ODG, QualiBordeaux and our 2017 Graves Blanc, continued

.. Three weeks ago, we shared our bewilderment following the tasting of our 2017 Graves Blanc by the body in charge of tasting all bottled wines. As a reminder, the wine had been categorised as a ‘major deficiency’ and described as bitter, putrid, stagnant, reduced... We deliberately wanted to focus on richness and complexity with this cuvée, harvesting fully ripe grapes and not seeking to craft a thiol-driven wine. Furthermore, when it came to bottling, we decided to bottle it unfiltered, leaving fine lees in the bottle. The wine thus continues to work and develop complexity, though this has the effect of reinforcing the wine’s temporary reduction. We have the right to submit this wine for tasting again in the coming weeks, but the reduction will not dissipate for several months. It is therefore very likely that we would receive the same verdict. We therefore wrote to the ODG to request that our wine be re-tasted after the spring. A negative reply has just reached us. There is a rule, and we must abide by it. We will not appeal. We are proud of this wine. It has character, and every taster we have shared it with confirms this. The AOC, through its regulations, aims to guarantee typicity for the consumer. However, it prohibits innovation and the pursuit of complex flavours. Winegrowers are all too often forced to fit the mould, altering their oenological practices to comply with the norm—that of the majority. Faced with these constraints, we will certainly be compelled to adopt a dual strategy: wines vinified to comply with the appellation for our most straightforward cuvées, and authentic single-parcel cuvées dedicated to true wine enthusiasts... To be continued...