Spring settles on the vine and gradually transforms his face, writing the story of a new vintage. We are already active in the ranks because the beauty of the wine is shaped well before its birth: it is necessary to prepare for it the nourishing earth, the plants which will carry and fortify the grapes. This is perhaps the most hidden step, arriving just after the effervescence of the Primeurs. But it is also the essential step, which directs the whole story to come.
At the same time and in the silence of the barrels, the vintage 2015 is expanding, embellished. The futures have just ended, leaving on the castle Ripeau the sweet smell of a promise already at work. Because from their first harvest on their new estate, and while The mutation of Ripeau is yet to come, the Brothers Gregory have registered their footprint. Their wine surprises, delighted.
In the silence of the barrels, imperturbable to the outside world, a symphony is built, patiently. Beauty is hidden from the passer-by, seeing only a few rimmed boards.
To this passerby, to make him aware, he must draw around the barrels an enchanting frame. It will be a completely redone castle, soon, in 2019.
For now, it is a decorum, discreet charm, which seems to already gnaw some notes of the future symphony Ripeau.
Photos: © Lionel Lizet
