Spring / Summer 2005
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JPV Bordeaux Trip
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Standing in front of the famed Chateau Cheval Blanc (L-R): Robert Baxter,JPV European Sales Mgr.; David Ramirez, Cellarmaster; Damian Parker, VP-Production; Ashley Hepworth, Associate Winemaker

JPV Team Visits Bordeaux

Staff Report

Making wine is both art and science. Perhaps this is best exemplified in the great Bordeaux winemaking region of France, where we went on a fact-finding mission to garner ideas for the potential redesign of Joseph Phelps Vineyards’ production facility.

During the beginning of February, Damian Parker, Vice-President of Production, led a team from the winery on this mission. Although the principal architectural plans have been drawn, there are many small details within the winemaking process pertaining to layout and materials which can be approached in different ways.

Accompanying Damian was Ashley Hepworth, Associate Winemaker, and David Ramirez, Cellarmaster, who together deal with many of the finer details of winemaking involving the cellar and laboratory.

Our tour began at the famed cooperage of Nadalié in the Médoc. There we were received by Stephane Nadalié, whose family has been making barrels for five generations and whose kind staff arranged most of our winery visits. At Nadalié we observed the careful hand-crafted art of barrel-making in action. At JPV we custom order our barrels from top coopers such as Nadalié who allow us to specify the amount of toasting that they receive. This ultimately translates into an important contributing element to the velvety texture and longevity of our wines, in particular Insignia, which is aged exclusively in new French oak barrels.

Amongst the 16 Châteaux we visited on our trip several were first growth Châteaux such as Lafite-Rothschild, Haut-Brion, Pavie and Figeac, and other well-known names such as Château Palmer, Lynch-Bages and Smith-Haut-Lafitte. The team was very well received and most often shown around the premises by the winemaker or winery manager, many of whom had great things to say about our Insignia.

At Château Margaux we were welcomed by Paul Pontallier who added a new element to the week by exploring wine philosophy and the concept of taste. He felt that good company is necessary to enhance the overall experience of savoring a good wine.

At Château Cheval Blanc we were entertained by the good-humored Olivier Berrouet who joined us for lunch at a local restaurant, L'Envers du Décor, with a bottle of 1995 Cheval Blanc; a real treat!

At Château L’Angelus we were received by the talented winemaker, Emmanuelle D’Aligny, who exchanged wine stories with us as the sun set over the vines of Saint-Émilion.

One winemaking operation which particularly impressed us was the newly built facility at Château de Rochemorin, with its immense automated winemaking processes which were receiving the finishing touches. Rochemorin is part of the André Lurton group and our visit was arranged by another member of the large Lurton clan, Marie-Laure Lurton, who runs three Châteaux in the Médoc and worked at Joseph Phelps in the early eighties.

All in all, the technical aspects of our visit were an unqualified success, and some useful ideas were brought back to Napa where they will be further reviewed and potentially adapted to suit our needs and our local terroir.

The trip also provided an invaluable learning experience that revealed two camps of winemaking styles in Bordeaux. One was the more modern, fruit-forward style of L’Angelus and Pavie, and the other the more traditional, mineral-flavored wines of Lafite Rothschild and Figeac. Ultimately, however, traditions run deep and the greatest respect is reserved for the local terroir.

The world of wine is all about people and the exchange of ideas and convictions. With this in mind, our lasting memory will surely be the hospitality we re-ceived from the people of Bordeaux, who live in such a hallowed wine region where tradition stands side by side with modernity and style. The city of Bordeaux itself is going through a large makeover, including improvements in parking and public spaces, but we found the charm of the old town hard to resist with its narrow cobbled streets and wonderful local restaurants.

During our tour we met Laurent David, whose company “Di-Vins” represents our French importer, “Vins du Monde” in the Bordeaux area. Laurent is a charming gentleman who, following our visit, staged a tasting of world wines in Bordeaux, including Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

We will be back this summer during Vinexpo (June 19-23), by which time there may be a listing for JPV wines in Bordeaux!