A Barrel of Wine? Why Not!
Over the years I've found it important to be transparent about how we do things around here. Today's missive hopefully provides one of those reminders.
From my first appetizer in the wine importing business, 33 years ago now, I had the good fortune of being able to do things differently than other wine importers. The premise was always: go out there, dig around, follow your curiosity, and see what you find. Kiss a few frogs. The worst case scenario is you have an adventure along the way — and the best case is you discover a prince — something beautiful that nobody else has.
You might be surprised to know how many wine importers work from a spreadsheet, an internet search, or just simply want to glom onto whatever is hot at the moment. Those people aren't market makers, they're commodity traders. And none of them have genuine relationships with the actual people that put their hands in the dirt, do midnight punchdowns, and work a 20-hour bottling line shift. I've always been of the mind, if you can't get to know the someone behind every bottle, you will surely find it harder to satisfy anyone.
For years that philosophy was baked into every decision I made, and when Sébastien came into the Cru orbit 5 years ago, there was no indoctrination required. He was already a disciple for this kind of yeoman's work. It's why we named our new travel venture Cur Non Travel — Latin for "why not." And it's the question we ask ourselves every time an opportunity presents itself.
Are you open to discovery?
Then answer, "why not?", and see where it takes you.
Many of you might not know about the genesis of Cur Non though.
It was during the pandemic that I decided to launch a small side project where I asked a half dozen winemakers to create a unique wine that was not something already part of their lineup. I looked at it like inviting a well-known chef to a pop-up where they could do anything they wanted, even if it was out of their regular lane. Something that didn’t exist otherwise.
It took a leap of faith for both them and us for two reasons: 1) Because part of the "deal" was to forward them each a sum of money for a "project" they needed funds for, and 2) because we then had to wait for the return — one barrel of exactly 288 bottles. In the end, it paid off with a collection of wines that speak to the diversity and excellence of each of the winemakers that I decided to work with.
Today, the project is complete, with 48 participants in the project now having received all the different wines that were produced. But a few months ago, something interesting happened. One of those guys came back and pitched something to US!
When I first approached Vincent Lagrave about Cur Non, way back in 2022, he immediately knew what he wanted to do. The funds we had forwarded to him helped complete the acquisition of a small parcel of Merlot vines, different from anything else he was farming, and he was sure it would make a great bottle of wine. (As a side note: Vincent was the one guy that had already known something about the writer Curnonsky, and from the get-go loved the project's homage to him.)
The results were remarkable, and the 48 people that received a case of his wine hopefully have enjoyed the fruits of Vincent's project. A recent "extra" bottle was enjoyed by me at home over spring's first barbecue a few months ago. It was smokin'! (ed note: eye roll)
Vincent found it remarkable too, and rather than create a new bottling under his own brand name, he reached back out to say he again had just one barrel from the same plot, and that the 2023 vintage was in his words, vraiment spectaculaire — trulyspectacular. And from there, we knew what the next question would be. Do you want to keep this thing going?
Yes. Yes we do....And Why not!?
Vincent Lagrave
Cuvée Cur Non Merlot 2023
100% Merlot from the parcel Vincent acquired in 2022, planted on deep clay soils. Aged 20 months in barrel, and arriving in our warehouse next month. Vincent's wines are a lot like him — sturdy and muscular, but also charming and quietly thoughtful. In the glass, an opaque deep purple, with a wonderful brambly berry aromatics, rich red fruit, and a long, complete finish. Structured and rich, but with surprisingly refined tannins even in its youth. A wine that will age gracefully for years, but rewards you right now too.
Vincent makes a mere 8000 bottles or so in total per year. That we've secured a full barrel of his production, for the second time, and all for you, is something we're quietly proud of. This is what working directly with small producers looks like: no catalog, no middlemen, no commodity trading. Just a winemaker we trust, a barrel we love, and a label that says exactly what we're about.