French winemaker Jean-Luc Colombo just ended a 10-day tour across the United States, meeting with restaurateurs, the trade, and journalists. While in Los Angeles, he, along with fellow vineyard owner Anne Poniatowski of Provence’s Mas de la Dame and chef Wolfgang Puck, hosted a dinner at Spago Beverly Hills. One of the evening’s standout wines included the Mas de la Dame Rosé du Mas 2008, a refreshing light-bodied pink wine—certified organic and made up of 50 percent grenache, 30 percent syrah, and 20 percent cinsault—exhibited notes of strawberry, peach, floral, and fennel on a clean, dry finish. It was an exceptional pairing to Spago’s smoked salmon-dill pizza appetizer.
Of particular note are the labels that grace Mas de la Dame wines. In 1889, Vincent van Gogh spent some time in Provence, painting about 150 landscapes, including a few that feature the Mas de la Dame farmhouse. Those paintings are now reproduced on the winery’s labels.
Over dinner, I asked Madame Poniatowski about the history of the farmhouse and its surrounding vineyards, set against the Alpilles Mountains near the medieval village of Les Baux. She told me that the name, Mas de la Dame, which translates to “women of the farm,” is actually very old, dating back to the 16th century, when the vineyard was run entirely by women. That tradition came full circle in 1991, when she and her sister, Caroline Missoffe, inherited the estate and began running it on their own, with Jean-Claude Podechard as winemaker, as well as some consultation from their neighbor and friend Jean-Luc Colombo.
Another highlight of the evening was the vertical tasting of two vintages: Domaine Colombo’s flagship Les Ruchets 2001 and the equally stellar Les Ruchets 2005. “It’s very important to respect the vintage,” says Colombo, who strongly opposes vineyard irrigation. “Terroir is the combination of sun, rain, and land, while vintage represents those conditions in a given year. If I were to water my vines, it would be like making rain. It would not be a true expression of the vintage. It would not be honest.”
On his Cornas vineyard—located on the steep slopes of the northern Rhône—there is no lack of sunshine, something that Colombo says should not be met with water. “I don’t like sweet wine with a lot of sugar and alcohol,” he says. “It doesn’t pair well with food. The more sugar in a grape, the more alcohol you will have in your wine. If you have a lot of sun, like we have in the south of France, you already have sugar. But I’ve seen so many winemakers—in Chile, Australia, the States, even France—add water to their vines at the height of summer. The problem is a lot of water and a lot of sun increases the sugar content of the grapes. Too much sugar will ruin a nice Dover sole, sea bass, lamb or chicken.”
Indeed, the Ruchets 2005 ($100), made from grapes grown on 90-year-old syrah vines, is perfectly suited for food. Puck paired it with risotto with wild Oregon porcini mushrooms, but it also goes well with steak and game meats. Inky black in color, this dry wine (which will reach its peak around 2015 and will continue to evolve until 2025) shows an elegant balance of floral and fruity notes, with flavors of black currants, lavender, and a touch of vanilla. Adds Colombo: “The vintage is great like the 2001. And the terroir is magic. The soil is gold when the sun shines on it. There is a forest nearby with a lot of juniper trees. When we burn the wood it smells like incense. You can taste that flavor in the 2005.”
Domaine Mas de la Dame, www.masdeladame.com
Domaine Jean-Luc Colombo, www.vinscolombo.fr
