#WinegrowerPortraits: Winemakers of Puisseguin Lussac Saint-Emilion
What is the Winemakers of Puisseguin Lussac Saint-Emilion’s cooperative cellar ?
We are passionate winegrowers, some from father to son, from mother to son, from father to daughter, from mother to daughter…. We do all the work in the vineyard (planting, soil maintenance, pruning…) and then we bring our harvest to the cooperative cellar, which vinifies our production. However, our role is not limited to that. We are involved in the life of our cooperative cellar, where we regularly taste the wines, participate in promotional events and enjoy exchanging and sharing our experience with consumers.
We are about 150 winemakers of Puisseguin Lussac Saint-Emilion. The youngest is 24 years old and the oldest is 85 years old. This gives us the opportunity to exchange, to learn from the experience and know-how of the older ones but also to constantly adapt to new trends (in viticulture as in marketing or others) by relying on the younger ones.
Can you tell us about your cellar ?
Since its creation in 1938, our cooperative cellar is located in Puisseguin. We work on about 900 hectares of vineyards located around our cellar. We produce wines of different AOC (“Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée” = controlled designation of origin) including Lussac Saint-Emilion and Puisseguin Saint-Emilion.
A fun fact you can share with us ?
We produce a vintage named 1938 in AOC Puisseguin Saint-Emilion. It is a tribute to the creation of our cooperative cellar. The visual of the label takes a photo of the cellar at its creation. This vintage is the equivalent of our vintage Altéa (Lussac Saint-Emilion), in AOC Puisseguin Saint-Emilion.
YOU ARE ONE OF THE 24 "COUPS DE CŒUR 2023" OF THE SAINT-EMILION WINES. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?
"We are of course proud to see our Altéa cuvée elected "Coup de Cœur" at the last Coupe des Crus. It is the symbol of our know-how.
We are also delighted that it can make a small tour of France this year by being present in Montmartre or in Marseille and Aix-en-Provence as part of the promotional events organized by the Saint-Emilion Wine Council."
Can you tell us about the awarded vintage?
In 1938, for the first time, the winegrowers of Lussac selected their best parcels to produce a wine of very high quality. To immortalize this first time, they decided to call it Altéa. Since then, with each new vintage, Altéa perpetuates the tradition by remaining the symbol of our know-how and our passion. Altéa will perfectly accompany your moments of sharing with its intense garnet color, its fruity and woody aromas so that everyone will remember these magical moments.
Can you suggest a food and wine pairing with this vintage?
Nearly veal in morel sauce with boiled potatoes or simply a good rib of beef.
The final word
It is enough to uncork a bottle of Altéa 2019 in good company to witness a magical moment. The tasting is all the more beautiful when it is shared. Enjoy your tasting!