Still growing strong

Still growing strong “I need to calm down,” says Louis Cheze softly. Don’t imagine for a moment that he has a rotten temper. No, what he means is that he really should stop planting vines. But he cannot help himself, he loves it.When he began in 1978 with practically nothing, he set himself a limit of 10 hectares. He now has nearly 30. Walk with him round his parcels and you will discover the colossal work he has done. Nearly all of them are on a plateau round his cellar. A plateau he knew when it lay fallow, and which his labours over nearly 30 years have turned into one of the most beautiful estates in the northern Rhône Valley. Some feat for a man almost totally self-taught, who received little encouragement from his father, was viewed as a maverick by the local cooperative, and “made wine by following my nose” because, at the time, there were no consultants or analytical labs. Fortunately Georges Vernay, the “pope” of Condrieu, immediately believed in him and helped him greatly. Later, in 1983, he met Jean-Luc Colombo: a watershed moment. Louis went with him to Bordeaux, where the wine revolution was already under way. In awe, Louis pondered: “Should I keep going or give up?” What do you think? Louis shifted up a gear, grasped the huge potential of his hillside vines, gave them haute-couture attention, reworked his cellar and vinification methods, invested in barrels. Louis relates this tremendous grower’s journey, very bumpy at times, with uncomplacent sobriety. Louis is low-key, not seeking to please. But if a young vigneron needs nurturing, he’ll be there. To lend a hand, now it’s his turn.