François et Julien Pinon: Wines
The Pinon residence, located on the Rue Jean Jaurès, has something of a magical quality to it. As you ascend through the valley the road is lined with little houses, barns and what are evidently winemaking facilities, and the occasional garden, as is the case at the Pinon family’s house. At the back, however, you can catch a glimpse of a doorway into the rock, a troglodytic cellar hewn from the limestone, probably one of many that exist in the valley. In this case there are several entrances, one of which hides beneath a porch, itself behind some woody vegetation, giving the scene a grotto-like, Hansel-and-Gretel appearance. It would not look out of place in any fairy tale; all that is needed to complete the picture is a gingerbread cottage.
The work undertaken here, including the harvest, has long been 100% manual, which is remarkable when one considers the fair prices François asks for his wines, but of course necessary if one is to pick in tries, cleaning up the fruit, selecting riper and sweeter berries for the demi-sec, moelleux and liquoreux cuvées. After pressing, the juice is fermented using only the naturally-present indigenous yeasts. Generalising, François and now Julien always ferment in wood, mostly old barrels, only introducing a little new wood from time to time, when necessary to replace old barrels. There are a variety of sizes in use, including 225-, 400- and 500-litre barrels, as well as 2000-litre foudres. The wine may see an élevage in these foudres, or occasionally in stainless steel. There is minimal racking, filtration and controlled use of small amounts of sulphites. This all takes place in the aforementioned cellars which have been in the family for four generations, and which are probably about 300 years old.
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