2020: A GOOD START…

… and even more!

One month has gone since 2020 has started, yet. A good opportunity to respect “Dry January” – you’re free… to do what you want… any old time… If you did so, relief is coming very soon. The occasion for you to celebrate this renaissance by uncorking a bottle of Valmengaux! And for others too, just to keep up the pace!

At the estate, 2020 has started with the bottling of the Domaine de Valmengaux – En Jarre cuvée, vintage 2018. Not fined, nor filtered … and still atypical.

3 changes this year for this vintage:

  1. ageing reduced to 12 months, as wine evolution si faster in jar
  2. new corks, DIAM Origin: cork clumped together by a binder of natural origin. Cork taint free guaranteed
  3. 3,240 bottles thanks to the two 800L jars purchased in 2018 (in addition to the other two 500L jars)

We just need to be patient and wait for 2-3 months before enjoying it. This is how long it takes Valmengaux to recover from the shock caused by bottling.

What’s up in the vineyard? Pruning has started, for a week. I took back my pruner and, after the first 2 days of rusting off, I found my cruising speed. Younger vines – planted over the last 2 years – will be pruned last, in March.

Last, back on the road to Lyon Organic Wine Fair at Campus UCLY, Place des Archives, LYON 2ème (here), February Sat. 8th (11am-10pm) and Sun. 9th (10am-6pm). Take advantage of the invitation below!

Lyon Organic Wine Fair – Not to be missed!
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VINS! BOIRE BIO wine fair

Do you know Puisaye? No? Well, drive 2h south of Paris this week-end to VINS! BOIRE BIO (Wines! Drink Organic fair). 20 winemakers, all organic (at least), including Domaine de Valmengaux and 10 writers (wineters?) will showcase their production. A great opportunity for you to find a lot of good wines before Xmas then. And if you want more, book your seat to Saturday dinner with the winemakers (and their wines!) prepared by chef Laurent Chareau (restaurant Le Chat).

VINS! BOIRE BIO fair will welcome you at Château de Saint-Amand-en-Puisaye (here), Saturday Nov 30th (11am-7pm) and Sunday Dec 1st (11am-6pm). Come and join us!

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7th Salon du Goût & du Vin (wine & food fair) at Bois-Plage-en-Ré

Come and meet us from November 1st to 3rd at Salon du Goût et du Vin (food & wine fair) at Bois-Plage-en-Ré, rue des Barjottes (it’s here). About 40 wineries and food producers (oysters, delicatessen…) will offer you to taste and buy their products.

We will be delighted to meet you and make you taste Domaine de Valmengaux organic wines

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Valmengaux in the top 12 wine picks from Bordeaux converts

Decanter magazine – Bordeaux au naturel

… that’s what Simon Woolf writes in the last issue of english magazine DECANTER. Within a list of renowned wineries: Pontet-Canet, Fonroque, Palmer, Le Puy… Famous teammates for Domaine de Valmengaux 2015… available in the UK by the end of the year.

Tasting notes (for subscribers) here. Read Simon Woolf’s article too: he explains how practices have changed in Bordeaux, in the wake of pioners estates of the area.

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2019: another beautiful harvest

The 2019 harvest, from the vine to the winery

The 2019 harvest is in the vats! On Friday, September 20, 25 people worked actively in the vineyards. On the agenda: cutting bunches, pruner by hand, loading into crates and sorting grapes, from sunrise until nightfall! Small aromatic berries, rich in sugars and color, are the characteristics of this vintage. Vines were about to suffer from the lack of water since the beginning of summer, especially the week before the harvest. In practical terms, leaves were beginning to turn yellow, some berries to wither. In the end, on the quality side, the 2019 vintage should be close to 2018 🙂 . But the path from grapes to bottles is still long…

A few words about hand-picking vs machine. In my humble opinion, respecting the vines is the key: the harvesting machines are heavy and pack down the soil, they make vines more fragile as they shake them strongly to bring down the grapes … and sometimes the most fragile vines too. I think hand-picking is more consistent to our organic approach. However, I do not cast anathema on the harvesting machines, which also have their advantages, and those who use them. Pros and cons, simply explained here

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Best wishes for 2019

2017 was the year of the frost; 2018 the year of mildew. Domaine de Valmengaux suffered fortunately limited consequences. We feel especially lucky hail did not hit our vines while it destroyed many plotss few kilometers from Vérac. We eventually harvested really nice grapes : 2018 vintage should be magnificient!

2019 should bring us some surprises, some positive, some nasty. We can alrealdy announce that we will complete the vines planting at Domaine de Valmengaux. We will be able to offer you new wines (including one white cuvée) from 2021.

To all of you, Domaine de Valmengaux’ friends and wines lovers, we wish a happy 2019 year, made of nice projects and only positive surprises!

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Wine fairs by end 2018: where you can taste Valmengaux wines

3 wine fairs where you can meet us and taste Domaine de Valmengaux wines:

You will have the opportunity to taste our 2 last 2016 vintage wines, “Valmengaux” and “Valmengaux en Jarre”, but also previous vintages.

Invitations on request at welcome@vlmgx.com

See you soon!

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Very promising harvest for 2018 vintage

Crates full of cabernet

Harvest time! The fruits of the 2018 campaign were hand-picked on September 20 (Merlot) and 29 (Cabernet). After a difficult year (until mid-July) because of mildew, 2018 offered us beautiful harvest under the sun. The vats have welcomed rich grapes, colorful but with a nice acidity. The vintage should therefore give us well-balanced wines – I do not like this term because it often means average level in every component of the wine therefore a lack of personality which is really not the case here. Something between 2015 and 2016 … 2 very great vintages. The alchemy of fermentations and ageing must then operate to confirm these promises.

Thanks to the harvesters, especially Gwen, Béa, Valérie, Marie, Gaël, Lionel, Michel, Stephane, Pierre, François, Dany but also Gaby, Lili and Zoé for the hand-destemming of cabernet grapes!

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