It was not some of the best reviews and ratings of the whole Languedoc area for the wines of the young Domaine de l’Edre which brought me to visit this wine estate recently. But it was the passion for wine from two men who decided to make quality wine as a hobby on week-ends apart from their main jobs one day!                   Apart from the warm welcome I received from Jacques Castany the winemaker, I had the opportunity to taste his wines too. From his standard but fine whites (Carrement Blanc 2007, 2006) and reds (Carrement Rouges 2007 and 2005) to the premium Edre 2007 still in barrels, they all displayed very good balance. Edre 2007 (his top wine) had another 3 month of barrel maturation to go but was already very drinkable! The aromatics were profound, with blackberry, liquorice, floral and stone. Full bodied and seamless with silky tannins and a 10+ seconds length, it deserves a very good to excellent rating. Problem is, he made 9 barrels of Edre 2007 which are already sold and I also understand the 2008 is already pretty much reserved! Picture below - The "basin" like land where most vineyards around the village of Vingrau are.               Olivier Bourseau: Jacques thank you for having us at Domaine de L’Edre. You created Domaine de L’Edre with your associate Pascal Dieunidou back in 2002. You have since kept both your jobs in industries away from wine and work at the wine estate on week-ends only. What push you to take the leap and launch this wine estate? Jacques Castany: The reason is passion for wine and vines. My associate Pascal started to taste local wines when he arrived here back in 2000. I had created a wine tasting club with relatives back in 1993 and so we had been tasting wines every month with the club. Pascal started to really like it and got deep into the subject and bought some vines and offered me a partnership to make wine with him in 2002! So I said let’s go. Being the two of us is always easier than being on your own especially since it is not our main job to both of us! Olivier Bourseau: You have an exceptional terroir with some altitude, great exposition to the sun and great soils too. Please could you tell us a bit more about the qualities of the area? Jacques Castany: In terms of the soils here in Vingrau, they are mostly made of clayey limestone with valleys and different expositions which all make the quality of this specific terroir. The altitude is also a benefit and grape varieties find their best locations on the many different slopes and expositions we have. This is what makes the complexity and richness of Vingrau. This is why we produce high quality wines here. And it is not about our estate and wines, as I believe all the winemakers in Vingrau, with Clos des Fées, Domaine des Chênes, Domaine de l’Eléphant, Domaine des Vents and the Coop to name a few make great wines too. So I believe there is a big potential here with one of the best quality in the region. Picture below - Yes, this is all of Edre 2007! 9 barrels only...                 Olivier Bourseau: I had been pleasantly surprised by your tiny yields at about 15hl/h for the Edre wine. It is very small when you consider that most high quality wines are between 20 and 50 hl/h. You also sort the grapes at 3 different places (in the vineyards, at the egrappoir, and at the conveyor belt). Is that the recipe for success? Jacques Castany: It is a group of things which makes the ultimate quality. It is not about small yields only. There is also a lot of work, and more and more of it done in the vineyards. Now it is also true that small yields are hugely important in the quality of the grapes. You were talking about 20 to 50 hl/ha but you don’t get the same wine at 20 than the one you get at 50hl/ha. Grapes ripen easier with small yields, vines cope better with less fruit on each vine root, especially when it is a dry year like the year we are having when we haven’t had much water. If there is a lot of fruit on the vine, then the vine needs to feed it! Olivier Bourseau: There is a crisis in the region with wines which don’t sell and some coops and winemakers not doing much quality wines. Do you think that quality and small yields is the solution to the problem and how do you see this issue? Jacques Castany: I don’t know if the solution is to have small yields because you can make wine with slightly higher yields but which remain a bargain as offering enough quality at an affordable price. We can consider pretty much every situation. Our most interesting example of success is the coop of Castelmaure just behind the mountains of Vingrau. They decided to make quality wines 15 or 20 years ago and where the wage system for winemakers is different to what is being done elsewhere in the larger region. And they manage to make wines at different quality levels from 3 or 4 euros to 50 euros per bottle. They have a wine which is called “Point d’Interrogation” (“Question Mark” in English) which is worth 50 euros. They offer 8 or 9 different wines. I also believe there is some room for everybody. Problem is there is no room for bad wine anymore though. It is tough to say this but it is the truth. Everyone needs to make some kind of effort and I believe that across the majority of the region we have wonderful terroir in order to make good quality. Olivier Bourseau: Your main grape varieties are Grenache, Carignan, and Syrah which are mostly regional varietals. Have you looked into other grape varieties for the future? Jacques Castany: Already done! We planted some Mourvèdre to see how it would turn out for the reds. With regards to whites, we planted some Roussanne and a little bit of Viognier to also experiment. What we are trying to do with the whites is to use a little bit of roussanne to bring some more aromatic character in our wines. Olivier Bourseau: Away from your wines, which are the other world wine regions which are of interest for your personal consumption? Jacques Castany: As a wine madman, I am interested in any region in France and across the globe. High quality wines are made everywhere in the world. In France everyone has his or her preferred winemakers. For instance in the Loire Valley, it might be Philippe Alliet; in the Rhône Valley and considering our wines here are made from Syrah mostly like in northern Rhône, I am fond of the Côtes Rôties and Hermitages. Bordeaux wines can be very very good when they are well made. I also love Spanish wines: the reds from Ribera del Duero, or Priorat are wines which are a lot like ours. Then there are many smaller “Denominaciones” (geographical areas) with for instance the Rias Baixas with Verdejo and Albarino as the main grape varieties. Alsace for the whites has got a fantastic terroir and great winemakers like Deiss, Gassman, Ostertag… There are many of them in Alsace! It is a wonderful wine region. Olivier Bourseau: Thank you very much Jacques!