Yes, he was for a long time attached to the cause of Bernard Tapie, to whom he remained close until the end. Yes, in 1988 he bought Thierry Le Luron's villa in the tropics, which became his main residence. Yes, he tasted without moderation the blessed era of the Barclay's band, "the time of carefree and joyful living"..
So much for the accelerated portrait, which he does not intend to expand on. For that day Me Bernard Lagarde is seated at the terrace of the Bouillabaisse to talk about a new part of his life, just as exciting.
He, the Parisian tax lawyer, sees his "builder's temperament". to take over. Here he is, signing a pact with the Var vineyard!
A "happy trap
"A few years ago, I started to consider retirement. I could have spent my days watching France 3 and taking a nap, but learning a new trade without leaving the peninsula appealed to me more! It was logical to turn to the domains, of which I am the first amateur. I visited about twenty of them without the sparkle coming out. And then in 2021 I was contacted by Blue Side, whose specialty is wine and who had an exclusive domain... Le Jas des Roberts ".the lawyer lets it be known.
"We met on the spot, around an old table of the bastide to exchange on our tastes in white Provence and to taste a great vintage "Arnaud Courret and Tom Verger remember with a smile.
"The trap closed on me. I was 'con-sent'. And by the summer of 2021 I was home!"says Me Lagarde, who has since made friends with the two companions he sees every week.
No more flea markets, just vines
If these lands were once the sacred Sunday pilgrimage place of flea market lovers, it is no longer a question of opening them to the public, even if there will be a sales cellar to connect the Wine Route.
Their name now? Domaine CBL, acronym for "Constance-Bernard-Laurent", the sons and daughter of the owner, who as often with this type of property, is positioned in the transmission.
"I'm not in it for the profit. I just hope to have it break even in a few years."The owner is satisfied with the results, and while he has invested considerably, he has also put a bottom to his Danaïd's barrel.
Also aware of the rarity of his approach, the ace of pleadings is careful not to swagger. Creating a new domain in the appellation, as an independent, is nevertheless an event that deserves to "make (r) appeal".
Putting white wine first
The case was... clear. In creating his domain, Me Lagarde wanted to bet on the white. "We will use all three colors in AOC Côtes de Provence, but the project is to distinguish ourselves with a quality white for the aperitif and another for fish for example. A white that explodes with freshness!"The tenor of the bar, on his clay-limestone land on a semi-slope, well drained and facing south, has all the options to succeed in his bet.
BL" vintages
"We have seen a real boom in white wines in Provence over the past two years. Vintages made from the vermentino grape are selling very well and are a real alternative to rosé, which has proven itself.Arnaud and Tom of Blue Side, a company based in Gassin, specializing in vineyard transactions, agree.
To achieve this, work is continuing on the 17 hectares of the Jas des Roberts, including "six of vines in production tired". Three buildings, formerly dependencies of the castle of Grimaud, are attached to the estate. The idea is to give back its historical luster to this heritage and to restructure the vineyard on 12 hectares.
The vintages should be stamped with the initials "BL" for a first vintage in 2023 or 2024.
