PROVENCE - A Land of Lasting Impressions

Come join the Enological Society for a chance to discover all that is wonderful about the south of France known as Provence. All of the essential ingredients such as classic dishes, artisanal wines, crafts and colors unique to this charming area will set the stage. Everyone has their own idea of what this region is all about, but this event promises to be an eye/palate-opener!

The cuisine of Provence is laced with natural, regional ingredients. The line dividing Provence from the rest of France is less a geographic boundary than a culinary one. (Butter country gives way to olive oil somewhere south of Lyon.) Having mentioned olive oil, we move on to other essential foods and flavors that will make up the event menu created by talented chefs at Lowell - Hunt. Lamb, olives, garlic, seafood, herbs, cheeses, vegetables and rustic breads round out the delicious offerings.

The wines we will have are something to really get excited about! We have wines from a great group of ground-breaking, exciting producers. Their work is resulting in some of the highest quality, good value wines that are brought to this country in limited quantities. There is an area around Marseilles called Bouches-du-Rhone (mouth of the Rhone) and northwest of it is a crescent of land dotted with small producers who make great wines utilizing several grape varieties. Moving east we gather a few more wines to round out the growing areas and varieties planted.

Serious Country Wines
One very important facet of the wine business is the importers and those dedicated to working with the producers and their land to create the best wines possible. Open for tasting will be a number of wines from the Robert Kacher Selections portfolio. Over 30 years ago Bobby became enamored of this remote corner of France not especially known for fine wine producing. His goal was to associate himself with growers and producers that possessed both the passion and the energy to strive to become some of the most renowned winemakers in France. Now hailed by the wine writers, these wines have come into their own.
In the winery, these select producers use a blend of new and old techniques to preserve the outstanding fruit obtained from all their hard work in the vineyards. These techniques include the use of gravity to move juice from tank to barrel instead of pumping. State of the art presses for gentle extraction of juice, temperature-controlled fermentation with the use of natural yeasts, extended skin contact when possible (to enhance aromatics and intensify flavors), barrel aging for select wines to add to their complexity, and bottling wines without the use of clarification or filtration whenever possible.

Exciting producers, all are on the cutting edge of innovation and produce some of the highest quality wines in the Gard. These, wonderful people have great stories and a lot of soul behind them. Diane Puymorin stands out because she works completely without chemicals and is a serious biodynamic farmer. Jean-Louis Emmanuel of Domaine St. Antoine is known for having the best fruit in all of the Costieres and makes some of the best olive oil to be found in all of the Rhone.

Chateau de Campuget has been owned by the Dalle family since 1941, and they have some of the oldest vines in the Costieres de Nimes and have not used chemicals for over 40 years. (This estate has an ancient Roman well, and ruins of a villa 20 centuries old. The present castle dates back to the 17th century, with the 'modern wing' built during 1740-1870. Silk production was the main industry during the 19th century at Campuget until the Far Eastern silk trade put the French out of business.) Cyril Mares of Mas des Bressades comes from Bordeaux. His great grandfather found the cure for odium rot, and his family still produces wine in the Haut-Medoc. The one thing all these producers have in common is that they produce wine at half the level that is allowed in this region (40-50 hectoliters/hectare, when 90 is allowed). Bobby and all these producers work with the husband and wife team of enologists, Alain and Maryse Demezon.

Wines from other highly esteemed importers and producers are also on the tasting card. We cannot fail to mention Kermit Lynch, who has established an international reputation for excellence and uncompromising standards in the wines he offers to the market. Kermit spends part of each year at his French home base in Provence, from which he keeps an eye on his producers and lots of wine he has personally culled from each vintage.
For the Syrah lovers, there will be a few bottlings made with 100% Syrah. Try these against some of the Cabernet or Mourvedre blends for contrast. But, remember, these wines are only available to the ticket holders who purchase in advance. Oh - and if you should to wish to purchase any of these wines - we make that easy by offering them for sale that very night. A bientôt!

Stephanie Ninaud