Marketing and communications: a reference for fine wine PR

Informed by data, enriched by creativity, achieved through storytelling

In the midst of the 2020 global pandemic, after persuasion from some of our longstanding clients, Wine Lister launched its strategic marketing and communications division. We agreed to extend beyond our data roots to help a small handful of producers maintain and grow relationships with key industry figures around the world despite travel restrictions.

This branch of our services has expanded and excelled beyond our expectations, and, as a result, has had a large influence on the launch of our new website and logo. We apply the same rigour and methodology to this work as we do to our data and analysis services and are dedicated to devising effective solutions, both short- and long-term, to ensure the success of our clients’ brands.

With decades of combined fine wine experience across various fields of the industry (in the media, on- and off-trade, and production), our team is uniquely placed to provide strategic advice on how to increase global brand status. Drawing upon our genuine relationships with journalists, critics, merchants, auction houses, and sommeliers, we are dedicated to identifying unexplored opportunities and connecting our clients to those that matter.

Brand strategy

Using market research, case studies, and unrivalled industry insights, Wine Lister adopts a holistic, inherently analytical approach when building a communication strategy for our clients. We refine the stories that will resonate with their target audience and differentiate them from their competitors, while ensuring that their brand DNA remains at the core of the project.

Trade and press communications

Drawing on our unparalleled network, content creation expertise, and in-depth market knowledge, Wine Lister enables fine wine producers to make longstanding connections within the international fine wine sphere. With over 1,000 trade contacts and over 600 press contacts across the globe, we help our clients to establish credibility, build relationships, and effectively promote their wines.

Event organisation

We believe in the power of storytelling: each event is an opportunity to tell your story and connect with your target audience. Having attended hundreds of fine wine events around the world, Wine Lister is uniquely placed to plan and organise flawlessly executed, unforgettable events in London and beyond. Over the last four years of organising events, we have amassed a portfolio of case studies from which we can draw best practice examples and provide informed advice.

 

Find out more here 

 

 

“Wine Lister’s network is second to none. Its trade contact list is unparalleled.”

– Giovanni Mazzei, owner, IPSUS 

“Wine Lister’s widespread connections and insights provide the opportunity to boost activities in multiple sectors of the market in one project. Facing new markets and conducting business in a foreign language, Wine Lister helped me to sharpen and level up the way I talk about Fèlsina wines in English.”

– Michele Parodi, Export Manager, Fèlsina 


Part II of Wine Lister’s 2023 Bordeaux Study: what the future holds

Extract: Illustrative analysis of en primeur release prices

Amongst other findings, Part II of Wine Lister’s annual Bordeaux Study, ‘Reaching for the stars’, examines how en primeur pricing over recent vintages compares with quality levels and secondary market prices, to consider what success in Bordeaux’s 2022 campaign might look like.

Extracted from the report, the chart below provides an illustrative analysis of the 2022 en primeur release prices, based on the 110 wines1 covered in the study. As the bulk of releases are yet to enter the market, this is an entirely theoretical projection which, if applied on a case-by-case basis, could nevertheless be a useful benchmark.

An extract from Part II of Wine Lister’s 2023 Bordeaux Study, providing an illustrative analysis of the 2022 en primeur release prices

Wine Lister’s Quality score aggregates recently-published scores from our five Bordeaux partner critics – Antonio Galloni and Neal Martin for Vinous.com, Bettane+Desseauve, JancisRobinson.com, and Ella Lister for Le Figaro – plus a small weighting for their average drinking window. By comparing the Quality score of the 2022 vintage (the highest ever recorded – 927) with the average of the most similar vintages (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020), we obtain a quality-price ratio (QPR) of 6.66.

By dividing the Quality score of the 2022 vintage by this same QPR, we obtain a theoretical future market price of €160 for the 2022 vintage. To this price, we apply a discount of between 10% and 25%, corresponding to the minimum saving that consumers would expect to make versus buying the physical product two years later. This gives us an average release price of between €120 and €144 per bottle. By subtracting the average importers’ margin, we arrive at an average ex-négociant release price of €103 to €123 per bottle, i.e. -5% to +26% compared to the ex-négociant release price of 2021.

Out of the 48 releases covered by Wine Lister at the time of publishing, the average release price of the 2022 vintage is €71.3, compared to €62.6 in 2021, representing an increase of 14%.

1Some wines have been excluded due to a lack of regular en primeur releases or unreasonable prices.

Head to Wine Lister’s analysis page here to purchase the full study in English and French, while Pro Subscribers can access their copy for free here.


France’s 50 best winemakers: Château de Beaucastel’s César Perrin

Fifth-generation winemaker of this renowned family estate: “My first internship supervisor was Aubert de Villaine, of Domaine Romanée-Conti”

For the 16th interview in Le Figaro Vin’s series we head south down the Rhône Valley to one of its finest appellations, Châteauneuf du Pape, where we meet César Perrin, #35. Vintage after vintage he and his family devote themselves to their labours with total commitment.

An Eden in the Rhône Valley, surrounded by hills, vines, and olive trees, Château de Beaucastel is widely recognised as one of the most inspiring estates in Châteauneuf du Pape. While its origins date back to the 16th century, it was in the early 1900s that Pierre Perrin took it over. His son Jacques proved to be a true master of the winemaking craft, capable of taming the wilfulness of Grenache, while his innovative spirit led to the estate’s early adoption of biodynamic viticulture at the start of the 1970s. Today César is part of the fifth generation to carry the torch, alongside eight other members of his family, made up of his parents, uncles, brothers, and cousins. Through each successive vintage we have found ourselves utterly enchanted by the supple grace of their reds, perfectly balanced between the intensity of the fruit, the smoothness of the tannins, and an aromatic complexity which just keeps on growing deeper.

Le Figaro Vin: How does it feel to be crowned a winemaking champion?

César Perrin: I don’t think of myself as a champion. We are, more than anything, champions for our generation, continuing the achievements of our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents before us. We have to be champions in preserving and passing on our inheritance, for we are all just passing through. It is always gratifying to know that our wines are tasted all around the world.

Have you been training for long?

Winemaking is a vocation, so we all devote a great deal of time to it, much to the detriment of our families. We train every day from a very young age. Whether in the cellar, among all the smells, or playing Le Nez du Vin and trying to recognise the fragrances, it is a little like The Drops of God. Already with my daughters, aged three and two, we taste different fruits, such as unripe cherries.

Who is your mentor?

I would say my father, who initiated us. Apart from him it would have to be my first internship supervisor, Aubert de Villaine, in 2008. He told me something that has always stuck with me: “Here at Romanée-Conti, no matter what your task is, whether it takes you an hour, or a day, or a month, you have to do it perfectly.” Ever since, I have tried to do my best on a daily basis.

Is wine a team sport?

It is for me, but most importantly wine is made to be shared and is, in that respect, a team sport. Wine is, above all, a moment for sharing, a shared emotion. You can go fast on your own, but together you go further.

What is the key to making a good wine? The terroir or the winemaker?

A great wine requires four elements: the terroir, the vine selected for planting, the climate that supports it, and the man who tends that vine. It is a combination of the four.

To what do you owe your success?

To my grandfather Jacques and my grandmother Marguerite, who turned Beaucastel into a jewel. They were pioneers, going organic in the 1950s and biodynamic in the 1970s. In rejecting the incursions of chemistry they were true visionaries.

Is your family proud of you?

I hope so. In any case, that is the great benefit of working as a family: we are very candid with each other and there is a real honesty between us. That only adds to the pressure and makes it even more imperative that we ensure our family can be proud to represent our wines.

Who is your biggest supporter?

Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin, which is our finest wine.

Your favourite colour? 

Red.

Your favourite grape variety?

Mourvèdre. My grandfather was very fond of it. The grape variety was introduced to Beaucastel in the early 1930s. My grandfather went to school with Lucien Peyraud of Domaine Tempier, which is still, in my view, the greatest of the Bandols.  I have noticed that the great Bandol wines were always made in the northernmost part of that appellation, while here in Châteauneuf we are at the northern boundary of our appellation. That explains why we brought Mourvèdre, which is an archetypal Bandol grape variety, to our own terroirs.

Your favourite wine?

Our whites. We have relatively very few of them, only eight to ten per cent of our production. But our Roussanne Vieilles Vignes is my favourite.

Your favourite vintage?

My first, 2012.

If your wine was a person, who would it be?

It would be a countryman.

What are the best circumstances in which to taste your wine?

With friends.

Have you ever thought about chemically enhancing yourself, or your wine? 

No, quite the opposite, we have to preserve the distinctive quality of each vintage, and take what nature gives us. Nature is not always congenial, but it is what it is.

For what price would you be prepared to sell your estate?

Everything has a price, apart from family. So the question will never arise, since we want to pass it on forever.

Who is your strongest competition?

The weather.

Which competition do you dread the most?

Pruning the vines, which is such a key moment in their development.

What is your greatest trophy?

My grandmother’s pride. When she made family meals, she used to say to us: “When I am gone there is a case of wines with vintages made by me and your grandfather. I want you to open it together.” They were old magnums from 1950 and the family drank them together. It was a uniquely special experience.

What has been your most innovative strategy in the vineyard and in the cellar?

That goes back to my grandparents, with their decision to reject chemical products after the war. That has allowed us to maintain a unique ecosystem, with soils that have never been touched by chemicals.

Who would be your ideal successor on the podium?

A member of the Perrin family.


Critics’ consensus on the top 30 Bordeaux wines of 2022

While the Bordeaux 2022 en primeur campaign is yet to kick off in full swing – with just a handful of key releases entering the market over the past three weeks – Wine Lister’s partner critics’ scores are now in (Antonio Galloni and Neal Martin from Vinous, Jancis RobinsonBettane+Desseauve, and Le Figaro Vin) informing our overarching 100-point Wine Lister score. The WL score is the average score of our five partner critics, normalised to take into account each critic’s scale and scoring habits.

In our latest blog, we examine the wines that gain the top Wine Lister scores in 2022 – a vintage that, despite extreme weather conditions, is projected to be one of the best from this century (recap Ella Lister’s vintage report here).

The top 30 wines of the vintage are shown below, with all estates in this ranking boasting scores of 96 or above. Scores are shown to one decimal place to enable a detailed ranking within the top scorers.

The 30 wines with the highest WL scores, including their points increase versus 2021

Reflecting trade and press sentiment regarding the exceptional quality of the 2022s, wines across the board have generally seen their WL scores increase on last year, and in some cases, significantly. This year, 64 wines achieve WL scores of 95 and over, more than double the number in 2021 (29). While the estates that made up our top 30 last year had an average score of 95.2, this year’s top 30 average 96.8 points.

A glaring observation: only red wines have scored above 96 in 2022 – the vintage having been kinder to Merlots and Cabernets than to their white counterparts, which struggled to maintain acidity in the heat. Only six whites – predominantly sweet wines from Sauternes and Barsac – scored just outside the examined range, with WL scores of around 95. These include – in descending order – Climens, Suduiraut, Doisy-Daëne L’Extravagant de Doisy (last year’s top-scoring wine, with 97 points in 2021), Rayne-VigneauLa Mission Haut-Brion Blanc (the only dry white), and Fargues.

Turning to reds, Cheval Blanc stands at the top of the podium (up 3 points on 2021), followed by Léoville Las Cases (up 3.4 points), Latour (up 2.9 points), Vieux Château Certan (up 2 points), Mouton-Rothschild (up 3.2 points), and Lafite Rothschild (up 2 points), which all boast rounded scores of 98. They are closely tailed by La Conseillante (up 2.1 points), Petrus (up 2.7 points), and Figeac (up 2.6 points), amongst others.

The biggest climbers in the top 30 this year were Léoville Las Cases, with a WL score increase of 3.4 since the 2021, followed by Trotanoy with 3.3, Mouton-Rothschild with 3.2, La Mission Haut-Brion and Beau-Séjour Bécot with 3.1 points. On average, these 30 estates saw an increase of 2.4 points compared to 2021.

Right Bank estates take up the majority of places in this year’s top-30 list (56% compared to 45% in 2021). This is mainly thanks to 10 Saint-Émilion properties and their limestone terroirs featuring in the top 30 – exactly one third – versus 24% last year, whereas Pomerol’s representation is similar year-on-year (23% versus 21%). Other appellations featuring ore strongly in the top 30 are Pauillac (17% up from 14%), and Margaux and Saint-Estèphe (both 7% up from 3%), while Pessac-Léognan and Saint-Julien have seen their listings reduce (10% versus 17%; 5% versus 7%, respectively).


Bordeaux 2022 – part I

Tasting for Le Figaro, Ella Lister and her colleague, Béatrice Delamotte, spent a fortnight in Bordeaux tasting 600 wines en primeur from the extraordinary 2022 vintage – extraordinary in terms of its textures, its accessibility, and its unexpected freshness in such a dry, hot year – that has produced wines with technically high levels of tannin which somehow just melt into the background. We tasted many of the wines together, and sometimes two or three times in order to be able to judge each sample as faithfully as possible.

Château Lafleur

The Vintage

After a difficult 2021 vintage, 2022 is without doubt a contender for the vintage of the century – so far –, showing signs at this early stage of outdoing the magnificent triptych 2018, 2019, and 2020, and will perhaps go down in history as the 1982 has done. After almost 20 years as Technical Director at Château Cos d’Estournel, Dominique Arangoïts expressed this in slightly different words, suggesting that 2022 “might be the wine of my life”.

And the most extraordinary thing is that nobody expected it. The vines were subjected to some of the driest conditions on record, as well as above-average temperatures. However, there were no extreme heatwaves (as in 2003), and night-time temperatures remained relatively cool, dropping on average to around 15°c. The vines grew accustomed to the hot, dry conditions early in the growing season, which meant they adapted their consumption and their canopy growth in order to cope with what little water they had, making do with reserves amassed during a rainy 2021, then a top-up in June, and then surviving 50 dry days until mid-August. Refuting any comparison with 2003, Nicolas Audebert, Managing Director of Châteaux Canon and Rauzan-Ségla, uses the analogy of an office worker being cooped up until August, and getting sunburnt going out into the bright sun for the first time, whereas 2022 was a more gradual acclimatisation for the vines.

Nicolas Audebert, Managing Director of Châteaux Canon, Rauzan-Ségla and Berliquet

One of the buzzwords of the vintage, cited over and over again in our conversations with owners, winemakers, and consultants in the region was ‘resilience’. “ The vines, the soils, and the people were resilient,” said Omri Ram, Cellar Master and Head of Research and Development at Château Lafleur. That the vines survived the prolonged drought with relative ease and produced such stunning results was a shock to everyone, with many vignerons telling us they were more stressed than vines. Mathieu Cuvelier, owner of Clos Fourtet, found the experience quite stressful, even though “there was little that needed doing – no green harvesting, no de-leafing, very light vinification”. Pierre-Olivier Clouet, Technical Director at Château Cheval Blanc concurs, recounting “the vineyard made the wine all by itself”.

By early August the pips were already brown, i.e. phenolically ripe, “We had never witnessed that before” explains Frédéric Faye, the Managing Director of Château Figeac. However, the extreme weather conditions did leave room for mistakes for those were not attentive enough to picking dates or not gentle enough with their extraction. So 2022 wasn’t a vintage of homogenous quality, but overall, it was a pleasure to taste, and much easier for professional tasters than 2021, where we battled with oak, firm tannins, and biting acidity to assess potential quality. This year, the majority of wines are already so expressive and caressing as to be almost ready to drink, while possessing all the necessary attributes to age well.

“The wonderful thing this year is that every grape variety did rather well,” exclaimed Christian Seely, Managing Director of AXA Millésimes, parent company of Château Pichon Baron, explaining that while above all it’s a great Cabernet year, “the Merlots are as beautiful as they’ve ever been”. Many wines in 2022 featured a higher proportion of Merlot than usual, as the Cabernet berries were small and yielded less juice. In fact, 2022 sparked lots of positivity around Merlot, with Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal, co-owner of Château Angélus, commenting that the vintage shows “Merlot can exist long into the future”, contrary to recent concerns about its capacity to stand up to a warmer, drier climate.

Stéphanie de Boüard-Rivoal, co-owner and CEO of Château Angélus

The Wine

The red wines – the unquestionable winners in 2022 – are dense and concentrated, yet fresh, fruity, floral, and sappy. Above all, the best wines display a range of magical textures from silk and cashmere to duckling feathers, and a common and delightful thread through many of the wines is a vegetal florality reminiscent of the sap of fresh cut flowers. The least successful wines present harsh tannins. The best ones, on the other hand, are so fresh and tender that you would never know they came from such a dry, hot vintage, nor guess the resulting high IPTs and low pHs.

The dry whites, however, found it harder to contend with the vintage, and the low acidity levels can be more apparent than in the red. There are, nonetheless, a handful of successful whites worth looking out for, which possess the best and subtlest exotic notes, a finesse and softness that counteract the richness of the vintage. The sweet wines are very good, if not incredible, rich with delicious botrytis flavours and very high residual sugar levels.

The 2022 vintage is not one with an obviously overperforming appellation or subregion. Left and Right Bank made astonishing wines, and we have been inspired by our tastings to bestow an unprecedented number of potential 100-point scores to the wines. You can discover all eight possibly “perfect” wines, and hundreds more, on the Wine Lister and Figaro Vin  websites now.


France’s 50 best winemakers: Domaine du Cellier aux Moines’ Guillaume Marko

Winemaker and Technical Director of the estate: “You have to give your soul to the wine”

The 14th interview in Le Figaro Vin’s series brings us back to Burgundy where Guillaume Marko, #37, creates exquisite wines at Domaine du Cellier aux Moines in the Côte Chalonnaise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Situated on a hillside above Givry, the estate was founded circa 1130 by the Cistercian monks of La Ferté Abbey. Nearly 900 years later it stands as a witness to the history of Burgundian viticulture. The estate cultivates plots in some of the finest appellations in Burgundy, producing the following wines: Givry Premier Cru Clos du Cellier aux Moines, Mercurey les Margotons, Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Pucelles, Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Chaumées, and Santenay Premier Cru Beauregard.

Since they took over the estate in 2004, Philippe and Christine Pascal have dedicated themselves to making Domaine du Cellier aux Moines one of the key benchmarks for Givry. Here, Cellar Master Guillaume Marko shares his experience as a winemaker.

Le Figaro Vin: How does it feel to be crowned a winemaking champion?

Guillaume Marko: It doesn’t mean a great deal, to be quite honest… What makes me happy is when a taster enjoys drinking my wine and is moved by it.

Have you been training for long?

For 15 years. And I learn something new every day.

Who is your mentor?

Mother Nature – she dictates the tempo. And, of course, my wife who is very patient…

Is wine a team sport?

Not everywhere, but it is with us. And it is so much better that way!

What is the key to making a good wine? The terroir or the winemaker?

The terroir, obviously, although the quality of the vines is of comparable importance. Without the right massal selection you will never get great wine. In a sense the winemaker is the conductor who listens to both these elements and sublimates them.

To what do you owe your success?

To the entire team, present and past, who work with such precision, day after day.

Is your family proud of you?

I hope so.

Your favourite colour? 

Red.

The king of grape varieties?

Pinot Noir, obviously!

Your favourite wine?

Clos du Cellier aux Moines Les Dessus Givry Premier Cru.

Your favourite vintage?

2019.

If your wine was a person, who would it be?

It would certainly be me.

What are the best circumstances in which to taste your wine?

You need to remember to open it in advance and then taste it over a meal with friends and family.

Have you ever thought about chemically enhancing yourself, or your wine? 

Not for one moment.

For what price would you be prepared to sell your estate?

Make me an offer…only joking!

Who is your strongest competition?

Hailstorms.

Which competitions do you dread the most?

The battle against mildew in years of high rainfall.

What is your greatest trophy?

This one…of course!

What has been your most innovative strategy in the vineyard and in the cellar?

Rediscovering how to listen, how to let go, and let nature take its course.

Who would be your ideal successor on the podium?

It could be any winemaker, provided that he or she gives their soul to the wine.


France’s 50 best winemakers : Domaine aux Moines’ Tessa Laroche

Second-generation owner and winemaker of her estate in Anjou: “The important thing is to feel alive”.

For the 13th interview in Le Figaro Vin’s series we remain in Savennières in the Loire to meet Tessa Laroche, #38. One of France’s greatest winemakers, hidden away in one of the country’s tiniest appellations, Savennières Roche aux Moines, she will celebrate 20 years at the helm of her estate in 2023.

Her parents bought the property, whose wine-growing origins date back to the Middle Ages, in 1981. At that time the wine was still sold in barrels, not bottles. With each passing vintage they succeeded in converting the neighbourhood. Tessa’s mother, Monique Laroche, who passed away in 2020, was the driving force who played a major part in establishing the region’s viticultural reputation.

Her core operation remains the iconic wine of the estate, turning out between 30,000 and 40,000 bottles a year, but in recent years Tessa Laroche has branched out with a new wine, Le Berceau des Fées.  This is made from young vines and matured in vats instead of barrels, while her reds, made from Cabernet Franc, display a vivacity rarely found elsewhere. Though her terroir remains her greatest love, not a day goes by without a glass of champagne. As she is fond of pointing out: “The important thing is to feel alive”.

Le Figaro Vin: How does it feel to be crowned a winemaking champion?

Tessa Laroche: I am not a champion, because it is impossible to go it alone. I am just a winemaker. I have a passion, I try to do the best that I possibly can, together with all the colleagues who work with me on the estate.

Who is your mentor?

My mother tops the list, but I would add Odilon de Varine, Charles-Emmanuel Girard, and Richard Leroy (respectively cellar master in Champagne, oenologist in the Loire Valley, and legendary winemaker in Anjou, ed.).

Is wine a team sport?

Yes, without a team you cannot function. There is always a captain, as in any sport or as there is on a ship. The prerequisites are that my team must enjoy food and wine, must have a good sense of humour, and must be happy. The wine we make is good and full of life, so we have to be in harmony!

What is the key to making a good wine? The terroir or the winemaker?

You cannot achieve the necessary level of complexity without the terroir. Without being a megalomaniac, I am lucky to have one of the finest terroirs in existence. That said, all of us are passionate about what we do and, no matter what, our love is reflected in the wine.

To what do you owe your success?

To this wonderful place, and to my parents, who came to establish themselves here. My team has been here for 15 years. Without them I would never have got this far.

The king of grape varieties?

Chenin. It is the best grape variety in the world, with its potential for total success or abject failure. You have to learn how to tame it, growing small yields and small bunches of grapes. But you can have so much fun with it, making sparkling wines, dry wines, sweet wines…you have to know how to manage it, rather like with a horse. If you give it its head it probably won’t be that good. Just now my preference is for dry wines, but the sweet wines are coming back into favour.

Your favourite wine?

Roche aux Moines 2001, my very first wine.

Your favourite vintage?

2019, which I like hugely right now, just like the 2017. But it’s constantly evolving.

If your wine was a person, who would it be?

Just like your dog, your wine takes on your appearance. My wine looks like joie de vivre because I try not to transfer my anxiety to it.

What are the best circumstances in which to taste your wine?

You should be relaxed, at the end of the morning, or after a productive day, sitting in the garden or in front of the fireplace.

Who is your strongest competition in the Loire?

For all of us here Richard Leroy is the master. We even call him God. He is always exchanging ideas, part of the conversation. He loves to share his knowledge. We have to remember that we are all just passing through and it is essential to engage with each other. There is a real solidarity in Anjou, and no one works in isolation. That is probably why the region attracts so many new establishments.   

Have you ever thought about chemically enhancing yourself, or your wine? 

No, that has never occurred to me. I don’t wear make-up, so why not keep my wine natural too?

Is your family proud of you?

We are siblings and everyone is delighted by the continuity of the estate.

What has been your most innovative strategy in the vineyard and in the cellar?

To get the best grapes depending on the vintage. You have to reinvent yourself every year. However, there is nothing more difficult if you are French!

Who would be your ideal successor on the podium?

God alone knows. I have six nephews and nieces. The choice has to be obvious and, above all, not put pressure on anyone. As things stand, I am in no hurry.


France’s 50 best winemakers: Domaine Belargus’ Ivan Massonnat

Owner of Domaine Belargus: “I have a bit of a PSG syndrome”.

Figaro Vin’s 39th top French winemaker, Ivan Massonnat creates sumptuous wines on Savennières’ exceptional terroir.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Loire valley, on one of Anjou noir’s finest terroirs, Ivan Massonnat is fulfilling his long-lasting dream of producing excellent Chenins from Savennières. At the Belargus estate, born in 2018 with the purchase of the Pithon-Paillé estate, 24 hectares of vines are biodynamically grown in a parcel-based approach inspired by the Burgundian “climates”. Named in tribute to the rare cuvée once made by Jo Pithon – the “Belargus des Treilles” – Belargus is also the name of a small blue butterfly that’s exceedingly rare at this latitude but can be found on the Coteau des Treilles terroir.

Le Figaro Vin. – How does it feel to be crowned a winemaking champion?

Ivan Massonnat. – I don’t consider myself to be a champion. One part of me feels like a wine amateur that’s made it and is living the dream, the other like a producer that makes his wine and takes decisions.

Have you been training for long?

Yes, since my childhood, without even realising it. My passion for vines stems from my grandfather’s vines, and I’ve trained by being in contact with real champions, of the Burgundian kind.

Who is your coach?

Jo Pithon, who’s been by my side every day throughout this adventure, with 40 vintages under his belt. I have a few other mentors, such as Thibault Liger-Belair and Philippe Pacalet in Burgundy. It’s by their side that I learnt to trust myself. There’s Pierre Amoreau from Château Le Puy, who taught me a lot. Among those who inspire me, there’s also Anselme Selosse. His approach goes far beyond that of a winemaker, he’s a true philosopher. At 45 years old, I completely changed my life, shifting towards a career I knew to be difficult. When I see a man like him, I know I’ve done the right thing.

Is wine a team sport?

Yes, definitely. I spend my time saying so. There are some people who are often cast aside, especially in the vineyard, but on my estate, it’s the opposite. You need great talent, with each individual excelling in their specialty. The members of my team are sharp and well-suited to their roles. I have the PSG syndrome; I don’t want people working in silos. If everyone isn’t aware of the whole, we cannot accomplish anything. Good ideas sometimes come from across the playing field. For me, the concept of a rugby team is the best model there is.

What is the key to making a good wine? The terroir or the winemaker?

I have a vision of making wine with a sense of place, and not all places are created equal. That being said, a good-for-nothing from the finest place will not make a great wine! I don’t believe that a winemaker is a magician.

To what or to who do you owe your success?

To all those who believed in me, my closest circle, who didn’t view my project as a pipe dream. There are also those who told my story, as well as the clients. No project can bring people together the way wine does. Each link in the chain has been important. I never imagined things would happen so fast, and the seeds would take root.

Is your family proud of you?

Yes, and very happy for me. My family has made a lot of sacrifices, but it was worth it in the end.

Your favourite colour?

I started with reds, but today I like whites just as much.

The king of grape varieties?

Chenin! It has a lot of character and concentrates a lot of different traits.

Your favourite wine?

The Coteau des Treilles, which I just call Les Treilles.

Your favourite vintage?

Probably 1989, for the reds. It’s the one I’ve had the most opportunities to enjoy.

If your wine were a person, who would they be?

Me. A profound part of a winemaker’s personality finds its way into the wine they make.

What’s the best way to enjoy it?

In good company.

Have you already thought about chemically enhancing yourself, or your wine?

No.

If you had to put a price on your estate, what would it be?

I’m not planning to. This is a 100-year project, and I don’t know what value it will have in a century’s time!

Who is your strongest competition in Anjou?

I don’t view competition that way, nor do I consider my neighbours as opponents. What impresses me is team play. My adversary could be the beer or alcohol-free drinks industries. When I see people with a waning interest in wine, I feel like we’ve missed the boat somewhere along the line.

What has been your most innovative strategy in the vineyard and in the cellar?

My most innovative idea in the region was to break the glass ceiling. What has defined Belargus is the conviction that this region produces some of France’s finest white wines and that they shouldn’t be sold at a discount. It was a risk, but in line with what I was doing. Les Treilles has been the proof of this: a 100 euro-wine from Anjou. This was completely unheard of.

Who would be your ideal successor on the podium?

I don’t know yet. I don’t want to impose this on my children. Nevertheless, one thing is certain: I will not last forever. What will remain is the terroir. My only wish is that my successor be passionate.


France’s 50 best winemakers: Patricia Ortelli, winemaker in Provence

Owner and winemaker of Château La Calisse: “You have to be tuned in to your terroir”.

The 11th in Le Figaro Vin’s series brings us back to Provence where Patricia Ortelli, #40, creates her exquisite organic wines. Here she shares her vision and her deep love for her vocation, which she has pursued for the last 30 years.

A pioneer of organic viticulture in Provence, Patricia Ortelli works her 12 hectares of vines with passion and respect for the environment, entirely eschewing weedkillers and insecticides. Château La Calisse benefits from an exceptional location, with its terroir of stony limestone soil where the vines flourish at an altitude of 500 metres, which protects them from sun damage. This terroir produces wines of extraordinary vivacity, ranging from a delicate white to a refined red by way of the palest of rosés.

Le Figaro Vin: How does it feel to be crowned a winemaking champion?

Patricia Ortelli: It gives me a feeling of intense happiness, in the light of all the love that, to this very day, I have devoted to my wines.

Have you been training for long?

Only for 30 years! It began when I raised my hand at an auction and ended up owning an abandoned vineyard. We had to start from scratch, completely replanting and rebuilding, levelling the ground and constructing the cellar. That was when I chose to go organic, becoming a trailblazer here in Provence. We started out on land that had never been touched by chemicals.

Who is your mentor?

My oenology professor, who was a big help, and very enthusiastic about this terroir, in the northern part of Provence. This was at a time when investors were focused on the south, in order to be close to the sea, whereas here we are 500 metres above sea-level.

Is wine a team sport?

Yes, one hundred per cent. In my teams we are all on equal terms and we face the day’s challenges together, especially at harvest. One of the joys of this job is that you never know what to expect. You have to stay on your toes. Everyone in my team wants to do their best.

What is the key to making a good wine? The terroir or the winemaker?

For me it’s the terroir, and it is important that the winemaker understands that his task is to respect what his terroir offers. That is my definition of a great winemaker. You have to choose the right path for the wine to express its full aromatic potential, and you have to be tuned in to your terroir to find the best approach.

To what do you owe your success?

To Nature with a capital “N”.

Is your family proud of you?

I am sure they are. They have all been involved in the project and are particularly pleased with the results.

Your favourite colour? 

I produce a third of each colour, so I would say a blend of all three. There is a fascination in the specific skills and ways of working required by each of them. My first grapes were white, which went against the prevailing trend. As for the rosé, it is an extremely tricky wine to make, which gives you a great deal of joy when you get it right. Its finesse is remarkable.

The king of grape varieties?

I really think that there is an essential grape variety for each wine. For the whites that is Rolle, for the rosé, Grenache – it is the most suited to our high terroirs – and, for the reds, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Each grape variety has its own personality, its own challenges, they all have something about them, and you have to discover what makes each of them tick.

Your favourite wine?

The Cuvée Étoiles, but they all bring me a different pleasure. That can be when I am making them or when they are fully realised, just like with a work of art.

Your favourite vintage?

The one which provides the depth, fullness, and freshness that I look for. 2010 for example. Every vintage has a unique character which informs and shapes our wines. But it is certainly the case that the best years are those that are free from disease and frost.

If your wine was a person, who would it be?

It is the image of what nature has given us.

What are the best circumstances in which to taste your wine?

In large glasses, at the right temperature, obviously. But also, ideally, in circumstances conducive to producing a particular pleasure, a sense of joy.

Have you ever thought about chemically enhancing yourself, or your wine? 

No product can make a bad grape better. From the moment you harvest fully ripened grapes by hand, through the night, and your grapes are of the finest quality, there is nothing to be gained by tampering with them. The only measures we take are temperature regulation and combinations from different plots, using micro-vinifications, which enable us to balance our wines through blending.

For what price would you be prepared to sell your estate?

There is significant pressure around us, but my estate is priceless. I could never sell it because I am entirely at one with it.


Who is your strongest competition in Provence?

The most formidable competition would be to find myself surrounded by a race to the bottom, considering the terroirs we have in our region. These days Provence has established a reputation for high-quality wine, and we have to maintain it.

What has been your most innovative strategy in the vineyard and in the cellar?

They are too many to count, all connected to my understanding of vines and wine. I use methods that are unique to me, but one of them underpins everything: paying attention. You have to pay careful attention to every aspect of winemaking; you can never relax. I try, every day, to see and understand my vines.

Who would be your ideal successor on the podium?

My son and my grandchildren.


Now published: Part I of Wine Lister’s 2023 Bordeaux Study

Key findings from this year’s first regional report

In anticipation of this year’s en primeur releases, Wine Lister has published Part 1 of its annual in-depth Bordeaux Study. In collaboration with Wine-Searcher, our market overview examines the region’s price performance and comparative popularity progression, and examines the wines that have seen the greatest increase in Wine Lister Quality, Brand, and Economic scores over the last year. Drawing upon valuable insight from 48 leading trade survey respondents, the study also identifies which properties have benefited from a rise in trade confidence over the past year, and explores the key benefits of the en primeur system.

Please see our key findings below, or download the study digest in English: Bordeaux Study Digest Part 1 – 2023 ENG or in French: Bordeaux Study Digest – 2023 FR.