Andrew Guard

Tavel


Eric Pfifferling created the Domaine de l’Anglore in 1988, his ancient vines are located near the village of Tavel. Eric farms his 7 hectares of gallet-strewn organic vineyards, hand-harvests his own grapes and avoids all shortcuts such as artificial yeasts, enzymes and adding sulphur in the winery after the harvest. His strict sanitation and attention to detail in the vineyard and winery enables him to craft stunning, fragrant reds and whites. His work is a testament to his abilities and intuition and offer an exacting demonstration of how organic farming methods and natural winemaking are revolutionizing winemaking in the southern Rhône valley. An impassioned crusader against the ‘industrialization’ of wine, Eric creates a variety of wines year in and out that are full of freshness and charm; he has a serious following. 

The quality of Eric’s wines once tasted is quite apparent. You need only put your nose in your glass to be taken into his world, heightened by his wines incredible aromas and textures - swallow the first mouthful and your senses will yearn for the next. 

An impassioned and well travelled man, Eric loves to talk about all things besides wine but when the subject is inevitably raised, he becomes very animated and when he opens up, it is with his delight to have discovered the organic, natural principles and methods that he shares with his many colleagues throughout France who are equally as passionate; you sense a certain freedom and energy in what he says—and a lot of good sense.  

Another important observation is his intense preoccupation with each minute detail of his wines: they are ornate with detail. Intuitively, he tastes and re-tastes them to continually improve on them, thus each harvest he brings new insight, knowledge and thoughts. Eric is anything but formulaic, a virtue that can cost his wines the appellation on occasion; when this occurs he bottles under vin de France.

Above all, he listens more than he speaks. Old vignerons and vine growers are those that he most admires; each meeting nourishes him and pushes him towards new adventures. Lucky for us....

All these wonderful wines display the silkiness of Cru Beaujolais, the refinement of quality Burgundy and the directness and immediate charm of the Rhône Valley - they are some of my favourite wines.

It is no surprise that Eric Pfifferling is considered by his peers as a genius. These are very special wines that are really all about pleasure, and drinking them will make you smile.


 

Written by Andrew Guard — June 16, 2012