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Record bidding at Toques et Clochers
Last weekend saw thousands of euros raised in a record year for the 22nd Toques et Clochers auction, held in the Languedoc town of Limoux.
The event was hosted by AOC Limoux’s biggest producer, the Sieur d’Arques cooperative, which represents 400 members.
In total, 62 producers offered 120 barrels of Chardonnay from the 2010 vintage for the auction, along with two barrels of 2009 red blends from Domaine Baron d’Arques, owned by Baron Philippe de Rothschild.
It was a lesson in marketing for modest wines from relatively unknown regions as prices for each barrel regularly climbed above the €5,000 mark. The top bid was €12,500 paid for a barrel of La Serpent by a representative of Alain Ducasse.
The majority of the bidders were made up of local businessmen, sommeliers and foreign distributors who had travelled to Limoux in order to secure their own barrel.
Despite the high prices, on top of which legal fees and logistics costs were added, Brad Johnston, president of North Carolina-based firm Tryon Distributing, explained the appeal: "I can bring over a special barrel that I’ve been over to France for and selected myself and my customers will love it. I can charge a lot more for it as well because of that. It’s a kinda cool thing to do.”
Established in 1990, the Toques et Clochers designation is applied to the top wines produced by the Sieurs d’Arques winery. Operating under strict plot selection, pruning, hand harvesting and yield stipulations, the wines represent four distinct terroirs within the Limoux AOC.
The term Toques et Clochers refers to the two elements which underpin the group’s identity. Each year the event partners with a prestigious chef, who prepares the gala dinner following the auction.
Following in the footsteps of prestigious names such as Joël Robuchon and Michel Troisgros, this year’s dinner was prepared by Gilles Goujon, who runs a three-Michelin-starred restauant in Corbières.
Clochers refers to the second aim of supporting local communities by raising funds to restore the village bell towers within the AOC.
For locals, the auction therefore represented an important opportunity to support their community. Successful bidders included the Montpellier court of appeal and Carcassonne town hall.
Gabriel Savage, 21.04.2011