80% Harvest Lost, But She Soldiers On
When we caught up with Laureline Jacumin, of L'Or de Line, in January, we had to ask her about the 2024 vintage. It was a challenging one for a lot of regions in France, and her appellation of Châteauneuf-du-Pape was not spared.
“I lost 80% of my harvest,” she stated bluntly.
It's a stark reminder of how precarious winemaking can be - it is first and foremost farming, subject to peculiarities of each year’s conditions.
Already, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is rare and precious enough. An island of distinct vineyards, within a greater sea of vines that is the Rhône valley. Special enough that it became the first official appellation in France in 1936, and served as the prototype for the Appellation system.
Hearing about this devastating vintage and hardship is crushing, but Laureline is a resilient, energetic young winemaker who knows what she is up against and soldiers on every day.
“We won't have much 2024 for you, but 2023 is ready…”
...and with that, she poured me a taste of her golden 2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc.
Laureline works underneath the unassuming home of her grandfather, right along the busy Route de Sorgues, which amounts to a simple garage and cellar. There, she makes a range of wines from her family's vineyard sources of about 9 hectares. Most are old vines, often more than 75 years old, and about 1/4 are planted to white grapes.
After bouncing between stints in the hospitality business and accounting, Laureline eventually returned and approached her father, a winemaker himself, about creating a domaine, going fully organic, and making a range of wines with her own fingerprint. He obliged, and today she directs one of the finest small wineries in the southern Rhône— L’Or de Line
After a decade at the helm, she’s hit her stride and finds herself firmly embedded in the local winemaking community--driving her tractor around the area to manage their array of parcels, working with friends on a small project in other nearby appellations, and pouring her wines for a growing legion of fans at trade shows in like the one we attended in Montpellier.
After meeting with Laureline in January, she set aside some wine for us, though in total it amounts to just a few precious cases. We did manage to secure the impressive and exceedingly rare CDP Blanc, but we likely won't be seeing any more until the 2025 vintage is released. She makes only about 10,000 bottles in a good year, and with a wipeout in 2024, we recognized what a treasure we had on our hands. If you've already tried her wines yourself, you understand. And if you want to taste these wines to know why I'm ranting about them, here's your chance today.
L'OR DE LINE
CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 3-PACK
• Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2023 •
A true rarity in Châteauneuf for three reasons: First, only 7% of the appellation is in white grapes. Second, this one includes all five allowed grape varieties, including the very rare Picardon. And last, this is one of the finest Rhône whites on the whole dang planet in my mind--so aromatic, rich, and complex.
• Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2021 •
From a parcel just outside the winery door co-planted with Syrah and Mourvedre (to provide the color and fruit), and of course, Grenache (to give structure and body). This red is made mostly in tank, with just a short time spent in older barrels. Opaque, succulent, and rich, dark fruit like black plums and figs with a savory finish.
• Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Adoption 2020 •
This is Laureline's signature bottling, an homage to her mom and dad, having adopted her as a baby and provided her with a rich and stimulating life. Made from nearly pure Mourvedre and planted on a sandy site. Curiously, the blend is completed with 10% of the rare Clairette rose, a wildly perfumed and aromatic grape that lends a rose-scented hue to the wine, and levity on the palate. Dark, savoury and wild.
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Châteauneuf is known as the crown jewel of the southern Rhône. A reputation based on its powerful, spicy, structured, and cellar-worthy wines. Unfortunately, many end up sappy and heavy, often with high alcohol, resulting in something port-like and chocolatey. Not here. Laureline makes wines that are rich and structured, sure, but they have lift, and importantly, they are sunny and bright. A full dedication to organic viticulture (not easy in the southern Rhone) means her grapes are juicy and concentrated, and the resulting wines reflect her farming ethos.
It's just a few times a year that we come to you with something super premium. As importers, we stake our reputation on providing affordable luxuries that land somewhere south of $30/bottle. That means, when we pick something with a pricetag north of $50, we HAVE to be choosy and truly believe that the wines are worth it. So you may ask, do these wines live up to the hype? Simply put, YES--they truly are.