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MARCILLAC & AVEYRONContinued…PATRICK ROLS, Vin de Pays de l’Aveyron – BiodynamicAt Clairvaux d’AveyronHamlets in biscuit stone crown bluffs:white knights guarding red queen.Sun grinds sandstone walls below;pet their crust, blushed as its wine.Centuries creep through and hidein alleyways that mid day heat forgets.Gate-house tower browbeats carp-scaled roofs,bleached oak doors and rusted hasps obey.Walnut, vine and chestnut forests watchwhere mantis pray and buzzards levitate.Roger DarbyPatrick Rols recently appeared at the natural wine festival in Deauville. We are not sure that he was supposed to feature buthis neighbour-in-Aveyron-wine, Nicolas Carmarans, who was scheduled to display his wares, was forced to pull out, andPatrick, supposedly, stepped in as a late substitute. Eric tasted and liked the wine, and asked him what he was doing with it.Monsieur Rols shrugged. It was in a barrel. Would you bottle it for us? Another shrug – why not. Without sulphur? Mostcertainly.Unlike the force of marketing nature that characterises so many commercial estates we can appreciate a piece of Gallicinsouciance. The maybes hang in the air like seagulls on thermal breezes: maybe if I feel like it, maybe if I like you, maybe ifthe north wind is blowing...Obscurity is the realm of error said the Marquis de Vauvernage in one of his many moral apercus. Or, more simply, in thewords of Manuel: “I know... nothing”. We can’t guess the intention of a grower who surrenders so little information and wehave little idea how the wine is supposed to taste and how it might develop. Whence did it come, whither is it going? Well, thewine in question is most assuredly a Chenin and comes from the old province of Rouergue, now the department of Aveyron,not far from Marcillac. It is called Le P’tit Curieux, the curious little boy, although whether it relates to Georges, the cheekymonkey is not known.Perish the thought that the same wine would be made again or in two successive vintages. The following year the Chenineloped with some Chardonnay and the wine had a rich, oxidative personality. In 2010, the cuvées multiplied and our favouriteis a pure Chenin called La Coccinelle. This refers to the ladybird population in Patrick’s immensely attractive vineyards(organically farmed with some biodynamic treatments) and is also a play on words – beetle, rolls, rols – geddit?The wine resists easy categorisation. Light gold it conveys a touch of funny honey on the nose giving way on the palateto ripe, almost tropical fruit like pineapple chunks in syrup followed by full throttle tartness. I expected it to be bone dry,as dry as the winter winds that sweep through the Aveyron. I prefer to suffer for my Chenin, to taste quince shaved offthe stone and to suck on the memories of bleached almond. The great Loire Chenins are like tiny super-crunchy applesor pears and often possess the sort of minerality as if they had been filtered through the rocks themselves. Here theinitial sweetness was disconcerting; then jolting, scathing acidity introduces an opposing sensation, a differentdimension. The two tone element is difficult to reconcile and makes the wine hard to appreciate, but, with the twocheeses that we were nibbling – Harborne Blue and Wigmore – the flavours were suddenly realigned and harmony wasachieved.This young vines Chenin has renewed zip, verve and offensive quantities of fun. Orthodox wine lovers would roll their eyes(and I once saw a sommelier squirming in his straitjacket after trying this), but I love a wine that tickles my ribs whilst stayingseveral steps ahead of my palate. Unsheathing sharp darts of spiky lemon, grapefruit and white peach this sizzling whiteblossoms in the mouth, unveiling layers of apple, quince and ripe greengage, brine and chalk minerality, finishing persistentlywith musky florality, anise, angelica, and subtle bitterness of herbs, alkaline minerality, and fruit skin. Yum.Not for beginners though.2010 LA COCCINELLE W- 32 -