On 07/27/2011 08:07 AM, AyTee wrote:
> On Jul 26, 10:22 am, Emery Davis > wrote:
>
>>
>> Another dreamer we met briefly was Elodie Aubert, the young owner of
>> Clos des Cimes in Merindol les Oliviers. Her wines are made with no
>> sulfites added at all (to reds)... and although she has no certification
>> (doesn't believe in labels, etc) this is as close to fully organic wine
>> as you can get. The flagship spends 37 months in open topped barrels,
>> fully exposed....
>
> That is remarkable. Forgive my skepticism, but did you actually see
> wine aging in open barrels? The danger is not mere oxidation, but, I
> believe, certain development of volatile acidity -- ethyl acetate,
> which gives the wine an unpleasant chemical solvent odor, and acetic
> acid, (vinegar).
>

She had a photo album and there was a picture of her with a colleague.
I can't remember whether they actually had their hands in the barrel or
not, but there were several barrels stood on end, open.

The wine was certainly clean.

Her response to my "Wow, I never heard of that" was "I'm not surprised."
Her oenology degree is from Switzerland, I wonder if this is a
traditional Swiss technique or something.

Bizarre to me, too.

-E