Memoir, Correspondence, and Miscellanies, From the Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 2Jefferson, Thomas
History
Memoir, Correspondence, and Miscellanies, From the Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 2
Jefferson, Thomas
United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783; United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1865
Of White wines, those made in the canton of Grave, are most esteemed at
Bordeaux. The best crops are, 1. _Pontac_, which formerly belonged to M.
de Pontac, but now to M. de Lamont. He makes forty tons, which sell at
four hundred livres, new. 2. _St. Brise_, belonging to M. de Pontac;
thirty tons, at three hundred and fifty livres. 3. _De Carbonius_,
belonging to the Benedictine monks, who make fifty tons, and never
selling till three or four years old, get eight hundred livres the ton.
Those made in the three parishes next above Grave, and more esteemed
at Paris, are, 1. _Sauterne_. The best crop belongs to M. Diquem at
Bordeaux, or to M. de Salus, his son-in-law; one hundred and fifty tons,
at three hundred livres, new, and six hundred livres, old. The next best
crop is M. de Fillotte’s, one hundred tons, sold at the same price. 2.
_Prignac_. The best is the President du Roy’s, at Bordeaux. He makes one
hundred and seventy-five tons, which sell at three hundred livres, new,
and six hundred livres, old. Those of 1784, for their extraordinary
quality, sell at eight hundred livres. 3. _Barsac_. The best belongs
to the President Pichard, who makes one hundred and fifty tons, at two
hundred and eighteen livres, new, and six hundred livres, old. Sauterne
is the pleasantest; next Prignac, and lastly Barsac: but Barsac is the
strongest; next Prignac, and lastly Sauterne; and all stronger than
Grave. There are other good crops made in the same parishes of Sauterne,
Prignac, and Barsac; but none as good as these. There is a virgin wine,
which, though made of a red grape, is of a light rose color, because,
being made without pressure, the coloring matter of the skin does not
mix with the juice. There are other white wines, from the preceding
prices down to seventy-five livres. In general, the white wines keep
longest. They will be in perfection till fifteen or twenty years of age.
The best vintage now to be bought, is of 1784; both of red and white.
There has been no other good year since 1779. The celebrated vineyards
before mentioned, are plains, as is generally the canton of Medoc,
and that of the Grave. The soil of Hautbrion, particularly, which I
examined, is a sand, in which is near as much round gravel or small
stone, and very little loam: and this is the general soil of Medoc. That
of Pontac, which I examined also, is a little different. It is clayey,
with a fourth or fifth of fine rotten stone; and at two feet depth,
it becomes all a rotten stone. M. de Lamont tells me, he has a kind of
grape without seeds, which I did not formerly suppose to exist; but I
saw at Marseilles dried raisins from Smyrna without seeds. I see in his
farm at Pontac, some plants of white clover, and a good deal of yellow:
also some small peach trees in the open ground. The principal English
wine merchants at Bordeaux, are Jernon, Barton, Johnston, Foster,
Skinner, Copinger, and M’Cartey: the chief French wine merchants, are
Feger, Nerac, Bruneaux Jauge, and Du Verget.
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