The Wines of Romain le Bars
Years ago, back in the late 2000's, wines from a relatively unknown estate, L'Anglore, began making the rounds in Paris, and by 2010, were imported into New York by our own David Lillie and friend Phillipe “Fifi” Essome. Made by a humble beekeeper and grape-grower named Eric Pfifferling, who had been selling to the local co-op in Tavel/Lirac area until 2002, these wines had a following of wine-nerds, musicians, Parisian hipsters, and the like. By no means widely known, the L'Anglore wines attained a type of cult status among a small circle of wine drinkers. Since beginning to make and independently bottle his own wines, Eric Pfifferling has worked with many up and coming young winemakers in the region, so by way of his collaborations with folks like Nicolas Reynaud, we've been able to enjoy a wider range of wines influenced by Pfifferling. Today, we are very happy to share a lineup from a young winemaker named Romain Le Bars, who worked alongside Eric at L'Anglore for 7 years before embarking on his own modest project.
Romain Le Bars started with a tiny surface of 1.5 hectares (around 4 acres) of vines in Tavel that he acquired in 2018, while still working with Pfifferling at L'Anglore. Since then, he has augmented his surface by renting parcels in the area, allowing him to produce a small range of wines, including several Tavel rosés, Lirac reds, and some Vin de France wines. Most of his winemaking utilizes partial carbonic maceration or direct press, with one wine - Nouveau Nez - the product of pure carbonic maceration. Style-wise the wines have rustic flavors, and characteristic spice and chalky, limestone notes, but due to his light-handed approach with winemaking, they all feel very elegant and lifted. Of the four wines we are offering today, three are under 13% (with the fourth - the 'Nuits de Java' coming in at 13.5)
I will admit, it is common to hear about a new winemaker through association with an established name. One can easily hear the phrase "she worked with so and so" or "he spent 2 years at Domaine something-or-other" as if that would unequivocally guarantee the wines are of the same quality level as the associated mentor or highly esteemed wine estate. Though his association with Eric Pfifferling and L'Anglore has heightened interest in his wines, Romain's skill and vision as a winemaker have been apparent from the beginning. The first time I tried his Grenache-based Tavel rosé, I was truly impressed, and of course had to separate my expectations and experience with L'Anglore to attempt to appreciate Romain's work on its own. Luckily it hasn't been so hard to do so. The wines are clearly influenced by Pfifferling, perhaps mostly in the use of direct-press and partial carbonic winemaking, which seek freshness over power in an area known for the latter. Other than that, the farming is by Romain's hand, and the cuvées are his 'inventions,' if you will. Surely an estate to keep on your radar, we happily present a small lineup today as an introduction.
Not present today are his Grenache-based Tavel rosé or red Lirac (stay tuned!), but the four bottlings offered here form a fantastic introduction to Romain Le Bar's wines.
-Eben Lillie
