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Guide
to the Loire regions
Quincy
Grower
Profiles
Domaine
Trotereau
Pierre Ragon
works out of a ramshackle collection of cellars and outbuildings; a
combination of the ancient (a small, vaulted cellar dates back to 1830 and
serves as storage for bottles and an impromptu tasting room) and the
improvised, notably a converted 12 metre ‘reefer’ container adapted as
a holding cellar for wines being prepared for bottling. The courtyard and
warren of cellars are a mess, with abandoned remnants of old cars and farm
machinery. To the first time visitor, it’s beyond comprehension that
this cellar is producing perhaps the most interesting wines in the
appellation. For anyone who knows of the Cotats in Chavignol, there are
some direct comparisons to be drawn. Ragon is both quietly spoken and
painfully shy, spending most of his time gazing at his feet whilst
conversing, mostly in grunts and mono-syllables. His humble demeanor could
be interpreted as that of a simpleton, but underneath all this
self-deprecation is a very capable vigneron
who is now in the twilight of his career.
Ragon’s ancestors have been established in the Berry since at least
1700, with Pierre the fifth generation to work in this particular cave. The domaine was established at the end of the 19th
Century by Albert Trotereau, who touted his wines to the military
establishments and back street bars in nearby Bourges. He was succeeded by
his son, Marcel, who joined Albert in 1940, inheriting five hectares of
vines. It was growers like Marcel who introduced Quincy to a wider
audience, selling his wines to the likes of Le Taillevent, a Paris
institution. The domaine passed to Pierre, via the maternal line, in 1973
and he has been installed here ever since.
There are now a total of 13 hectares, the oldest of which is a 3ha parcel
of vines planted by Albert in 1905. This is hand harvested and bottled as Vieilles
Vignes although it is not necessarily produced every vintage (there
was no 2002, for example). The mainstay of the domaine is ten hectares of
vines, planted between 1985 and the present, that form the basis of the
cuvée Tradition, made from a
combination of both indigenous and cultured yeasts.
The parallels with Cotat extend beyond the character of the man himself.
Ragon picks late; he starts only when most other vignerons
are finishing. This leads to wines that would be considered atypical by
many Quincy drinkers - ripe and often supported by some residual sugar -
they are certainly more at home in the context of food and deserve to see
some age in bottle (although Ragon traditionally releases his wines later
than his peers anyway). My visit to Domaine Trotereau (in June 2010) saw
Pierre generously opening examples back to the 2000 vintage to demonstrate
the durability of his wines. These are not facile wines for the instant
gratification of the Sauvignon-fad drinker. These are serious and deserve
to be sought out.
Domaine
Trotereau
Pierre Ragon
Route de Lury
Quincy
T/F: + 33 2 48 51 32 23
p-ragon@hotmail.fr
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