The Winemaker, the gardener, the father, the husband
Christophe is the kind of man that is more likely to have a piece of string and a knife in his pocket then a cell phone, he grows his own vegetables, fixes things instead of replacing them and has an aversion to ironed clothes. He has a total disregard for town (or for that matter any) gossip but is quietly aware of which direction the wind is coming from or the stage of the moons waning or waxing. He readily admits his lack of patience but can easily enjoy an hour watching the dance of a honeybee and an entire season the ripening of a fruit. His deep understanding of our place in the natural world is an important foundation of our wines.
Christophe has traveled since a young adult, the kind of travel where his pack is light but the experiences are heavy, weighed down by truly exploring other cultures and ideas. As much as these adventures nourish him he is always, usually in the spring, called back to his home and to the busy business of growing things.
He dreams with his feet firmly rooted to the ground. It is that rich blend of living life mindfully, his awe and respect for nature and his clear vision that makes him such an interesting and successful wine maker.
“…making natural wine is actually letting the wine go its own way, to find its own balance, to let it be the best it can be. I just help it a little, I don’t play around with my wines, I support them, make sure they are in the best situation to develop them selves, I am very careful not to harm the wine, that is all” –christophe jammes
Christophe’s acute awareness of the vines and ripened fruit balanced with his steely confidence, insatiable search for knowledge and unwavering respect for the grapes, vines and wine has enabled him to push boundaries in his winemaking and produce exceptional Natural wines.
The Boys
While visiting one of our vineyards, Renaud was barely three years old and he pronounced, while sweeping his hand in front of him "one day, ALL of this will be mine". Watching the boys grow up on the land we work has been a joy and yet another reason to raise the vines with out chemical sprays or poisons. The boys have been raised on the pleasure of hide and seek in a late summer vineyard, digging wild spring leeks, and gorging themselves on the ripe autumn berries at harvest time. These days the boys are preoccupied with growing up, dreaming bigger dreams of their very own adventures and far off lands but Renaud's words stay stuck in our minds, like a sticky truth. We are only renters of these vines, this land, this world and one day it will be up to the next generations to take care of. We are deciding what sort of gifts we will leave for them in the way we live our every day and that reality is an incredible influence on our domain and wine business.
