Vacqueyras and Pétanque in Montmartre

The Confrérie du Vacqueyras There's a stiff competition for regional wine promotions in Paris, you get all the time professional tastings devoted to this or that French region and to be frank, I don't go to many of them in spite of often being invited. But this particular one, which was organized around the wines of Cotes-du-Rhone Vacqueyras Appellation was too tempting for not making a try, and it was I think a success. Instead of the busy reception rooms of a fancy hotel, the organizers (the communication agency Claire de Lune) chose the settings of the gardens and pétanque grounds in a quiet neighborhood at 7 rue Becquerel in Paris, in the heights of Montmartre. From 3 pm to 10 pm you could enjoy free tasting with buffet, music and other entertainment and a dinner with all the Vacqueyras you needed of course. As this terraced garden is foremost a pétanque club, this all began with a serious pétanque after teams were set up. The very serious Confrérie des Maîtres Vignerons de Vacqueyras even awarded a medal to the best team, in the presence of the President of the République de Montmartre (the man in black on the right with his Toulouse-Lautrec-esque red scarf)..

Beautiful wine... There were the wines of about 15 estates of Côtes du Rhône Vacqueyras, whites, rosés and reds, I guess that they had selected some of the most interesting. I'm ashamed to say that I haven't a single picture of the tasting tables and of its settings, I was probably too busy spotting interesting scenes. It was a self-serve tasting, choose your order and even come back to the ones you like if you please. Generous pours were encouraged and vintners here and there could provide help and information if you looked for them. The bottles were relatively well temperature-controlled, I didn't remember of a bump on this line even though the day was quite warm.
Vacqueyras is a tiny Rhone sub-region squeezed between Gignondas, Beaumes-de-Venise and Côtes du Ventoux (see the tiny blue patch on this map). The Vacqueyras Appallation zone sits on two villages, one being Vacqueyras, and although I didn't find the total number of estates on the French Wikipedia page, it seems that there are a few dozens estates (caves particulières) if you don't count the négoces and the coops (see this extensive list).
The participating wineries were (in alphabetical order) : Domaine des Amouriers, Domaine le Clos de Caveau, Domaine le Clos des Cazeaux, Domaine de la Fourmone, Maison Gabriel Meffre, Domaine de la Ganse, Domaine de la Garrigue, Domaine de la Ligière, Domaine de la Monardière, Montirius, Domaine de Montvac, Mas des Restanques, Domaine le Sang des cailloux, Les Vignerons de caractère (a coop if I'm right). Tasting (and drinking) Vacqueyras in Montmartre There's no picture, but this video will give you a better feel of this tasting, by not only showing you the tasting table and the line of bottles but also the pétanque grounds which all (that's definitely a very sensible attention by the organizers) had a bunch of bottles sitting in the ice, a gentle way to remind us that Vacqueyras can be had for an apéritif in the shade at the end of the day. While I was shooting players setting up their teams, I had the unexpected surprise to fall upon an Anglo team, which proves that pétanque has its afficionados among foreign expats. My surprise was to reach new heights when I realized that one of these Anglos was Tim Johnston, the Scot behind one of the first Paris wine bars, Juvéniles. Toward minute 6:00 on this video you'll see the setting up of this Anglo team with Tim Johnston being for sure the best asset... So I ended up following loosely a pétanque game with English exclamations all around in the middle of Montmartre surrounded by high trees and sipping a glass of then-unidentified rosé with in my back smoking barbecues stacked with tempting meats. I may have been fooled by a marketing trick but from now on I'll not look at Vacqueyras on the shelves the same way... Tim, shooting On this other video you can watch the game and the players, make sure to check that they all abide by the rules and play fairly. At the end of the video, having moved back to the tasting tables, I fell upon Alain Segelle, undoubtly one of the best French sommeliers, and I stopped the shooting shortly after having shaked his hand (he had things to tell me). Alain Segelle is an expert with deep knowledge on French wines and artisan vintners, he is an out-of-the mold wine connoisseur on whom I can count when I'm looking for info.
This tasting was accessed by invitation only, although I guess someone who could show at the last minute some proof that he was in the trade could have set foot in, I guess. There was just the right number of guests so that it was enjoyable and bearable, considering the surface. The nice thing was also that it was almost entirely outdoor, if not for the tent on the 2nd terrace, and with the view on two peaceful street on the sides, it was like being in a village indeed, you could see passerbys from out of town stopping and wondering if that was the way Parisians spent their summer evenings....
Pétanque chat Here are a few wines that I tasted :
__Domaine le Sang des Cailloux, Un Sang Blanc 2010 (all these wines are Vacqueyras). White Vacqueyras. 6 white varieties in here, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Viognier. Quite oaky it seems to me. A bit high in alcohol, but I guess this is southern Rhône and I should expect it. The label reads 14 °.
__ Domaine de Montvac, Melodine 2010. White Rhône made with Clairette, Roussanne, Bouboulenc and Viognier. 14 °. More enjoyable, maybe the other one paid the price as first wine of the day. Oak less palpable if any. More balanced with alcohol.
__ Montirius Perle de Rosée 2011, rosé wine. Grenache Noir, Syrah. The color has the style of rosé d'Anjou. No oak in the élevage here. Small bitterness in the back of the mouth. I'm having a good time with it and some crispy bread and some saucisson. The organizers had had the good idea to bring successive waves of appetizers, charcuterie, bread and sliced fruits, which helped deal with the tasting, which was very often a drinking from what I saw around me. All the while, the hard stuff was being prepared and grilled for the dinner which was also a free treat starting at 8 pm on the lower terrace.
__ Mas des Restanques 2011, the cuvée domaine I guess. White Vacqueyras again. Hand picked, it says on the label. Very thick bottle. Here is a wine with a vibrant mouth, although the oak is on the front. I didnt taste all the available whites and then turned to reds, on which I was more interested, to be frank.
__ Domaine le Sang des Cailloux cuvée Azalais 2009, red Vacqueyras. Nice tannins, I like this first red. Grenache (70 %), Syrah (20 %), Mourvèdre (7 %), Cinsault (3 %). Not bad. I'll taste (drink) it again. Ending with handshakes __ Domaine de Montvac, Arabesque 2010. Red Vacqueyras. Grenache, syrah, Mourvèdre. a bit hot in the mouth. Not my best pick.
__ Domaine Montirius, Le Clos 2007. Grenache, Syrah, farmed in biodynamy. no wood in the élevage. 14 ° in alcohol. Not particularly impressed.
__ Domaine La Ligière, rosé, a small digression back to rosé, to try this funny, square bottle which we spotted in a bucket with Philippe Berger whom I met in this crowd. Philippe Berger is a friend sommelier who organizes wine events and tastings on demand in Paris and works for individual clients and companies alike. See his website Vigne et Sens. We weren't impressed by the rosé in spite of the design of the bottle.
__ Domaine des Amouriers 2010. Red Vacqueyras again. Grenache-Syrah, growing on pebble stones (galets roulés) similar to the ones in Chateauneuf du Pape. Quite powerful wine, and very refined and elegant. Good length in the mouth. This wine is very well made it seems to me. 15 ° in alcohol on the label but gets down very well. Excellent, no doubt. Speaking to alain Segelle about this wine later in the evening, he told me that the terroir there is exceptional, and the Domaine des Amouriers was the first of the region years ago to make outstanding wines from this terroir. I don't know the price of this bottle but if you see it and it's in your means, buy it right away. Happy man, with Ditte and Julia __ Domaine des Amouriers, Les Genestes 2010. Old vines picked at maturity. Appealing nose. More demonstrative in the mouth maybe. Supple. 15,5 ° in alcohol.
__ Domaine le Clos des Cazaux, Cuvier des Templiers 2010.

It's been again only a selection of wines for me, as I didn't taste everything that was available on the tables, but that's also a good way to enjoy a tasting, take time to speak to people around you. And I still found interesting wines in the lot. I also met an American woman who was from Texas if I'm right and has made a movie last year including interviews with several artisan vintners. I'll put a link as soon as I find her info. The dinner At about 8 pm, people were invited to take a seat for dinner on the two lower terraces. You just had to have nodded by replying to the invitation email several days ago and you had your dinner accounted. You can have an idea of the mood through this video, there were bottles at your disposal, and it was a good opportunity to get back to certain bottles you had noticed during the tasting. Taking part to such dinners is always the opportunity to listen to sommeliers stories and learn interesting things related to the wine culture. Some of the tables were empty, but I discovered later that some pétanque players including Tim Johnston had probably dined up there on the last terrace near the barbecue source...
While eating, we had several wines, including :
__Domaine le Sang des Cailloux, Cuvée de Lopy 2008 (magnum)
__ Domaine Le Clos de Caveau, Carmin Brillant 2007. This one is quite excellent. I'm said it's the reference in Vacqueyras and I understand that. The bottle is at one point grabbed by someone from another table and I manage to get over there to fill again my glass and the one of one of my neighbors.
We had also a Côtes du Rhone by Domaine Delubac which I liked.
There was cool jazz music during much of the evening, and also some acting performance in Renaissance costumes if I remember. The whole party was pretty relaxed and unpretentious. The medal awarding at the end of the pétanque contest, by the Confrérie and the President of the République de Montmartre (the man in black in the picture on top) had brought another touch of lightheartedness. At 10 pm we were gently advised to leave so that the residents in the buildings around could enjoy some peace (you know how noisy a happy-wine tablée can be). Alain Segelle & Tim Johnston As Tim Johnston was passing along our table to leave, toward the end of the party (that's how I guessed he and others stayed somehow on the upper terrace), he and Alain Segelle exchanged a few words, and I discvered that the two knew each other for a very long time. You may know that the two oldest wine bars in Paris, the ones managed by Tim (Juvéniles) Mark (Willis' Wine Bar) are very Rhône centered, but what Alain Segelle told me while Tim was sitting near him for this photo op, is that actually 4 individuals were really responsible for the awakening to Rhône wines in Paris some 30 years ago : Tim Johnston, Mark Willianson, Philippe Faure-Brac and himself. It is hard to imagine today that even in France, Rhone wines were mostly under the radar back then. Alain Segelle remembers that when he was a sommelier at Le Cochon D'Or (between 1978 and 1982), he suggested one day to his boss to add to the wine list a wine that he had just discovered, it was a Côte Rôtie, and when the boss heard the words Côte Rôtie, he made a strange face, asking "What's that ?!?".
Alain Segelle can be reached at alainsegellewines [at] yahoo [dot] fr