An American (importer) in Paris

Jon-David Headrick (on the right) with Vincent Ogereau

For an american importer specialized in fine french wines from the Loire region, the chance to live in Paris, close to the source, is a much desired option . That's what Jon-David Headrick, a young american who set up his import business (Jon-David Headrick Selections) in Charlotte, N.C. two years ago decided to do . As his wife got the opportunity to work for a few months in Paris , he decided to come along . Both are fluent in french. Jon-David first came in Paris in 1998 for an MBA at Schiller college. Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, he had no knowledge about wines, and during his first Paris stay he gradually discovered this culture. It soon became a passion and a job.
There are many ways for an importer to discover the vignerons and wines that will make his portfolio, and residing some time close to the producing region helps a lot.
He invited one of his customers in the U.S., John hafferty, portfolio director at M.S. Walker, who came from Boston for a 4 day tour in the Loire Valley, both for a taste of the region and visits at about 10 of his producers spread over different appellation zones in the Loire. Jon-David was kind enough to let me join for one day so that I could have a taste of the (tough) life of an american importer in France.

Damien Laureau (left) and Jon-David HeadrickAfter meeting at a car rental agency , we were soon speeding on the highway to Angers and Savennières. Our first visit was with Damien Laureau, a vibrant young vigneron and father of five. Originally from Versailles where his father is a farmer, he came here after his uncle bought vineyards in Savennières . He makes only two cuvées (Chenin Blanc Savennieres), but his energy and talented passion brought him recognition in 2004, with a blind tasting of Savennières wines by critics from all over France, where he got the first prize . This was a surprise as he was an outsider in the appellation . The Revue du Vin de France refers to him as the future star of Savennieres wines . We met him at an icon gastronomic restaurant near Savennieres named "Les Tonnelles" and located on the tiny village of Béhuard (a must-go restaurant for its food and Loire wines list). We tasted his two cuvées "Cuvée des Genêts" and "Le Bel Ouvrage" along with the fine cuisine of chef Gerard Bossé. Jon-David told me that what he likes in Damien's wines is that they depart from the usual austerity of Savennieres wines in their early years. He succeeded to have at the same time the minerality with also enough fruit in his young wines. That is very rare and he liked it.
If you ever think business relations between a vigneron and an importer come down to figures and bargaining, just look at the dual picture above : This reunion is all about pleasure and complicity. Both men have been working together for a little more than a year and their partnership runs smoothly now. Damien went to the U.S. twice. The first time was to present his wines in wine fairs (a new Savennières is a rarity and his blind tasting prize made people there eager to taste his wines ) and the second trip, to visit cavistes and restaurants in N.Y. and San Francisco.
Photo-op : Jon-David takes a pic of Damien near EpiréTight schedule. We then drive to Epiré to enjoy the view on "la Coulée de Serrant" and the Loire. This is a nice cold autumn day and the light is beautiful. Damien Laureau can't stay serious as we both shoot a pic of him with
vineyards and the Epiré church in the background. We walk along the vineyard, look at the thick schists on the ground and soon reach a unique vista point. The view on Nicolas Joly's Coulée de Serrant and the Loire is great [picture on the right]. You even can visualize the mist coming up from the Loire and which plays such an important role for the wine of this tiny Appellation.

Next stop is in the plot used for "Les Genêts" . Grass between the Chenin Blanc rows. Planted in 1991 on top of Savennieres, on some sort of plateau. Windy area, with the good side being that when it rains in october, it dries up fast. Damien says that he will soon have a small ditch plowed along the vineroots and some organic manure deposited. Hard work but with benefits in the long term. He leaves 6 to 8 clusters per vine but he changes regularly his practices as he is very eager to try different things. Answering to John Hafferty about how Chenin Blanc resists diseases, Damien says Oidium is the main threat here . He is basically working with organic spraying to help the vineyard resist to diseases . He works with a friend on natural dynamized spray dilutions with homeopatic plant- , fruit- or clay essences. This works amazingly well. John H. asks about the most difficult millesime : 1999 he says, with rain rain, rain.Jon-David Headrick, John Hafferty and Vincent OgereauAfter leaving Damien (I'll be back for a visit some day) we drove to Saint Lambert du Lattay and parked in front of Vincent Ogereau's winery . As the light dims fast and it is too late for a visit in the vineyard, we walk straight into the tasting room to taste both his dry wines (white and red) and his sweet Coteaux du Layon whites.
There are thousand ways for an importer to discover a new vigneron. Jon-David first heard about Vincent Ogereau through a french guy who lived in Boston and who came from the same village as Vincent, and had played with him in the same local band (Vincent O. is also a musician who graduated in the Angers Conservatoire). Jon-David happened to be looking for an Anjou wine for his portfolio and he made the trip to France to meet him and taste his wine range. His first impression was that these wines were real, not hidden by wood. For him, this was Anjou. He appreciated the rare balance between the maturity of the fruit, the terroir expression, the serious manual work of the vineyard and the selective sorting of the grapes.Pros at work : notes and spitting...Vincent Ogereau has 4 generations of winemakers behind him. The family estate's surface grew from 12 to 24 hectares. He says Saint Lambert du Lattay is home to many vignerons : 45 of them. The village has the highest vineyard density of french communes : 700 hectares of vineyards for a total communal surface of 1300 hectares. Being on the Angers-Cholet axis and on the Paris-Vendée route, the region has always sold wine to individual customers.
As the tasting begins, Jon-David and John enquire about when the rosé wine will be bottled and available for export next year. Both are eager to have the wine as soon as possible, in april, to allow its distribution in the U.S. before the rosé season begins. Import requirements and transportation delays impose time lapses which oblige the importer and distributor to be efficient and swift .Visiting the chai after the tastingWe'll taste 10 different wines, whites and reds, mostly 2003s and 2004s. The second we taste, a red 100% Cabernet Franc (Anjou Villages 2003 Cuvée Prestige) has John ask about the different expression of C.F. with the terroir, in comparison with other locations. V.O. says here these wines here are less round in their youth, but they change with time. So, very different style from the Saumur region, where the soil is made of limestone as opposed with here where the soil is schistic. Great wine bottled a month ago and with an elevage 100% in vats. Price in the estate : 10 Euro. The following wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, Cote de la Houssaye . 14°. Atypical here because 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. From a plot with a very thin layer of earth and hard stone underneath . Jon-David said me later that he loved V.O. dark reds for their "dark brooding fruit".
Then we tasted the whites. His Anjou Cuvée Prestige is serious Chenin Blanc with a mineral nose . More "gras" than the previous white we tasted. Vincent says he initiated this cuvée in 1995. Jon-David dubs it a "baby Savennieres" as the terroir is so similar from Savennieres' (shists) , the grape variety is the same, and the style of the wine would make it noted as a Savennieres in any blind tasting. Connoisseurs love to select these wines which circumvent the strict administrative limits of the Appellation zones. Selective sorting of the grapes here, which is rare for dry wines, and fermentation plus elevage in 500 liter casks. Structured by wood but not woody. And 8 Euro only public price at the estate. After a Sauvignon 2004 of which John liked the creamy texture, amost lactal, that he did not find in other white Sauvignons, we were served 4 great Coteaux du Layon sweet whites in 50cl bottles. The two last ones , Coteaux du Layon " les Bonnes Blanches" 2002 and 2003 are a pure delicacy. What Jon-David noted the first time he tasted the sweet Coteaux du Layon wines by Vincent Ogereau is that they were at the same time powerful, straight and direct, with long lasting presence in the mouth. They sell very well by the glass in restaurants in the U.S.
Great day . Time to leave. We drive to Angers where they will spend the night, and where I'll catch a train back to Paris. For them, a few more days of wine travel before coming home (respectively to Paris and Boston) for Thanksgiving...

Damien Laureau : La Benetrie. Butte de Fremur. 49000 Angers
Fax +33(0)2 41 72 87 39
[email protected]

Vincent Ogereau : 44 rue de la belle angevine 49750 St Lambert du Lattay
Fax +33(0)2 41 78 43 55