An incredible gift of Aubert de Villaine
Aubert de Villaine has written to me several times, saying that he appreciates to read my bulletins (he reads everyone and I have made nearly 700), and made very nice letters when he had read my book or when we shared wines together.
These letters are private.
When a journalist wanted to film me drinking wines of Henri Jayer, because he was making a film for the ten years anniversary of the death of Henri Jayer, I took the opportunity to share a 1929 Gaudichots DRC with my Japanese friend Tomo and with Aubert de Villaine.
During the lunch, Aubert made an incredible compliment to me. As now the film on Henri Jayer is made with episodes of the lunch spread along the film, the journalist gave me the film of the compliments, not included in the film for Henri Jayer.
It is a short video of 1’22".
As the French language is not familiar to all of you I translated the dialog :
AdV: Gaudichots 29 was the wine of my grandfather, yes, exactly
AdV: But wines like this, there is no need … There are people trying to use poetic words, to make poetry about wine. But poetry about wine, it does not work. The wine is poetry by itself. Nobody should try …
FA: You have noticed that in my writings, I become more and more synthetic
AdV: your writings are … nobody writes about wine better than you.
FA: Oh, how nice!
AdV: It’s true, it’s true. I mean, in terms of style, word choice, etc. nobody does it better than you. Oh yes it’s true.
FA: That’s nice.
AdV: they all … everyone has lessons to take from you. I enjoy reading your comments.
FA: It’s so nice of you.
AdV: it’s true.
FA: increasingly, I become synthetic, that is to say it’s the pure emotion which has to be written, and not at all … what do you care if there are bananas, cherry or kumquat, no interest. What counts is the emotion.
AdV: it is the emotion.
Those of you who want to see the film which is long 1h39min, they can go there : Film sur Henri Jayer | Académie des vins anciens
Of course the compliments of Aubert are not legitimate. Many wine writers are better than me and I am not in competition with any of them.
But to have the compliments at this level of the man who is considered as one of the greatest winemakers in the world, it is an immense gift for me.
I have to keep cool, knowing that it is not true, but I am happy.
