Slowly a few lieu-dit are being called out in the Roussillon appellation. One such area is Calce. This is mostly due to one specific vigneron, Gérard Gauby, who has set a new standard of quality for the area. My base is Maury, but one can go in any direction and find yet another valley of incredible vines. It could take months to figure out exactly what each site/soil imparts to a wine. For now, we follow the leaders. In addition to Gauby there is Olivier Pithon, another strong proponent of the Calce region.
Gauby has been making wine from his family’s vines since 1985 (before they went to the local co-op). His approach to his vineyards has changed over the years and therefore so have the wines. The early wines were huge and massive and lacked the kind of focus and finesse that we taste today. Some of this was probably growing up, and the other was a shift in farming practices. I believe that he is strictly bio at this point, as is his protégé Olivier Pithon. Gauby was instrumental in Pithon’s arrival in Calce (from calcaire) but Stephane Derenoncourt was the person that gave Olivier permission to be fully passionate about all things vinous.
I had the pleasure of meeting both men and a chance to talk briefly about the harvest. But as they were in the full swing of the vendange, there was not enough time to fully discuss or visit the vineyards. We agreed to spend some quality time among the vines when I return in the spring.
Leaving Estagel on D1
Incredible and Diverse Flora
Sisyphusian Rock Walls
Permanent Town Signs
Calcaire Hilltop
Shist Soils In Addition to Calcaire
Another "Routine" Leafy Canopy
Tags:
Calce
The main part of the town winds up the hill from the lower road. Nothing is more than a ten minute walk from one place to another. There are still many houses that have not been updated since before the war, a handful of those that were updated after the war and now some exciting remodels. I am in fact in one of the remodels that is modern and it makes a first rate apartment/house. The place includes a washer/dryer, full kitchen (that’s a French kitchen, well stocked!), télé, radio, and loads of room. There is plenty of light. It lacks old world charm of course, but there are times when I would rather “see” old world charm rather than live it. If there was a WIFI connection it would be perfection.
Welcome
First Flight
Living Room at Night
Dining Area at Night
The Kitchen
Daily Lunch Chez Moi
The Artsy-Fartsy Foto
The small town of Maury is caught somewhere between its ancient past and a windfall of wine money that is sweeping it optimistically into the 21st century. The town consists of one main street (the D 117) that runs through the town and doubles as the largest, no toll thoroughfare between Perpignan and the coast……..In other words, it is active. The one and only café is located there, and it is exactly that spot where I found Richard last Saturday.
I am two minutes á pied from the center of town. It really is a sad one. There is an epicerie, boulangerie, and the mairie is pretty new, but that is about it. The charcuterie has closed, there is no bank, but there is either a vision of tomorrow or a kitschy, but cute trompe d’oeil nod to a mini renaissance. I have been told that the mairie of this town is very progressive and really wants to acknowledge the natural gifts of the area AND trade them cautiously for increased affluence and an improved standard of living. It appears to be going reasonably well.
Boulangerie
Centre Ville
Saturday Market
"The Flower Shop"
"Bienvenue"
The Offending Package of Dental Floss
Flip Side
6,50 Euros!!
Well, there they are. Three pictures that might say it all, or nothing. The first is a photo of a package of dental floss. Yep, dental floss. I ran out…simple answer, buy more. It wasn’t that long ago that I spent hours in the grocery store looking for something that was NOT food. Truly, it took me a couple of hours of scouring every item on every shelf to remember that I was NOT going to find a pharmaceutical item on a grocery shelf. So, this time I was prepared. Naturally, this many years later some pharmaceutical items are sold in a wide variety of grocery stores. But, none the less, I stuck to the old standards and entered a Pharmacy for some items. In addition to floss I needed a pain killer to arrest this nasty left leg that has not stopped throbbing for over 40 years. I first asked for aspirin as it is a word I know in French. And indeed, quelle surprise, I was handed aspirin. But I quickly realized that I wanted ibuprofen. And with little ado I received what I wanted as the words are the same. And then the floss…it too was reasonably simple as I know how to discuss “teeth” and again, floss is the same word.
The first picture: confirmation that the article in question is a package of dental floss
The second picture: the back side of the same package
The third picture: confirmation that I paid 6,50 € for 55m of dental floss
YES, you read that right. ALMOST $9.00 for dental floss.
Now, let’s put this into perspective. I can buy two bottles of rosé @ 1,50 € and still have 3,50 € left over for a killer bottle of red wine. Not to mention the abundant amount of fruits and vegetables that are available for that money (meat is much more expensive).
I love to reevaluate priorities.
The winery here in Maury, Department 66 (both the name of the French Department and the winery….very clever!), is absolutely state-of-the-art. It is designed for only one thing, making the best possible wine. Efficiency and ease of cleanliness are stressed in every aspect of design. Grape reception is handled slowly and with the most gentle handling available. Grapes are hand dumped onto a conveyer, then through a destemmer, no crushing. Then they move through a machine that I have seen before in Europe, but not in the states. Each berry is dropped onto a tray that further sorts for berries that are not “perfect” and also helps remove “jacks” (the little pieces of stems that can add to a green and/or stringent flavor…named for the game that we played as kids as the pieces of stem look like “jacks”). I have been told by the most up to date wine guy I know David, that there is an addition to this unit that actually can determine grapes with botrytis by “seeing” the color variation. Soon, we can make wine from our living room couch by remote control!
Harvested Grapes Wait In The Cold Room
Gentle Drop to Conveyor
Drop to Second Conveyor After Destemming
Through the Teeth
The Remaining "Perfect" Berries
Leftover "Jacks" and Other Garbage
Final Blow Though by "The Mistral"
Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness
Department 66
