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Pierre Jacques Druet
I arrived at Druet's residence in Benais, just a few minutes drive from
nearby Bourgueil, at exactly 11 am. There was a worn appearance to some of the
buildings, which stretched out on three sides of a rough, central courtyard
strewn with gravel and stones, and from one of the upstairs windows the sound of a piano
drifted out, brightening the late morning air, which was just beginning to feel warm.
Within seconds of my arrival Druet appeared and offered a warm greeting. We
should go to his cave to taste, he instructed me, and it was apparently
too far to walk; I should follow his van in my own car.
The journey to Druet's cave took all of two minutes, travelling at a speed that never went much beyond 10 miles/hour, the slow pace a result of my desire to neither ram Druet's van from behind, nor to drive over his dog, who trotted arthritically along behind Druet's vehicle. Driving over a beloved and long-term family pet is never a good way to kick off a visit such as this, and so it was something I was keen to avoid; happily we arrived at Druet's cellars with no loss of life. Quite why we had to drive the short distance, little more than a few hundred metres, I was not sure; after all, the oldest bones in this two-car convoy were canine (taking into account age in dog-years, obviously), and he had been made to walk. Never mind - I was relieved simply to have made it without having given Bourgueil's pet funeral parlour any new business. Perhaps I should now concentrate on Druet, and his wines?
Druet: the Man and his Wines
Pierre Jacques Druet is rightly regarded as one of Bourgueil's most talented vignerons, and many, I'm sure, would rank him at the very top in this Loire appellation. He came to Bourgueil via a rather circuitous route, first graduating from the Lycée de Beaune before further studies at Montpellier and Bordeaux. Although the son of a négociant, his father's business did not interest him, and he set out to build up his own domaine. In order to raise funds he started out selling viticultural equipment including presses, but also occupied himself managing an export company in Bordeaux and making wine in Switzerland of all places, before settling in Bourgueil in 1980, at the age of 32, where he has subsequently made his name.
The Druet portfolio opens with a Bourgueil Rosé, which is notable for the quality of the raw material; there is a tendency in Bourgueil - and beyond - to produce rosé almost as an afterthought, it being something to do with the fruit of the youngest vines, fruit of inadequate quality for the reds. Not so chez Druet, where the rosé is produced from vines up to 100 years old, by the saignée method. Druet's technique is to first hold the must at 2ºC, before fermenting the wine at a very cool temperature, between 7 and 12ºC. At these temperatures fermentation might take as long as a week to get underway, and will proceed slowly for as long as 3 to 4 months. During this time the gas of the fermentation lifts up fine particles including the yeasts, essentially clarifying the wine, in a process known as guillage. Druet learnt the technique from an old colleague in Vouvray many years ago, and he continues to use it to this day. Once the fermentation has completed the wine, which typically ends up with 3-4 g/l of residual sugar, undergoes a hot sterilisation, sterile filtration and is dosed with sulphur prior to bottling.
Acknowledging that the rosé is something potentially special, and that Druet
also makes a good Chinon from old vines in the Clos de Danzay, it is really the
red cuvées of Bourgueil that should draw our attention here. These come from Druet's 18 hectares of
vines around the town, an admirable holding that includes a significant number
of old vines some of which, as mentioned with regard to the rosé above, have
more than 100 years under their belts. The vineyards are managed along the lines
of lutte raisonée, using chemical treatments where appropriate, but in a
considered manner and not to excess. I asked Druet about whether he had
considered switching to organic or biodynamic viticulture, but for him these
increasingly popular methods are not an option; he considers them too
problematic, and it seems to me that he has found a middle way which allows him
to use sprays and treatments when he deems it necessary. The fruit is harvested
mostly by machine, but 20% of the vineyard - specifically the older vines - is
picked by hand.
The reds open with Les Cent Boisselées, although it would be a disservice to think of this wine as 'entry-level'. The name harks back to the days before the Revolution and Napoleon, as boisselée was a unit of area in common usage around Bourgueil before these old measures were swept aside in favour of the metric system. The fruit for this cuvée is picked by machine and fermented in stainless steel vats; these vessels have a distinctive shape, fatter at the base and more narrow at the top, which Druet explained was to help keep the chapeau, the cap of grape solids that floats at the top of the fermenting must, fully submerged. Following a cold soak at 6-7ºC Druet, in a manner which seems contrary to accepted wisdom, allows the temperature of the fermenting must to rise to figures that would make modern oenologists shudder. At the top of the vat the fermentation may reach 60ºC or higher, although there is a marked temperature gradient so that at the bottom of the vat the temperature remains at 12ºC. Once finished the wine remains in stainless steel, and is subsequently bottled without any oak contact at all. The result is a wine which displays remarkably ripe fruit character, but which is also rich in colour, substance and extract.
The Noble Tannins
A fascinating moment during my visit to meet Pierre Jacques Druet was his discourse on noble as opposed to rustic tannins. During the fermentation process Druet tastes his wines regularly in order to determine when to run them off into barrel. He does this by gauging the quality of the tannins in the sample he has drawn off, looking for only noble tannins. As soon as more rustic tannins appear, it is time to separate the wine and the solids. The obvious question is, of course, how is this distinction between noble and rustic achieved? It is, perhaps surprisingly, done with salt.
Druet draws his samples and refrigerates them before his assessment. Then he
takes a pinch of salt and rolls it around his gums, before tasting the wine. The
noble tannins will be masked by the salt in the mouth, but the more rustic
strain will not. This was of course too good an opportunity to pass, and Druet
and I both did the salt-assisted assessment of his 2007 Grand Mont together. I
popped a large pinch of salt into my mouth, and Druet chuckled as my face
contorted at the taste. But then came the wine, and I have to agree that the
salt did have a profound effect on my sensing of the tannins; they simply
disappeared, confirming the presence of Druet's noble tannins, but none deemed
to be rustic. The wine was thus safe
to be left in the vat, ready for another assessment in twelve hours time; this
is a process which Druet undertakes twice a day for every vat of wine, of which
there are at least twenty. In addition, the philosophical Druet also believes
that environmental salt is why his wines taste so different when exported. In
Great Britain, he says, if you run your finger along a table and then taste it, it is laden
with salt. And, according to Druet, the salt content of foods also has a marked
effect on the taste of wines drank with them.
Getting back to my tasting, moving up the Bourgueil scale brings us to Beauvais, not a wine I tasted on my visit to the property, and then to Grand Mont. This wine originates from a vineyard on the Grand Mont itself, where Druet owns vines aged between 55 and 65 years. The soils underfoot here are made of clay and chalk, and there is some deeper tuffeau. After fermentation as above, this wine can see up to four years in large 700 litre oak barrels before bottling. The crème de la crème for Bourgueil, however, is Vaumoreau, another old vine cuvée; in this case it is made from 1 hectare of vines up to 100 years of age planted on soils of clay, flint and chalk. Druet purchased this plot of vines in 1988, when it was in an unkempt state, riddled with weeds, and he subsequently nursed the vineyard back to health. Today it is the feather in his cap, capable in the right vintage of producing a wine which after three or four years in smaller barrels will develop over more than a decade from the vintage.
Finally, as far as Bourgueil is concerned, there is the Fiefs de Louys. This wine originates from a vineyard of clay, chalk and flint, the vines encircling the Fiefs de Louys, a 16th Century château belonging to an English family. Druet is good friends with their son, and thus the management of the vineyard has been turned over to him. Druet would have preferred, perhaps, to name the wine Château de Louys, but to use the term château carries implications about where the wine was made - namely at the property - which does not suit Druet who would much rather make the wine at his cave in Benais. And so the duo came up with fiefs instead, and I think Druet rather enjoys the fact that the word has the meaning in both French and in English, a symbol of the Anglo-French co-operation that lies behind the wine. It is released bearing a reproduction label. based on one found in the attic at the property when the wine was bottled for the Grand Exposition of 1893. It is mostly fermented in stainless steel, with a small portion in oak, and can be a great success.
Whatever one believes of Druet, his philosophy and his penchant for experimentation, his strangely-shaped vats and his near-boiling fermentation temperatures, it is impossible not to believe in his wines. Over the years he has built a reputation for turning out superb examples of the Bourgueil appellation, offering as much as any other domaine in the region. I certainly recommend them, especially if you can turn up some well stored mature bottles as may happen from time to time. Best of all, though, pay a visit to the Druet domaine; make sure you have plenty of time, watch out for the dog, and be prepared for some salty philosophy. (31/1/06, updated 21/6/06, 2/9/08)
Contact details:
Address: Le Pied Fourrier, 37140 Benais
Telephone: +33 (0) 2 47 97 37 34
Fax: +33 (0) 2 47 97 46 40
Pierre Jacques Druet - Tasting Notes
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Pierre Jacques Druet Bourgueil Les Cent Boisselées 2007: A tank
sample. This shows sandy dark fruits on the nose, with a rather stylish and
complex character. It certainly has depth. The palate is round, quite full, with
a grippy and interesting presence. There are some good tannins, good acidity,
and a fresh composition. This has potential. 15.5-16.5+/20 (July 2008)
Pierre Jacques Druet Bourgueil Grand Mont 2007: A tank sample. This
has some pure aromatic fruit on the nose, a dark and wild nature, with scented
rose petals on the side. Pure and creamy, rounded, with some midpalate spice and
fine tannins on the palate giving a good structure. It rounds out towards the
finish, but shows good fruit and texture throughout. Fresh acidity too. A good
style here. Another wine with fine potential. 17-18+/20 (July 2008)
Pierre Jacques Druet Bourgueil Vaumoreau 2007: From 1 hectare of old
vines. A tank sample. A delightful nose, highly perfumed, with notes of violets
and roses. On the palate there is a creamy coolness, a good concentration of
fruit, with beautifully firm tannins coming through in the midpalate. It has
density, purity, and fine creamy black fruit character. Great potential.
17.5-18.5+/20 (July 2008)
Pierre Jacques Druet Bourgueil Rosé 2006: Produced by saignée,
from old vines, generally 50-100 years old. A salmon pink hue, rather leafy and
freshly delicate on the nose, with some redcurrant notes. It has a dry style,
without a hint of confection, opening out to reveal red fruit flavours, on a
full and fleshy texture although it remains crisp and refreshing. This is really
very good. 16.5/20 (July 2008)
Pierre Jacques Druet Bourgueil Les Cent Boisselées 2005: A vintage
which Druet describes as "sunny but difficult", but the rains came when they
were needed. He also made comparisons to ancient vintages including 1947,
suggesting this was the greatest vintage he has worked. This wine has a great
nose, full of dense fruits, spices, sandalwood and a savage black fruit
character. The palate is fresh, dense, pure and stylish, with a rounded and
complete style which makes it very easy to taste. Ripe midpalate tannins. I
think this will keep well, although it is very approachable now, with all its
lovely substance and ripe sweetness. 16.5-17.5+/20 (July 2008)
Pierre Jacques Druet Chinon Les Fiefs de Louys 2005: A sample from
stainless steel - some of the wine, usually 20%, sees some oak. A complex nose
here, a little feral, savage, and yet bright and stony-fresh too, with notes of
wild mulberry. Pure, lighter than some preceding wines, tight and compact too
though. A touch of flesh in the midpalate though, with great substance. It has
lightness and elegance, but also tannin and substance. Very good potential here.
16.5-17.5+/20 (July 2008)
Pierre Jacques Druet Bourgueil Les Cent Boisselées 2004: A vintage
which Druet also regards as difficult. This wine was tasted from bottle,
although at the time other cuvées of the vintage, including Grand Mont and
Vaumoreau, were still in barrel. The nose has an interesting array of aromas,
starting off with toffee, caramel and vanilla, cherry fruit and also a vegetal
note. The palate is rounded, complete, complex and certainly has some appeal.
Overall it is good, but it displays the difficulties of the vintage all too plainly. 15.5+/20 (July 2008)
Pierre Jacques Druet Bourgueil Les Cent Boisselées 2003: A complex
nose here, some warm and ripe fruit, with a dense and savage, macerated cherry
character. The nose has a huge creamy presence, with good grip beneath. It
has plenty of interest, and even some gentle acidity which is notable in this
vintage. Nevertheless it is plainly a child of 2003, although I still think it
to be very good. 16.5+/20 (July 2008)
Pierre Jacques Druet Bourgueil Les Cent Boisselées 2003: This is Druet's
entry-level Bourgueil, yet it holds a lovely, dark and juicy colour. No lack of
expression on the nose, which is vibrant and alive, full of red berry fruits,
smoky blackberries, with wisps of strawberry liquorice. Full, and quite precise
on the palate, sappy and firm, with a little texture overlying a smoky tannic
structure. There is a wonderfully bright backbone of acidity, and fine grip to
the finish. Delightfully fresh and easy drinking, this is very good for such a
'basic' cuvée; drink now or over the next 2-4 years. 17+/20 (January 2006)
Label
Pierre Jacques Druet Bourgueil Grand Mont 2003: This wine spent 3
years and 6 months in barrel. Today it shows a spicy and complex nose of
sandalwood, mint and dark fruits. The character is pure, elegant and complete,
and although tat sandalwood character comes through here there is no overt oak
influence. It is full, tannic, firm and well styles, with a rich and ripe
substance. Lovely tannins through to the finish too. There is a lot of potential
here, and this could go 15 years or more I think. 18+/20 (July 2008)
Pierre Jacques Druet Bourgueil Vaumoreau 2000: A maturing, red-orange
hue here, but not a huge intensity of colour. A warm, ripe and appealing nose,
with macerated fruits, iron, capers and green peppercorns. A decent presence on
entry, well structured but somewhat lean, showing rather angular tannins and
firm acidity through the midpalate, lending a rather coarse feel to the wine.
Medium body, with an underwhelming texture; overall it doesn't compare too
favourably with the other Druet wines tasted recently. Good though, with
potential; I suspect this would improve over the next 3-5 years. 16+/20 (January 2006)
Label
Pierre Jacques Druet Bourgueil Grand Mont 1997: A pleasing,
brick-maturing hue here, but still quite rich. A lovely nose, initially showing
some blackberry, but then a more serious profile of peppered bloody beef, and
minerally iron, with an organic, meaty quality. Midweight palate, but very
finely balanced, and with a lovely minerally presence. Spicy, meaty flavours
with a touch of tobacco. Delicious finish and super length. Lovely. Drink now.
18.5/20 (January 2006)
Label
Pierre Jacques Druet Chinon Clos de Danzay 1995: This has a dark and
maturing hue, and the nose shows lovely mature development to match. It is
dominated by a meaty-smoky sense, with plenty of mature, sweet, macerated fruit,
with notes of blood, iron, green peppercorns and mint. Medium weight on the
palate, dry, with a full, sensuous texture. Refined, mature, blackcurrant and
raspberry fruits with minty overtones, culminating in a gamey finish. This has a
lovely style and nice length. Very good indeed. 18/20 (January 2006)
Label
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