Livre Vins de Cassis

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Les douze domaines qui se partagent le vignoble ont chacun leur personnalité. Si leurs vigne- rons ne sont pas forcément d’accord sur tout, ils partagent le sens du bien commun, de la responsabi- lité qui leur incombe de transmettre le joyau légué par leurs prédécesseurs. Il s’agit donc pour eux de préserver et d’améliorer ce qui peut l’être, de s’adapter aux défis de leur temps, aussi : la concurrence, qui, à l’heure d’Internet, ne connaît plus ni frontières ni enclaves ; le réchauffement climatique, égale- ment, qui pose de sérieux problèmes de l’adéquation des cépages – la marsanne, en particulier, peut souffrir dans les années chaudes. Faut-il changer les règles ? Devra-t-on un jour recourir à l’irrigation? Autant de débats qui agitent Cassis comme bon nombre de vignobles méridionaux. Mais, à maintenant 80 ans bien sonnés, l’appellation est en grande forme, et gageons qu’elle saura, comme par le passé, surmonter les obsta- cles des temps à venir. La grande chance de l’appellation est d’attirer à elle une bonne partie de sa clientèle qui achète ou consomme les vins de Cassis sur place. Avec un million de bouteilles, il serait illusoire de vouloir abreuver toute la planète ; ces clients qui s’imprègnent de l’ambiance Cassis, de l’enclave Cassis, sont les meilleurs ambassadeurs de l’AOC.

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not a traditional practice in the region, where wines are more commonly bush-pruned, but it has proved its worth. Similarly, many growers use cover plantings, at least partially, during certain months of the year to retain as much moisture in the soil as possible. They also tend to maximise leaf surface to avoid the grapes being scorched by the sun. Each of the twelve estates that share the Cassis vineyard has its own distinct personality. Although not all wine-growers necessarily agree on everything, they share the sense of working for the common good, and the responsibility incumbent on them to pass on their precious inheritance bequeathed by their predecessors. For them, this involves protecting and improving what can be improved, and adapting to address the challenges of their own time: competition, which in the world of the Internet knows neither frontiers nor enclaves; and global

warming, which raises serious questions about the suitability of the varieties grown – especially Marsanne – which can suffer badly in hot years. So should the rules be changed? Will irrigation become necessary? Discussion around issues like these is now commonplace in Cassis, as in many southern European vineyards. But now at the age of 80, this appellation is in great shape, and we believe that it can overcome future obstacles with the same success as those of the past. The great good fortune of this appellation Cassis in the place where they originate. With production limited to around one million bottles, it would be illusory to suppose that they could sweep the world, and the fact is that those customers who love the atmosphere of Cassis and the enclave of Cassis are the very best ambassadors for its wines. is that it attracts a fair proportion of its customers to buy and enjoy the wines of

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