The Wines of Jonathan Maltus
When Jonathan Maltus bought Château Teyssier in the early 1990s, he had big plans. Never mind that Château Teyssier was located in Vignonet, arguably the equivalent of the Outer Hebrides of St. Emilion, big plans could still come to fruition.
The original estate had seen better days, but with the arrival of Jonathan and Lyn Maltus in 1994, a complete modernization of the winery and cellar took place, and a second winery was even constructed. Maltus replaced the old concrete vats with stainless steel, bought all new cooperage, and added a state-of-the-art bottling line. New vineyards were also purchased, one literally a stone’s throw from Ausone, all of which to supply Maltus with plenty of pedigreed fruit for a few pet projects.
One of the first “garigistes” of Bordeaux (one who produces ‘vins de garage’ or garage-wine), Maltus has produced a string of bottlings, such as: Le Dôme, Château Laforge, and Le Carre, all of which were admittedly designed from the beginning to garner critical praise. Sharp, amiable, and bearing more than a passing resemblance to actor Robbie Coltrane, Jonathan Maltus would seem to be a force to be reckoned with in Bordeaux. Eschewing many old world traditions, he steers clear of convention, embraces things like reverse osmosis, and seemingly has no desire to “blend-in.”
Join us as we talk with the irrepressible Jonathan Maltus about his wines, his philosophy and his tilting at the windmills of Bordeaux.
Sponsor- The Office of Champagne USA: www.champagne.us
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(57:04 min 41MB)
I really liked this show. The owner/winemaker gave a very candid view of making wine that competes with the best in the world. Your questions on his techniques, methods of acquiring vineyards and use of new technology were of particular interest to me. Summary- An excellent interview.
Thanks, Ken, that’s really nice to hear. Obviously, we always try to get the best out of each of our interviewees. But it’s especially gratifying when someone is both accommodating and forthright, as was Mr. Maltus during our visit.
Eric
Great timing on this show. I just bought a case of the 2005 Chateau Teyssier St. Emilion and love it especially for the price!
Keep up the great work Grape Radio!
John Glas
John, post a tasting note if you pop one soon.
Jay
I Love! the wine of Chateau Teyssier…. it’s soo special, also as the “La Forge” wine of the Chateau… we are thinking to take an abo..
regards from the Alsace
Dorothe
P.S. Hope to visite the Chateau this year…
Great interview. The nonsense with courtiers parallels my experience exactly. Nobody wants to touch your wine when you start. Then once you go around them, they’re appalled that you work outside the system.
And I’ll second his sentiments about making good wine with a good philosophy and hard work in places outside the left bank!
Also, great comment about transparency and secrets, after talking about the reverse osmosis machines. And then he talked about garage music! I love it. Groovy. Sgt. Pepper period. I need to meet Maltus.
Ryan, yes it was all refreshingly candid. While walking along on our tour, we asked about a strange-looking device. “Oh, that’s a reverse osmosis machine.” I was a little stunned – as if I’d just walked into ‘Area 51′. I’d have thought it would have been tucked away behind a false wall; yet, here this was, right out in the open.
Eric