Ep. 545 Pierre Jean Monnoyer | Monty Waldin

Italian wine podcast. Chinchin with Italian wine people. Hello. This is the Italian wine podcast of me Monte Walden. My guest today is Pierre Jeanoyais. Of the Casa Raya winery in Montalcino. Welcome. Hello. How are you doing? Good. Good. You're in Montalcino at the moment? Yeah. Okay. So tell us a little bit about Casa Raya. Just tell us a little bit about how you became involved with, Canada. But we we create the winery in, two thousand and six. We had one actor of Boonello, in, in the family of my wife. And then, Brandon Moore Vineard, And then in two thousand, ten, we start to get more vignard in, castiglione Doctor. So we start to make a very low Tuscano. And, oh, we have around the nearly four hectare, and I gonna plant another Zorectar this year if if COVID permits. And your wife, what's her name? Karina, Temerta. And, she's a Tolo Canadian. Correct? Yeah. Yeah. That is from Milan. And the mom was, a Ukrainian immigrates to Canada during the war as a multi multicultural family. And so and you're from, you have a you have corsican blood, and your father was Yeah. And my yeah. Moser's side is the corsican, and the fasal is from, borgonia. And you were born in Kan? Yeah. On the kudazu. Okay. So just how did you two meet? Well, we met in, in China in two thousand and two, and I had a bar of a restaurant in, little village color, daddy. With a nice place, in the mountain. And after we met, after a few months, but we stayed together. And then I came back with her, in Europe, and I and we came here, in, in Tuscany. And we did a bit of our best of, Grape and the olive. And then we want to leave a three four year in France before coming back in Italy because in two thousand and six, the farmer who was renting the Bonneto Vigna who was finishing his contract. So we we we took back the land and we start to do all online. So the land is belong to Kalynia's mother who bought the estate. Yeah. Yeah. She she was coming, since the seventy, eighteen Motalchino because she had, like, it's a long story, but, like, like, she had a connection with Motalchino from, her ex husband who had who had a girlfriend in Montalcino in the in the sixties. So it's a long way. It's not funny. It will it will take the full podcast to to tell this one. So We don't we don't mind. This is great. No. It's a long story, but to make it short, like, in two thousand six, we we took back the the vineyard. And then, two thousand nine, we managed to build a wine cellar, and and we are able to do online. So for the first four year, I did my wine with do the winery in Montecino. We're, like, trying to work to do organic, natural wine. And it was, for the ranza first. Then, and the piano. So, yeah, both of those states are either organic or biodynamic, and you are also of that persuasion. You like working in a natural way. Yeah? Yeah. Yeah, ma'am. But when I came into wine, I thought, like, all all the wine was made just with grape, but then I discovered it was like two hundred chemical. You you can add to the mix. So we try to do one with grape, which is, I mean, a bit challenging with a climatic change, but, yeah, in Motagino, it's pretty easy to do organic. I mean, everybody could could do it. It's not a not a challenge. Okay. So is it true that the estate used to belong to the Beyond DeSanti family? Yeah. Most of this side of Montalchino was owned by Beyond DeSanti and slowly in a six tea to the nineties. It's all pieces. And this one, my mother-in-law got it in ninety seven. And, and it was, I think it's some German people who got it first from Unisonte, and they've just put a caravan and they were coming on the I know the days I have. And after eighty four, there was this big, frost. And then most of the old load history died, so that we have, like, the spare rate and they they sold the land. Oh, we we are probably, like, two hundred huge olive tree were, like, two hundred two hundred years old. So it was totally another landscape. Like, when they died, like, new one grew, but, like, for them, it was the sellers to what they what they loved. Mean, what's it like? The the situation that you're in geographically, you're right sort of underneath the town. Yeah. We have some Swiss. So so we we have a very good win, like, the the vineyard are pretty well, aerated. So we don't get much more, the more milieu, like every rail now. Do you I mean, when you look out of the window or you're in the vineyard working, and you're looking, I guess it would be east or north. What can you see? Are you looking at, like, canalicchio? Miami, I see Siena, in the back in the back Siena. And then, the Montez only heel, and then on the right, we have Motachino with, like, the Madona and the and the Fortette sound on the right. And then on the other side, you can see, the hill of, of, Corte Babone. From wine, do you do, like, agri tourism? Because, obviously, it's a beautiful place. Community of a natural park who who is, like, I see eighty kilometer, like, the, like, it's just our post pretty easy. We've got three kids now. Wow. Oh, no. No. No. No. We don't have enough space. Like, we're with three kids. One one for us so far. So mean, over the years that you've been there, you know, if you detected any, any beneficial changes that have happened in Montage, you know, do you think it's a better place now than it was then in terms of environmental ability maybe? Slowly, slowly. I mean, Like, I've, everything is is is very slow in Motach, you know, because, like, most of these people who live in Motach, you know, of, I have not so many. Like, it's not a it's not a huge community. Totally, seems evolving and, and also with, recent social media. Because before Motachino was was really isolated, like he was not on, I mean, on the map. No. No. Everybody did know Matachino. Before everybody said Matachino was multiple channels. So now, you know, people start to understand what else you know is where we make Boone a lot. So it start to be a lot more clear. And because the show is doing a huge job of, of advertising in the last ten years, they they develop a lot of commoditizing. Yes. Promotion. Yeah. Okay. Okay. So your your vineyard is certified organic, and you work in a kind of a natural way. See, your your white making is quite interesting in terms of in terms of oak aging. So you age, you oak age the wines, a little bit longer. It seems the normal in Montartino, at least as far as the rules are concerned, why do why is it so important for you to age your wines in wood for that little bit longer? Mostly, when I, when I start to age the wood after two years. I was happy with, wine, and I started to make a bit of also the amount that you know. And then the rest of the wine, I keep aging, and then it got better, like, the third year on the first year. I, like, even try, for an half year. But I saw, like, at the at the fourth year, the the wine is at best. And then between four and four and half, mostly, we just have a volatilacie to go higher and the wine open more, and it's not present anymore. But mostly, I saw, like, it was with this vineyard for yearly what what do wine, like, like, you really get better off. So it will be, shame to but a little too early. So I stopped too much, you know, I do So cenchione is a is a winery near you. They also, age their wine for thirty six or forty months, and they're just up the road from you, cenchione. No. But I saw, I saw, like, in a museum of Abunelo, they were saying, people were urging, like, six, seven year, Bonelo. So, technically, like, historically, your hedging was very long. It was, like, the special, special program of the SanJabaza in Montecino, he was to to be able to edge so long. So I think for four year four year is okay because I don't use, my sulfite, etcetera. Like, if you do a wine with with chemical probably, you can even do seven year. But, like, with land, twelve wine, with not a lot of, sulfate in the wine when he's aging. Like, you cannot, I mean, I cannot do more than four. And for the Roso de montage, you know, how long does that spend in oak? But I did I did it from, like, two, three year, just two year wood, and then I stopped to do it, in two thousand ten, to do a new one at all. Because I got this as a vineyard, so I start to make Bevilo, which was a bit more like a super tough skin blend. So the Boonello, no, it's only one hectare, and I do around four thousand bottle, of Boonello every year. So the Bavilo is, tosca Rosa, and it's is it made from Sanjay Vaisi with Merlo and Cabanello. Yeah. And canaiolo too. Canaiolo. Okay. Yeah. Not not every year, because sometime, the bird did, a lot of Camaniolo. Okay. When you're at home together and you're having some food, what are your favorite food and wine pairings with your with your wines, whether it's the Super dusk in Vavila or the I will be, all the animals with, or grape. Like, the wild boar and, and the deer, some, some, some, rabbit. The wild rabbit? You buy. Just, yeah, I mean, normally the wild ones are called hares, Is that big? Yeah. Harris. Yeah. How do you cook that? Yeah. Mostly is kind of meat. But I mean, we we we have hunters going around all year. So we get a bag of blue jeans every year. So we we have a bit of, of white bow, and of deer. So, you know, you're bi I mean, we clean them, we freeze them. And then after you can do, like, or, or, compare, like, five? You don't you you said so you you said you don't do, any sort of agri tourism. I mean, but do you do any events at the winery? Do you have people coming to do tastings that they may be paid for? They think testing. Yeah. We do it on on on call or, I mean, or sometimes people just pass by. But we don't have, a big seller because we start with just two Hector ten years ago. But now we are there and we are still in a way in cellular for two Hector. So we are really, really straight. It's mostly a barrel tasting, a formal, and, like, we don't have a tasting room, really decent. It will take us another ten year to get there. You say you have three children. I'm sure they're still quite young. Do you hope one or two of them will be interested in taking on the vineyards? Oh, yeah. Yeah. I hope so. I mean, I am forty five so I can go thirty more years at one point. I will have to pass it down. Okay. And, what do you do? What do you guys do in your spare time. I know it must be difficult when you have a vineyard and three kids. Oh, no. Mostly, you you when you don't have, stuff to do for the wine area, you have stuff to do on your house because, like, I mean, as you know, in the countryside, you need a permanent scale of, of everything. I mean, we don't have TV since, I mean, since two thousand one, I didn't watch TV, so I feel angry and busy, you know. Is there anything that you would like to talk about that I haven't asked you about so far? For today, and on, on, on, not especially. Okay. I think we're done. I mean, I could just maybe ask you about your, your where you sell the wine, what are your interest best markets, maybe? Until the COVID, I was setting off. I was making in the States. And the rest in in Europe, mostly, North and Europe and, in Switzerland, and then since, since the COVID, I am studying more in Italy because, outside, they become it become, very difficult to get people following, previous orders. So, luckily in Italy, now we send out a car. We managed to to to sell a bit of wine to survive, but, like, we, we need, the world to open again because, for the points. Yeah. It's it is harder for the school. Your overheads are proportionately higher than, than the big, I mean, you're in an area where you have some quite, quite large wineries. You have some smaller ones, but some, in that area. Because it feels like if we if there is nobody going in the restaurant, and enjoying wine, I'm gonna be out for everybody. I mean, I don't know how many will survive, two, three year like this. Like, the big one will survive, but the little one But the nice thing is, like, we do wine for aging. So my wine get better with time. So even if I have bad years, I can always count on an older year to to go ahead. So so, you know, wine, he he get value with time. So so it's not a risk to produce the wine anyway, and I I will not stop to make it. How how much time do you ever get to go back to, to France? Ma'am, mostly, I just go in Corsica, two weeks at the end of August when we are sure the grape are are safe. And let's say I went two weeks in Corsica. When I came back, I lost, quite, nearly two thirds of the grape in, in the bevy of vineyard because we built like a cloud of bird came, and for one week, and they they ate all the grape while I was on holiday. And there's only two weeks in, you know, in a year you go away. And and it's a tricky one. Yeah. But they're clever. They have black bird internet, and they can speak with each other in long distances. They go for the best grapes. That's the point. You know, they know they're not stupid. No. The next year, I'm gonna get the falcon or something to to chase them. A falcon and a couple of tigers, and that'll scare them. Yeah. My as they have, like, fake, you know, fake Falcon. They can st stand in the sky, the visor is in our swing. So they can and you can actually, fight and the build. Okay. I just want to say thanks to you for, telling us a little bit about the Caso Raya winery in Montagino. It's a beautiful situation where you are really is one of the best spots. Very tranquil isolated, little place where you live and fantastic wines. I'm hand farmed, and, I hope, things improve and you manage to sell some of your wonderful wine. Okay? Thank you. Take care, and say hi to Mrs. Okay. Thank you very much. Ciao. Listen to the Italian wine podcast wherever you get your podcasts. We're on SoundCloud Apple Podcasts HimalIFM, and more. Don't forget to subscribe and rate the show. If you enjoy listening, please consider donating through Italian wine podcast dot com. Any amount helps cover equipment and publication costs. Until next time.