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Philippe
Bieler of Château Routas has done much to put the Coteaux Varois on
the international wine map in the last few years. He is the son of German-Swiss
parents and was educated in Geneva, but his father went to Canada, so
Bieler also holds a Canadian passport, speaks English with a North American
accent and divides his time between the two sides of the Atlantic. He
is a welcoming extrovert with an infectious enthusiasm. Various cousins
had inherited vineyards, such as Château Ripaille in Savoy, and he had
always said to himself “One of these days…’ Meanwhile
he took up a career in investment banking, pursued his enthusiasm for
cooking and, after meeting various of the so-called Rhone Rangers, who
introduced the grape varieties of the Rhone valley to California, began
looking for a vineyard in the south of France, with the help of Luc
Sorin, who had sold a family property in St. Bris-le-Vineux in the Yonne
and moved south to Provence.
Looking for good plots of old vines, Grenache Noir, Syrah and Cabernet
Sauvignon, Bieler finally bought five small adjoining estates that have
been amalgamated into Château Routas. We went for a bumpy but scenic
drive through the vineyards. The soil is dry and so stony that sometimes,
when vines were replaced, it was necessary to use a crowbar. One area
called Le Trou de L’Infernet has an enormous cavern that may have
been inhabited in prehistoric times, while local legend has it, for
the benefit of naughty children, that Satan resides at the bottom of
it. Another vineyard plot is called Le Théâtre, for it
forms a small natural amphitheatre where plays are performed on summer
evenings. The area is cooler than the northern Rhone valley, for it
benefits from the cooling effect of the Alps, and this makes it very
different from the southern part of the Coteaux Varois.
Luc Sorin helped Bieler to build a cellar, or as he put it, ‘helped
him to spend a lot of money’, and made the first vintages. However,
Sorin’s style was very much classic French, producing wines that
demanded to be aged, but for Bieler you cannot sell a Coteaux Varois
that needs time. It must have an immediate drinkability, even if it
will also benefit from further ageing in bottle. Consequently in 1996
he enlisted the help of Bob Lindquist from Qupé in Santa Barbara,
and as a result his wines have become much more accessible and consumer-friendly.
A basic difference is that Lindquist prefers open-top metal tanks to
closed stainless steel. He also favours less extracted wines and wants
them to undergo some oxygenation, so most of the wines are given some
élevage in barrel.
We sat in the dining room and tasted with a forest of glasses in front
of us, while Bieler poured an eclectic range of wines, interspersed
with serious comments and humorous observations. Not all his wines conform
to the appellation as, with Lindquist’s encouragement, he has extended
his range to include some varietal wines. The 1996 Pyramus is a fragrant
white from Rolle, Ugni Blanc and Clairette. Coquelicot, a blend of Viognier
and Chardonnay, is a Vin de Pays du Var, for neither grape variety features
in the appellation. Amusingly, Qupé means poppy in North American
Indian, as does coquelicot in French. Cuttings of Viognier from
Condrieu were grafted on to thirty-five-year-old vines and both varieties
are fermented in wood, so that the flavour has a toasted oakiness and
an underlying streak of Viognier oiliness. A 1995 Ugni Blanc, Théâtre,
is fermented in new wood, giving a firm oaky character, balanced with
acidity, and providing an unusual dimension to an often unexciting grape
variety. The 1996 Rouvière a pink wine that was partly fermented
in old wood, with a partial malolactic fermentation, was rounded and
mouth filling.
The range of reds is even more varied. The 1992 Traditional from Cabernet
Sauvignon, Cinsaut and Carignan was unoaked, rounded berry fruit and
some spice, whereas later vintages are now put in foudres for a few
months. This was Bieler’s first vintage, made by Luc Sorin, and
the 1992 Infernet, from fifty percent Grenache Noir with some Syrah,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Cinsaut, was peppery, with hints of
cedarwood and the scents of the garrigue. In contrast, the 1996 was
much more accessible, with peppery fruit and more immediate appeal,
demonstrating the contrast between the French and the Californian wine
making approaches. The 1992 Agrippa, from equal parts of Cabernet Sauvignon
and Syrah, spent about ten months in oak, including a small amount of
new wood , and was chunky and intense with firm meaty, cassis flavours.
This blend is now called Mistral after the wind. Cyrano is a pure Syrah
given eighteen months in barrel, and the 1994 was closed and peppery
with structure and elegance. A pure Carignan is made from some forty-five-year-old
vines that ripen late with a small yield. Part of the wine spends six
months in small oak, resulting in some peppery flavours and cherry-fruit
, as well as more elegance than is usually associated with this often
decried grape variety.
This is an estate where nothing is taken for granted. Bieler has a forceful
personality and a strong sense of purpose; he is intent on obtaining
the best from his grapes, caring little for appellation regulations
and questioning everything. His enthusiasm carries him along on a tidal
wave.
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