One prefers to speak of discoveries, of secret tips or of trouvailles (which can also mean "flash of inspiration"), rather than of a found object or even of an "objet trouvé". Soberly, unprosaically expressed, this means: "a good wine discovered!". And that is - in view of the ever-increasing wine production worldwide.
 |
| "Domaine de la Jasse" - on the label a large% umbrella-shaped plane tree. Hence its name "Bäumleinwein |
- has long since ceased to be a noteworthy event. New wines, both good and bad, are in abundance for the wine lover. If I nevertheless speak today of a wine that was discovered not by me but by my friend Rémy, then this should encourage all those who believe that they can only achieve the "ultimate" wine enjoyment with well-known names and a lot of money.
Between the dozen wines that are more or less lovelessly hefted into the shopping basket at the discounter and the sought-after, usually expensive brand-name wines, there is the wide field of the individual "pleasure wine". The "Bäumleinwein" is one such wine, which came into my glass by chance, because my friend mentioned the wine, which I didn't know, between an old Burgundy and a 90 Bordeaux, and then sent his daughter to the cellar with the order to fetch a "Bäumleinwein". What tree is supposed to stand up to an old Burgundy and a Cos d'Estournel from the top year 1990? In reality, the little tree wine is called "Vieilles Vignes de la Jasse" and comes from the Domaine "La Jasse" in the Languedoc. Its origin in the south of France arouses my interest, others rather my suspicion: Cabernet and Merlot, two grape varieties untypical for the Languedoc; then the designation "old vines", a term that is increasingly mutating into a sales argument, the three medals on the back of the bottle, even the wine's origin from "Combaillaux", a little-known wine region.
 |
| Three medals on the back of the bottle of the 2006 vintage |
The Cabernet-Merlot grape variety is not permitted for AOC wines in the Languedoc, gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded almost inflationarily in France, and the winery is located north of Montpellier, so on the outskirts and not in the heart of the Languedoc. Combaillaux is known for olives, asparagus and peaches. But vines? True, there are well-known vineyards further afield, such as Clavel, Hortus, Cazeneuve, Lascaux. But can the little-known "Domaine de la Jasse" hold its own against all these names?
For me, the Languedoc is closely associated with the grape varieties Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Carignan, with Mourvèdre usually dominating. The wine fashion trend "Bordeaux blend" is now taking hold - like a juggernaut - of almost all wine regions in the world, including Languedoc. Finally, I ask myself: how old do "old vines" have to be to really make a wine "nobler" and more precious? There are no binding standards. The "La Jasse" vineyard has not existed for very long. It belongs to a Dutchman who has earned a lot of money with Bordeaux and now wants to bring a piece of Bordeaux philosophy to the Languedoc. Therefore, he had Cabernet and Merlot vines planted, not "ordinary" ones, but special clones from the Bordelais.
 |
| The wine region of Combaillaux: Domaine de la Jasse |
I admit, all this would have been enough to leave the wine where it is forever, in the bottle. But because my friend is also a wine lover and connoisseur, I take the bottle he hands me home anyway, to do the nail tasting later. Just two days later, the time has come. We get an unexpected visit from wine drinkers, but not wine connoisseurs. Instead of a Bordeaux, I put the "Bäumleinwein" from the Domaine de la Jasse on the table. The group is enthusiastic, I frown slightly and my wife says: "Very pleasing". Now is this a compliment or a rather pejorative judgement? I'm not sure and come to the rather banal conclusion: "Just a charmer!".
 |
| Lynch-Bages% 5ème Cru% Pauillac |
No doubt, we have a good wine in the glass. The wine guide should clarify: "The 35-year-old vines from which it is made grow on two elevations in the Mosson valley north of Montpellier. Here, at 100 to 200m above sea level, ripeness is always delayed by about a week compared to the vineyards of the valley's resident producers. The result is a dense, multi-layered red wine...."
The direct model, I read, is "Lynch-Bages" from Pauillac in the Bordelais. This gives me no peace. I take a Lynch-Bages from the cellar, vintage 1995, which is ready to drink. Already after a first comparison, I realise what differentiation, depth, richness of nuances can mean. My wife spontaneously says: "Yes, there is significantly more in the glass! But we cannot convince the visitor. The "Bäumleinwein" remains the favourite: powerful, smooth, elegant.
So I get a third bottle from the cellar: "Tertre Rôteboeuf" 1997. Wow, there are many, many more characteristics: power, energy, harmony, smoothness, maturity, nuances....". I put my foot down: "This is clearly the best of the three wines of the evening!" My guests nod, but they - I can see - still like "La Jasse" best.
 |
| The "de la Jasse" vineyard with its characteristic plane tree. |
For me, this is proof of how the enjoyment of wine can elude the usual patterns of differentiated evaluations. Add to this the fact that the relation of the price, Jasse - Lynch-Bages - Tertre Rôtebeuf is about 1 to 6 to 10. But our guests don't know that. For them, the new discovery "La Jasse" is clearly the best wine:: A flatterer, a charmer, but "not as difficult to understand as the other two wines". A wine to enjoy. Combined with the price - 10 euros - a real discovery!
Among wine lovers, however, a "charmer" is already suspect: too superficial, too superficial, too little depth... Do you really need so many more qualities than being good and charming to enjoy wine?
Sincerely
Yours/Yours