Tour de Gendres Cuveé des Conti, Le Classique, Bergerac Rouge

Tour des Gendres, Le Classique, Bergerac Rouge, 2012 is a velvety, approachable Merlot from the appellation of Bergerac. It is ideal for drinking now.

Known as the “Prince of Bergerac”, Luc de Conti has gained a reputation as a leading French wine maker. Working with his brother Jean and his cousin Francis, they produce biodynamic wines that concentrate on fruit, balance, power and freshness.

Driven by passion as much as by perfectionism, de Conti has introduced organic and biodynamic farming practices to the family domain. He is pragmatic about working with the appellation’s historic grape varieties and doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice vines at the altar of ‘terroir’ and quality.
Certified fully organic in 2005, the estate’s approach was very much a family-orientated decision.

Tour des Gendres, Le Classique, Bergerac Rouge, 2012 is available online for $26.00
The wine is a Bordeaux blend with 60% Merlot and 40% Malbec.
Our tasting notes: Deep garnet colour with purplish tints. The wine
reveals slightly spicy notes of raspberry and cherry on the nose. This
wine is crunchy and chunky on the palate, sweet yet fresh and crisp.

DiscoverVin - looking for everything unmodern.

Luc de Conti, winemaker at Château Tour des Gendres in the Bergerac appellation in South West France is emphatic about the natural evolution of his biodynamic wines. “We’re looking for everything unmodern” ("On cherche l'anti vin moderne par excellence"), he says. When asked to describe his wines in one phrase de Conti said “Wines that follow the heart more and more, and Parker less and less”.

DiscoverVin has released of two Château Tour des Gendres wines. Known as the “Prince of Bergerac”, De Conti has gained a reputation as a leading French wine maker. Working with his brother Jean and his cousin Francis, they produce biodynamic wines that concentrate on fruit, balance, power and freshness.

The wines are an ideal fit with DiscoverVin’s wine portfolio. Our portfolio places emphasis on independent wine makers and grape growers that typically adhere to the practice of meticulous hand nurturing from vineyard to bottle.

Driven by passion as much as by perfectionism, de Conti has introduced organic and biodynamic farming practices to the family domain. He is pragmatic about working with the appellation’s historic grape varieties and doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice vines at the altar of ‘terroir’ and quality.

Certified fully organic in 2005, the estate’s approach was very much a family-orientated decision. Authenticity and excellence are the buzzwords that he lives by and produces in his wines.

And according to Jancis Robinson MW: “A handful of producers such a Luc de Conti at Château Tours des Gendres ...are now producing ambitious wines to rival some of Bordeaux’s smartest offerings.”

The white wine, Cuvée des Conti, Bergerac Blanc 2013, is a fresh Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc/Muscadelle blend made using biodynamic principles. It is an excellent expression of ripe Semillon that offers a superb aromatic complexity, combining roundness and vivacity in the mouth. 

And the red wine Tour des Gendres, Le Classique, Bergerac Rouge, 2012 is a velvety, approachable Merlot, ideal for drinking now.

Luc de Conti - Organic Wine Maker

Luc de Conti is deeply committed to organic and bio-dynamic methods. His wines are among the finest and most exciting wines of Southwest France. 

Chateau Tour des Gendres wines are produced on layers of calcareous soil south of the Dordogne river in the appellation of Bergerac.
 Built on a hilltop Gallo-Roman site, the property has been famous for its wines since the 12th century! 
Luc and Martine de Conti bought the property in 1981. The vineyard is fifty hectares in size and offers three very different “terroirs”: Les Gendres, Les Grand Cailloux and St. Julien d’Eymet. At Les Gendres the soil is very calcareous and gives colorful, full-bodied wines with round and ripe tannins; At Les Grand Cailloux the soil is clayey and calcareous and gives fruitier wines and at St. Julien d’Eymet, the sandy, clayey-calcareous mixture brings suppleness and fruit. 


Known since the 12th century as the winery of “Chateau de Bridoire”, Chateau “Tour des Gendres” (literally “Tower of the sons in law”) is located on the site of an old Gallo-Roman villa. Owned and run for the past 3 generations by the “De Conti” family, Chateau “Tour des Gendres” is the flagship of the Bergerac appellation.
 
The De Conti’s have 52 hectares, all in Bergerac, all organically farmed since 1994, AGROCERT certified since 2005. Yeilds are managed based on grape varieties, soil, vintages, the style and balance of the wines and their agricultural plots. average yield: 5-6 bunches per vine. Vinification techniques are customized to reflect the true vintage expression.

DiscoverVin is proud to offer both red and white  wines from Tour de Gendres.

Chateau Moulin des Dames Rouge is a  complex beautifully balanced and satisfying red wine.
Grapes: 60% Merlot, 40 % Cabernet Sauvignon
The wine is a deep red colour, with a very ripe, intense nose.
Aromas of liquorice, mint and blackberries mingle with discreet oaky notes.
The palate is supple, elegant with delicate tannins and perfectly balanced.
Wine Enthusiast, Roger Voss, Dec 2010: By softening the extract and reducing the use of wood, Luc de Conti has succeeded in making a smooth, elegant wine in a difficult year.  89/100

Bergerac: Le Tour, a time trial and a biodynamic red wine.

The Tour de France 2014 is coming to an end. Today, a time trial will likely decide the minor placings, but probably will have no bearing on riding down the runaway winner Vincenzo Nibali.

No problem, there is still the beautiful scenery to enjoy and the last wine of our Taste the Tour Pack. Tonight's Tour wine is classic of the Bergerac region from a famous biodynamic producer. 

And even though the tour is almost over for another year our Tour wines are still available to enjoy.  If you are looking for some value wines that introduce the wines of the south of France this pack is it! 

Here are the notes from our Taste The Tour pack....

Stage 20: Bergerac Saturday 26 July - Time Trial Bergerac : Périgueux 54km

What happens in the organisers' dreams? The final winner is decided in this 54 km time trial.  Bergerac, the second city of the Dordogne area has only been visited by the tour twice before but has a long history of wine making.

The Bergerac region is picturesque and historic with bastides (walled towns) medieval cities, chateaux, Romanesque churches and abbeys and gorgeous stone villages full of character and history and some exciting wines.

Wine 6 Moulin des Dames, Bergerac Rouge, 2007

A classy Merlot/Cabernet (60:40) blend from a sought after biodynamic producer.  This complex beautifully balanced and satisfying red wine is from one of Bergerac’s renowned producers, Luc De Conti. Layered fruit and lovely tannin structure to the wine. Very classy wine at this price.

Suggestion: This is a superb tasty wine that goes well with game, duck, stews and cheese. We will be cooking a porterhouse steak and topping it with some Café de Paris butter. Its one of our favourite recipes and so easy! We make a big batch of Café de Paris butter in summer when we have fresh herbs in the garden, and keep it in the freezer to use as required. We often use Myrtleford Butter Factory butter as the base.  Neil Perry's recipe is our favourite version. 

DiscoverVin Top 10 wines for 2012

We wish all our friends and followers a Happy New Year!

The team at DiscoverVin have had a busy and satisfying year and it has been our pleasure to look after you all.

Here is a look at our most popular wines of 2012, based on volume of sales. (Where we have clicked over to a new vintage during the year we have counted all the sales of that wine together, regardless of the vintage.)

The following makes some interesting reading, none the least for the prominence of rosé. Two rosé wines have made the top 10! Once considered sweet and uninteresting, dry rosé certainly appears to be making a resurgence in Australia as it is in Europe. In France in 2012 rosé sales have exceeded white wine sales. Similarly we appear to be in the middle of a rosé revolution !

Here are the first 5 of our top 10 wines for 2012. We will blog about wines 6-10 next week

1. Chateau La Rayre Bergerac Rose 2010 $17.99

Wow! A rose as our best seller for 2012.

This rosé seems to appeal to wine lovers who would not normally look at rosé. It is darker in colour and has more body than other styles of rosé (this is achieved by a pressing of the skins with the juice which otherwise would be clear).

Try some and you will see what all the hype about rosé (and in particular French rosé) is all about. 

This wine has been included in the Rosé Revolution promotion this summer. 

It was also selected by French wine critics and consumers in the Guide "Un vin presque parfait" (an almost perfect wine). A panel of critics and consumers selected 400 french wines from several thousand to be given this accolade.

From Sean Mitchell  Grape Observer ...regarding the 2009.."I enjoyed drinking this rosé from Bergerac situated to the east of Bordeaux, a blend of two thirds cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon and one third merlot.  A deeper hue of salmon pink in colour, the aroma is of crisp and crunchy peaches.  The palate reveals spices, nectar and a savoury balance.  Good drinking and well priced."

More details can be found here

2. Domaine de l'Ancienne Cure Bergerac Rouge 2008

A complex and elegant red wine. It is typical of the good value wines that DiscoverVin is bringing to wine lovers in Australia.

You won't find this on our website as we are currently sold out! But we have managed to secure a small parcel that is "on the water" at the time of writing- please call 0260206018 or email info@discovervin.com.au for details and to pre-order

Region: Bergerac

Grapes: Merlot 70%, Cabernet sauvignon 15%, Cabernet franc 15% 





Our tasting notes: A deep red and violet purple colour . The nose is lifted and complex that is a complex melange of fruit, subtle spices including green pepper, liquorice, prunes, black cherries and some toasty elements. The palate reflects the complexity of the nose with lovely ripe fruit and spice wrapped in fine tannins This wine has great structure balance and length.


A lovely complex red and great value at the price.

3. Domaine de la Croix Irresistible AOC Cotes de Provence 2010 $25

The name says it all.  Irresisitible!  An irresistible rosé from Provence, the home of rosé. What a great looking bottle and a great tasting wine!

Domaine de La Croix, created in 1882, is situated near the village of La Croix Valmer with an outlook to the beaches of St Tropez. It has the classification of cru classé.


Very few Provençal producers are given the cru classé classification, denoting an exceptional winery.







Reviewed by Max Crus, The Daily Examiner Saturday March 17 2012 “A friend once said that she didn’t like rose until she had had one in Provence. I now understand the fuss. The real de la McCoy 8.8/10”. Other reviews on this wine can be accessed on our media reviews page.

And a testomonial from a happy customer.."the domaine de la croix is the ‘winner’. Although we thought all three rose that we sampled were incredibly drinkable the domaine de la croix was even more so – truly delicious. " David Sydney 14/5/2012
Madison magazine says " if decadence is what you’re after, then you won’t be able to resist La Croix, Irrésistible Rosé 2010" 
This wine is being featured in this summer's Rose Revolution activities

For more technical details etc quick here

4. Chateau Jolys Jurançon sec 2010 $19.90

This Jurançon Sec represents great value for money. If you are looking for something other than chardonnay or sauvignon blanc this summer, but don’t want to pay a fortune, this is pretty hard to beat!


"What a gorgeous wine. Lovely balance between fruitiness and elegance. Its dry but fruity; something different & appealing for the summer months ahead" David Sutherland-Smith Border Mail October 14, 2011.









The current vintage-2010- has received a great review by Sean Mitchell of the Grape Observer. "This wine is a winner......The 2010 vintage of Chateau Joly's Jurançon Sec is a very attractive wine indeed ‐ almost like a better version of a sauvignon blanc. Bright and a pale intensity gold in colour, it opens to a pronounced intensity aroma of grass, gooseberries, lemons, jasmine, with just a slight touch of exotic paw paw fruit. The palate is held together well by its firm acidity, it is dry, with medium body, warming alcohol and pronounced intensity flavours that are similar to its aroma, though more firmly seasoned with spices. The length is between medium and long. At $18.99 a bottle for this good level of quality, this wine deserves to fly off the shelves. 89 points(very good)"

5. Chateau de La Bouyere Bordeaux Blanc 2010 $18.90

We are thrilled to see this lovely easy drinking white make the top 5. It was a big hit when served cold and crisp on a very hot week-end at the Paris to Provence Festival in Melbourne in November.

The Queyrans family has owned Chateau de la Bouyere for more than a century.  The vineyard is located at the top of Donzac, 45 km to the south of Bordeaux.  Grape production, wine making and ageing all take place on the family estate.  Vines have an average age of 30 years.

Region/Terroir:  AOC Bordeaux Blanc
Grapes:  Semillon (80%), Sauvignon Blanc (20%).
Ageing:  Drink now.  Serve at a cool temperature around 12°C.
Our Tasting notes:  Lovely pale golden colour with little hints of green. An expressive nose with fragrances of citrus fruits that evolve towards nuances of tropical fruits.  The mouth is harmonious and fruity with a great round, rich mouth feel due to the ageing on fine lees.  Delicate and balanced.  A lovely wine at this price.

A stylish wine.  Crisp and refreshing, perfect with salads.

So that's the first 5 of the top 10.

Wines 6-10 include 3 reds (Chateau Lagarde  from Saint Emilion, Chateau Haut-Belian from Bordeaux, Chateau de Saurs from Gaillac ) a great Graves white from a famous French wine and food family (Ch Haut Peyrous)  and our top selling dessert wine (Chateau Jolys Cuvée Jean). 

More on these next week.

Happy new year!