notes.  Despite challenges of this difficult vintage, this wine shows well-integrated acidity and ripe tannin, aromatic complexities, wrapped up in a structured yet supple frame with much roundness and weight.  Full of energy and life.  This wine of immense structure can be enjoyed now and will benefit from further cellaring.  Drink now and over next 15-20 years.   17.5/20    

The Chave estate has been operating since 1481 and is now managed by Jean Louis Chave, a graduate of UC Davis. The Chave family owns vines in 9 of the 18 vineyards of Hermitage, each expressing its own terroir and demonstrating unique characteristics.  Finesse, structure and complexity are at the heart of the Chave style.  The family firmly upholds the belief that "it is the terroirs that make the wine" and it is this belief that forms their guiding principle in the viticulture, the selection of wine for the final blend and the vinification.  The blending for the red typically comes from these vineyards:

Les Bessards: the backbone of the wine providing colour and intensity. Les Bessards is one of the greatest vineyards on the hill, a large site on granite soils at the western end.

Le Méal: another large site, next to Les Bessards, but with more chalky soils.  This provides the aromatics.
L'Hermite: a monopole, discussed above, providing the supple edge. There are 15% white grapevines planted with the red in this vineyard. (The appellation rules permit the use of up to 15% white grapes in the final blend.)
Les Roucoles: despite this site being favoured for white grapes, a small amount of red from this vineyard provides some tannic structure to the final blend.
Peléat: discussed above, another monopole, providing colour, tannin and character.

Separately vinified before blending.  Fermentation in stainless steel or open wooden vats. The wine sees some wood, including new and old barrels, and 13 hectolitre-casks, depending on the vintage and the blend.
 
Love to try the white from Chave, which is also of very high quality!
 
We finished with a sweet wine from Aix-en-Provence: Margot, Domaine de La Brillane.  Margot was the brainchild between Chef Gérald Passédat of Le Petit Nice, Marseille, and the domaine, conceived in 2007.  They both wanted to create a unique wine that expresses the essence of the south, the flavours and the aromas.  The resultant wine is a dessert wine, made organically, in a class of its own, and is a great match with dessert and chocolate dishes, as well as foie-gras based dishes.  100% Grenache (from vines of around 45 years of age).  The grapes were dried for 2 months before fermentation to concentrate the acidities and the sugars.  Only 500 bottles made. There is a firm tannic structure, but it can be enjoyed at youth or with some age.  On the nose, dried raisins, Chinese dates, orange peel, Christmas pudding and fig preserve.  Sweet, without being cloying, just the right amount of freshness. Website: http://www.labrillane.com/
 
I had brought this wine back to Hong Kong after my stay at Le Petit Nice this summer but had not tried it until this evening.  At this dinner, it was used to pair with the pan-fried Eight Treasure Rice, one of my favourite desserts from Shanghainese cuisine.  Another dessert that this would work well would be the Pan-Fried lotus seed paste pancake......And of course Christmas pudding!! 
 
A quick word on the food.....very nicely presented and well-excuted food.  I enjoyed all the dishes, perhaps least favourite being the duck, a bit on the tough side.  The Shanghainese dumplings and the pork buns were very delicious.  The best part was the professional service and the spacious dining room....quite a rare find in Hong Kong.  Do give this a try next time you're looking for a Shanghainese restaurant for your wine dinners.