WINE & CULTURE
JOHN MALKOVICH
The actor brings unconventional sensibilities to his French wine label, Les Quelles de la Coste, which blends Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon in the southern Rhône.
What bottle of wine were you drinking when you decided to plant a vineyard?
I would like to think that when we decided to plant the vines—we didn’t buy a vineyard, we had a farm in France for over a quarter of a century—I must have been on some hallucinogen. I’ve never taken one, so maybe it was a just a bottle of Bandol Domaine Tempier, whatever the vintage, because it seems they aren’t in the habit of making a bad one. It was, in fact, my wife Nicole’s idea to plant vines. The farmers who had cultivated and planted our land had retired, and it seemed a pity to let the land lie fallow for more than a couple of years… Our first harvest was 2011.
Why did you decide to blend two such unlikely grapes as Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon?
Well, our oenologue [Jean Natoli] suggested it. I always thought it was a risky or, let’s say, volatile, mix. But I am delighted by the results. It only needs a year or so to calm down or make peace with itself. The Pinot provides the Cabernet with roundness, refinement, but also punch, strangely enough.
How often are you among the vines or lending a hand in the winery?
Well, sadly, I would prefer to be here much more. But as foreigners, we are limited to six months a year in France, and I work 11 and a half months of the year. Or, with travel, let’s call it 12 months a year. We haven’t had a vacation since October 2015, and Nicole, my wife, who is the director of the company, has even less free time than me. When you do a business in France, there is no way to adequately relay their love of paperwork. It’s off the charts. At any rate, two nights ago, we took our nightly walk around the property, and spent the last hour of our walk pulling weeds before the harvest. We don’t fear manual labor, in our mid-to late-60s, or ever. Never ask people to do what you wouldn’t do.
