One of the most fascinating parts of learning about wine is meeting those who are responsible for what’s in the glass. Just recently, that person was Anne Arbeau, who, along with her brother Géraud, are fourth generation members of family owned Vignobles Arbeau and Château Coutinel, in Fronton. Anne was a part of a recent morning chat about the wines of Southwest France with Brand Ambassador Andre Compeyre prior to an industry tasting at City Winery. (Click here for my article.) I was impressed with Anne and the wine that she shared, a delicious Négrette from Château Coutinel, and was compelled to ask her a few more questions.
Anne Arbeau
The family, on Anne’s father’s side, has lived in Fronton, located in Southwest France, since the 16th century when they settled in the village of Labastide Saint Pierre, 42km north of Toulouse. Since 1878, the family has been in the agriculture and distillery business when “Arbeau Pére et Fils” was founded by Prosper Arbeau and his son, Jean, to market produce grown in the region.
As children, Anne and Géraud learned about wines. “We used to drink wines when we were young by tasting and identifying different aromas. We also helped the family by working in the vineyard and in the company during our summer holiday” stated Anne. Géraud “knew from the beginning” that he wanted to be included in the family business. To that end, he studied Chemistry and Oenology and in 1998 started Vignobles Arbeau (“Arbeau’s Vineyards”), a company he continues to manage. Anne has a PhD in Fluid Mechanics and intended to work for Renault in Paris, although her plans changed in 2004 when her father passed away. She joined her brother at Vignobles Arbeau in 2005 and successfully juggles her position at the company with motherhood. Anne explained that she and her brother are “very united” in their work at Vignobles Arbeau and “always confer with their mother and grandmother on her father’s side before important decisions are made and implemented”.
Vignobles Arbeau and Château Coutinel
Vignobles Arbeau not only markets a variety of red, white, and rose wines from the region, but also owns a winery, located in Labastide-Saint Pierre, to “vinify Southwestern grapes into red, rose and white wines from local producers who have been regular partners for years”; wines in bottles, bag-in-box, and bulk wines are produced.
The “jewel of the family property” is Château Coutinel, located in the AOP Fronton production zone and one of the oldest family wineries in Fronton, having belonged to the Arbeau family since 1920. (Now, only half of the wineries in the AOP are family owned.) The winery itself was built in the center of the estate in 1980 and an investment in a filtration plant to protect the environment was made in 2000.
Photo Credit: www.arbeau.com
The vineyard is located on a slight slope where the soil is mostly boulbène, a type of acidic siliceous and sand-clay soil found throughout the area. 50% of the vineyards are planted with Négrette, a variety that, as decreed by the AOP Fronton, must comprise 50-70% of a grower’s vineyard. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Gamay, Syrah, Fer Servadou, Côt, Merille, and Merlot are also cultivated on vines averaging 25 years.
I asked Anne about the company’s efforts towards sustainability. She was quick to add that new techniques include “tangential filter and automatic bottling”. “Organic conversion in our own vineyard” is being implemented, as well. Currently, grass cover is pervasive in the vineyards and the use of chemical weed killers has been restricted. When considering how to address the variety of vineyard diseases, “treatments are carefully considered. When applied, environmentally correct standards are followed”.
The wines of Château Coutinel consist of eight different reds, rosés, and whites. Anne shared that one goal is to focus on traditional varieties and another is “to increase their own production”. Since 2000, “a special selection of old vines has been grown, harvested, and vinified separately to make a limited production AOP Fronton named ElixiR”. In 2009, Géraud Arbeau produced Quintessence, a small batch of semi-dry white wine from Merlot and in 2010 both rosé and red wines were produced using 100% Negrette.
Négrette
At the private tasting of wines from Southwest France, Anne poured a taste of Négrette from Château Coutinel. The variety, traditionally from the Toulouse area, buds late and is prone to early or mid-ripening. It thrives in Fronton thanks to the boulbène soil, but grows well in vineyards with gravel or sandy soil, as well. Typical characteristics of this dark-skinned grape include pervasive aromatics, medium acidity, and fruit-forward notes on the palate.
The idea of this wine is to get back to the variety’s roots, without oak or filtering, and search for its identity, terroir, and fruit. This is a wine that’s not ashamed of its rural Occitan roots. Château Coutinel
After our chat, I had the chance to sip the Château Coutinel 2016 Red, a blend of 70% Negrette, 15% Gamay, and 15% Syrah at the walk-around tasting. Vibrant aromas of red and black fruit and spice led to flavors of the same with subtle notes of violets threaded with a foundation of smooth tannins and food friendly acidity. The Château Coutinel Rosé 2017, of the same blend as the Red, was a lovely, refreshing wine that evoked the pleasure of summer sipping enjoyed with a spicy barbeque sandwich or a textured, flavorful salad.
Anne feels that Vignobles Arbeau and Château Coutinel are unique thanks to their “family sensibility” and “experience of four generations”. Clearly, the challenge is to produce outstanding wines that offer “good value for the money” so that they can be competitive in the world market.
Nevertheless, Anne Arbeau is adamant that the spirit of her family is aligned with that of the region of Southwest France: to maintain tradition and sense of family while producing exceptional wines of quality that everyone can afford. Thank you, Anne. Well done.
Cheers! ~ Cindy
