Just received an update from Philippe Gimel re his GFV ( a means of expanding his vineyard holding by subsription) in which we have become small investors…the land deal is done, the paperwork is in process ..and the vineyards are remarkably healthy ( as PG says vine just dont care about our human health problems!)
Dear friends,
Hope you’re doing well and this Covid situation has not impacted you too much.
Here, it was almost « business as usual », since yeast, vines and weeds don’t care about our health pro-blems. March to the end of July is always the busiest period with the harvest, so we haven’t stopped working for months.
We were not confined since our activity cannot stop but just had to fill up documents each time we were heading to the vineyard or were visiting clients, suppliers.
Three Spanish guys, who already worked during the last harvest were back in March and April to weed the vineyards. We have so many plants, trees, terraces, it’s so great for biodiversity but it is also so de-manding and hard work by hand to create enough space around vines to let them grow.
They did an amazing job and thanks to them and despite this Covid problem, the vineyard has maybe never been so well maintained.
They couldn’t work in Spain because of the situation so they were happy to stay here and work. They’ll be back for the harvest with a larger team, plus want to come back next year to weed once again, that’s very good for us!
In the winery, in addition to the daily work, we have been bottling Source 2018 and Syrah 2018, plus we have started working on the blend of the new Pierre Noire 2017.
Works of the new cellar and my flat have also improved a lot, we are almost done and it will be my great pleasure to show you this as soon as it will be possible.
I was renting those vines since 2013 so I had the priority but only if I was buying everything by myself. The possibility for our GFV Usclades-Gippières to buy was not sure at all.
But I’ve shown the administration that this vineyard was crucial for the existence of Saint Jean du Barroux, so they have accepted our file.
Then it has been a very long work for the lawyer to register all the inves-tors plus issuing all the needed documents. And finally, everything is fine.
I’m still waiting for official documents. After the signature, the administra-tion needs to register them. I’ll send you them when arrived, they will be the official proof that you are owners.
I want to thank you very sincerely.
Thanks to your investment, you have made that Saint Jean du Barroux’s story can keep going on, and is even stronger now.
It will be such a great pleasure to meet up and celebrate this all toge-ther as soon as it will become possible.
As you know the tradition with a GFV is to gather the investors once a year for the general assem-bly. It’s the occasion, for the accountant, to present the balance, to meet each other, to give your bottles, and of course, to share some good time with a tasting and a lunch.
Because of Covid, other domains which have a GFV have postponed or cancelled this meeting for 2020.
For us at Saint Jean du Barroux, the initial idea was to schedule this day on June 13th. But without knowing when the purchase will be signed, and whether or not, such a meeting would be al-lowed, I haven’t talked about it, it’s quite a big organisation.
We’ll talk about it once again depending on how the situation is evolving in France and across Europe.
But of course, you are very welcome visiting us if you pass by Provence. Your bottles for 2020 are already reserved and are waiting for you.
So let’s keep in touch, and for sure quite soon, when official documents will have come back from the administration.
Thanks again and welcome in the little world of Saint Jean du Barroux.
And last but not least, with the end of the lock-down in France, we have received the greatest news we were waiting for months: it’s done, the purchase of the vineyard is finally achieved!
Lawyer’s offices were closed during the confine-ment, we should have signed on mid-March, so, unfortunately, the signature was postponed.
I’m sorry for not having updated you more often but I didn’t have much more news during the process since last November.
We have an administration in France, called Sa-fer, in charge of controlling the French soil. A la-wyer cannot sell without its agreement because Safer has the power to buy.
They have been very slow to answer plus they have to ask the city hall of Le Barroux and neigh-bours whether or not some of them were inte-rested in buying, this is the legal procedure. Then they study the different demands and tell who will buy. They also have the power to split a vi-neyard in case several farmers are interested.
