Summer

Well it was not really a wine summer for me. A very brief trip to Château Clinet and the friendly folk there in Pomerol and another to Vosne Romanée to visit Cros Parentoux and the Henri Jayer connection in a shoot for Libers the auction house. The latter was interesting but I am staggered by the prices people will pay for wine when so many people are in need. But then the same goes for cars or any other luxury item. I guess high end craftsmanship should be supported, but selling a bottle of wine at auction prices is not really supporting the winemaker, just the ego of someone with a great deal of money. My apologies if I have missed something here but I am happy to listen to anyone with the opposite point of view… The same goes for all forms of art but here the artist’s reputation, if he is still alive, benefits and a queue forms for his work. I have seen it happen to a child prodigy and I wonder whether that is good for him as an artist, or as a person…

Ronan Laborde, owner of Chåteau Clinet since 2003, in his cellar

Early Merlot veraision in Pomerol 19/7/2015

Clinet vineyards next to the church that guides a lot of people to Pomerol

A July sunset in Pomerol comes right in the middle of dinner, but is difficult to resist !

An expensive bottle of wine looks like this, I did not touch any of them !

Cros Parantoux at Vosne-Romanée and a wall of rocks Henri Jayer cleared from the vineyard himself. On the left of the wall is Richebourg !

Jayer’s name still shines out.

The former Jayer cuverie seems anonymous from the N974

A fortunate encounter with the man himself over ten years ago, courtesy of Véronique Drouhin