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France Magazine - Interview Paul Hobbs: The kid from Buffalo who became Monsieur Malbec
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the best of culture, travel & art de vivreSummer 2012
$5.9
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RICCIOTTI at the Louvre MONTPELLIER: Trending Now ARCADIA in Philadelphia
20 F R A N C E • S U M M E R 2 01 2
à la carteFrench food & drink in America By DOROTHY J. GAITER
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PINK IS BIG
Between 2010 and 2011, exports of PROVENCE ROSÉS to the United States soared 62 percent in volume and 49 percent in value. One contributing factor must be the magnum craze, which has taken hold from the yachts of St. Tropez to the beaches of the Hamptons. Some of these big bottles are super sleek, others are just plain pretty, and all say “summer party!” in a language that everyone can understand. When choosing these dry, crisp wines, aficionados go for the palest pinks—a sign of expert winemaking. Shown here: Domaine Mas de Cadenet rosé, $40.
In the 1990s, California winemaker Paul Hobbs
helped put Argentina on the modern wine
map, thanks to his groundbreaking work with
the Malbec grape, reputedly introduced to
that country in 1868 by a French agricultural
engineer. At the time, he was consulting with the
Nicolás Catena dynasty in Mendoza; years later,
he met French winemaker Bertrand Vigouroux,
who eventually invited him to collaborate on his
family’s celebrated vineyards in Cahors. How
could Hobbs refuse? Cahors is the historic
epicenter of Malbec, grown there since 50 B.C.
and used to make its famous “black wine.”
Still, a less confident man might have
been intimidated. The Vigouroux family has
been in the wine business since founding its
wine brokerage firm in 1887, and Bertrand’s
father, Georges, was instrumental in obtaining
Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC)
status for Cahors in 1971. And although
the family’s four châteaux have centuries of
history, the owners are decidedly forward-
looking, branching into wine tourism (one of
their properties is a Relais & Châteaux) and
online wine sales while launching two brands
that retail for less than $20 a bottle. But for
Hobbs, the offer was a unique chance to gain
experience that could raise the bar for Malbecs
worldwide. Four years on, he talks with us
about his Cahors adventure.
How did your collaboration with Vigouroux get
started? Initially, Bertrand wanted to launch a
joint venture, but I thought it would be better
for me to begin as a consultant. So I started
working with them on the top wines from their
most highly regarded properties: Château de
Haute-Serre, Château de Mercuès and Château
Leret-Monpezat. All are in Cahors, but each
has a very distinct geology. The first vintage
involving my input was the 2009.
What challenges have you faced? The
vineyards were planted well but were poorly
managed; they also had very outdated
equipment. We have already made tremendous
improvements without having to make big
financial investments. What we’ve done is
clean up what they originally had and make oper-
ations more quality-oriented. We did install drip
irrigation—this has been allowed in some areas
of France for only a few years, so we’re pioneers.
We did it because the vines were struggling.
Did the French have any problems taking
advice from an American? We both wanted
to enhance the image of Cahors wines by
improving quality and product consistency, and
they were interested in my long experience with
Malbec. They knew that I had a lot of expertise
with soil and climate and how they relate to that
particular varietal. I had also learned a lot about
water management for that grape. Malbec is like
a camel; it has a membrane that holds water
better than other grapes, which allows it to
tolerate more extreme heat.
And you did eventually agree to that joint
venture…. Yes, the first vintage of our yet-to-
be-named wine—a Malbec, of course—was
produced in 2011; we are aiming for a U.S.
release in fall 2014. Quantities will be very limited.
How does your partnership work? Bertrand
Vigouroux and I have a 50-50 partnership. If it
is successful, the logical next step might be to
buy land together. Right now, each party infuses
equal amounts of seed capital. They provide
all the vital local knowledge and resources,
and I supply the expertise and experience
that I typically bring to a project. That includes
managing the vineyards, deciding
when to pick the grapes,
everything that has to do with
how the wine is made. We grow
the wine from grape to glass.
What do you value most from
this experience? Being a
part of an extremely old wine
region, arguably the motherland
of Malbec. I find that very
intriguing. I just love being
able to understand the varietal
better. Cahors is particularly
fascinating geologically, with
many types of soil and stones.
I’m still trying to figure out why
Malbec survived in this region
and not others. The soil here
has little pellets of iron and a
wonderful aroma. I love the way it smells after
a rain, of game birds, legumes and that sort of
thing. It is enchanting, similar to the soil of my
childhood in New York. It has a richness to it,
a true earthiness, something we don’t have in
California. There’s a broader palette of flavors
and textures.
You are now involved with some 20 vineyards
worldwide. I hear your love affair with wine
started back in 1969. Yes, at my family’s home
on an apple farm near Buffalo, NY. My mother
forbade alcohol in the house, but my dad loved
wine and wanted to get into the winemaking
business, and he smuggled a 1962 Château
d’Yquem into the house. It opened my eyes to
what a wine could be. Mom initially thought it was
fruit juice, then kicked us both out of the house
and we had to spend the night around a bonfire—
Dad because he brought it into the house, and
me because I enjoyed it so much.
Paul HobbsTHE KID FROM BUFFALO WHO BECAME MONSIEUR MALBEC
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F R A N C E • S U M M E R 2 01 2 21
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Talkingblack wine
with…( )
The French culinary world rejoiced when UNESCO added the “French Gastronomic Meal” to its “Intangible Cultural Heritage”
list in 2010; now, the Fête de la Gastronomie invites French and foreigners alike to share in this time-honored Gallic tradition.
Inaugurated last year, the all-day and all-night affair was celebrated throughout France with 6,000 events in nearly 2,000
towns and cities—one of the largest was in Avignon, which staged a banquet for 500 people on the Place du Palais des Papes.
Several French-speaking countries also participated; this year, the party will extend to New York and Tokyo (the U.S. and Japan
have the largest number of Michelin-starred chefs outside of France).
Created by France’s Economy Ministry, the fête highlights French culinary savoir-faire and innovation. Which may explain the “restaurant bus” that
planners say will drive around Paris with a different chef on board every night for the week leading up to the big night on September 22, the first day of fall.
Three-star chef Michel Guérard is the honorary chairman of the 2012 event, whose theme is “Terroir.”
Festival director Sophie Mise notes that the fête isn’t just for professional foodies; the idea is to make it accessible to everyone—some events will
even be free. What to expect? Everything from special restaurant menus and wine tastings to picnics and cookouts. For more information on hosting or
attending events in New York or France, visit fete-gastronomie.fr/en/.
A PROPOS...
It’s not so easy to make something easy to drink.”“ — David Hénault, Nicolas Feuillatte’s new cellar master,
at a tasting of Champagnes at Le Cirque, blocks from where the legendary Feuillatte had
an apartment in the 1950s
Food Fête
• The Art of Cooking with Vegetables by Alain Passard. In 2001, this renowned chef shocked the culinary world when he declared that he would devote himself exclusively to exploring the potential of vegetables. With that, he removed 12 signature meat-based dishes from the menu of
his three-star restaurant, L’Arpège, in Paris. With this book, illustrated with his fanciful collages, he invites readers to prepare 48 seasonal recipes that he describes as “a special gift” to L’Arpège, now fêting its 25th year. The “June-July” section kicks off with a recipe for “Passion fruit, stuffed and baked like a crumble.” A work of art. Frances Lincoln Ltd., $29.95.
• Bordeaux: The Wines, The Vineyards, The Winemakers: A New Look at the World’s Most Famous Wine Region by Oz Clarke. One of Britain’s most popular wine writers (he also boasts a sizeable fan base on this side of the Atlantic), Clarke has revised and updated this dazzlingly thorough introduction to France’s storied wine region. Chock-full of details about Bordeaux’s different winegrowing areas and practical information such as “best buys,” this wine tutorial and travel guide will quench your thirst for knowledge while stimulating your appetite for the fruit of the vine. Sterling Epicure, $35.
mille feuilles
• Bertrand Vigouroux and Paul Hobbs at Les Journées Internationales de Malbec in Cahors.