First date in a classical music festival. I am invited by the Re-Major Festival which welcomes for a Musical Tasting within the Area Arica on the island of Re. On the programme, a theme on the Oceanic Brise, and a discovery of 4 exceptional terroirs along this Atlantic coast. I'm accompanied by a high-flight violinist: Anna Göckel which will perfectly match these wines with a repertoire ranging from Bach to Prokofiev.
Oceanic Brise – Discover terroirs along the Atlantic Ocean
- Landron domain – Amphibolite 2022 | AOP Muscadet
- Area Arica – cuvée Les Salines – 2021
- Area Arretxea – Cuvée Haitza – AOP Irouléguy – 2014
- Domaine du Clos Manou – AOP Médoc – 2009
Musical agreements by violinist Anna Göckel
When the festival proposed a collaboration with violinist Anna Göckel, I immediately accepted. As the founder of the Karenine trio, Anna plays today in the world's largest venues and festivals. Very quickly she knew how to understand the concept and offer me perfect music & wine agreements.
Find it Playlist the listening concert HERE
Back in image of the evening
The tasting sheets of the Soenologist
The Tannic Accord of the evening? Sonata For Solo Violin In D Minor, Op. 27, No. 3 d A piece that will explore many textures, harmonies, and that starts rather mysteriously. Perfect to fit with the Cuvée Haitza in the Arretxea domain. A complex, rustic and mysterious wine.
Wine number 1 : Amphibolite 2022 | Landron domain
On the nose we will have citrus notes like lemon or grapefruit.
In the palate, we find an iodized and salty side, which are typical markers of this terroir.
It is a wine that perfectly marries seafood.
The balance on this vintage is just perfect, between tension, fruity and gourmet on the palate. Vif and pure, expressive and energetic, mineral and delicately lemony... a wine for lovers on the iodized and salty side of the sea... a wine for lovers of spray and oysters!
Music & Wine Agreement : Prelude to Bach's 3rd Partita (3
Wine n°2 : Domaine Arica : cuvée Les Salines, vintage 2021
A complex wine, salinity, brioche.
Grape : 100% Chardonnay raised in barrels
To highlight this wine and the brioche and toasted side, Anna will try to give more body in the sound // she will play on textures and notions of musical terroirs... and I find that the different episodes in the 2nd part can be interesting to evoke different tasting stages
Music & Wine Agreement :
Prokofiev – Sonata for Solo Violin in D Major, Op. 115: II. Andante dolce (3/40)
Matteis – Fantasia for Solo Violin in A Minor « Alia Fantasia » (33)
Wine #3 : Domaine Arretxea – Cuvée Haitza – 2014
Nose : We will be on aromas of ripe black fruits (fruits, black cherries) and animal and spicy notes ( clove of cloves)
Mouth : a lot of power and structure. Well structured tannins, a dense material. Beautiful length (one speaks caudalie). An impressive finish of black fruits, olive and smoked herbs.
Basque Country : A name not well known, but worth highlighting. This is clearly the best domain of the appellation. Haitza means « oak » in Basque.
Located in Irouléguy in the heart of the Basque Country, the domain Arretxea (literally "the stone house") is the flagship of the name Irouléguy.
Grapes : Tannat (90%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%)
Anecdote : Tannat is rich in polyphenol = have properties antioxidants natural
Music & Wine Agreement :
Ysaÿe: Sonata For Solo Violin In D Minor, Op. 27, No. 3 (Ballade)
Piece that will explore many textures, harmonies, but that starts rather mysteriously.
Wine #4 : Clos Manou – 2009
Some information on the Bordeaux vineyard – 110,800 ha or 14% of the total vines in France // 25% of the production // 1/6 bottle consumed in France, comes from the vineyard // 3.92 billion € value // 5600 wine growers
Bordeaux : We no longer make the reputation of Bordeaux's great wines. But if you come out of the great appellations with demented prices, you can go towards more "accessible" domains that bring out this magnificent terroir of Bordeaux.
Med : the most famous of the regions (with snoring names such as Margaux, Rothschild, Latour, Palmer) owe their world renown to the ranking of 1855 Napoleon (universal exhibition)
Field: Clos Manou 2009
When one evokes the wines of the Médoc, the collective imagination immediately convenes the legend of the Grand Crus Classified 1855 and the prestige of the Crus Bourgeois. Yet, between these two rutilants rankings, there are many nuggets that honour the reputation of medocaine wines, while still being accessible in prices to amateurs.
Clos Manou is one of those. It is a family property producing wines whose reputation has ceased to grow thanks to their quality and consistency, and above all to a beautiful history, written in less than 25 years by Françoise and Stéphane Dief.
Grape key is the Cabernet Sauvignon, which takes advantage of the refreshing of the vineyard by the ocean to give vegetable notes, pepper etc..
60% Cabernet S 34% Merlot 4% Cab Franc 2% Verdot
Terror : Grave : type of soil that has made the grandeur of wines
2009 Solar vintage
Clos Manou is really a little hidden nugget, a little known and yet very successful wine.
The nose is intense and deep, with aromas of ripe fruit and light woody and vanilla notes well integrated.
The palace has a nice volume and a fair balance, well present but very elegant tannins and a pleasant hint of freshness. The mouth is velvety
Tasting : Color marked by evolution. Nose open and expressive, Cocoa licorice, small ripe black fruits. Flexibility attack, intense and aromatic. Silky tans, very good length.
Music & Wine Agreement : More complex piece, Bach is perfect. More depth on this wine, more powerful, more body, more tannins. A little timeless side!
Bach: Adagio 1st Sonata (43)
Bach: Fugue 1st Sonata (52)
In the runaway there is the tone you were talking about, the complexity and the form.
