Larry Goes to Fuengirola. (18) Thursday 26 May 2022
18 is my birthdate, and therefore my lucky number. Can it be a coincidence then, that I have arrived at Chateau Feely on the 18th day of my tour? I don't think so...
Domaine Grand Mayne yesterday, and Ch Feely today are both vineyards, only a few miles apart, and they have some things in common .. they are both very professionally run, by people who clearly know what they are about, and are neat and well kept. But beyond that they are not the same. Grand Mayne is a typical Duras vineyard, about 37Ha, 100,000 vines and potentially 250,000 bottles of wine although I suspect output is a bit less at present. The wine they produce is of decent quality and sells for about €6/bot for the everyday wines, €9 or €10 for the reserve wines and as such, represents good value. I suspect they return a healthy income for their owners, and they seem happy to carry on, much as they are.
Ch. Feely is a fair bit smaller at 14Ha of which only about 7Ha are under vines. Annual output is abut 14,000 bottles pa and their wines sell for between €15 and €30. For Caro and Sean it is more than a business: they have been following a dream. And my, haven't they done well? Having read the books that Caro has written, it has clearly been very hard work for them to get where they are today; but what they have now is a beautiful set of vineyard buildings, their house, the two holiday let cottages, the winery and barns, and a thriving business of wine lectures, courses, tours and similar activities, as well as the wine sales themselves. It will always be difficult to make a fortune frtom 14Ha of land, though I expect Sean and Caro would say they are rich, but in a different way. They are able to look around and give themselves a real pat on the back, and I hope they do.
Walking around the two vineyard areas, Grand Mayne feels like a clean, efficient, well managed agribusiness. Ch. Feely feels more natural, warm, it is literally buzzing with life. Sean had just mown, but there are still orchids and other flowers dotted around. There are bees and butterflies everywhere. The two terroirs are very different.
Whether it is worth paying three times as much or more for the wine from one, as compared to the other, let us think more about that tomorrow. It is not as simple as you might think.
A pleasant green and picnic area, where I parked for an hour to look around
A view looking North, across their neighbour's vines towards the Saussignac chateau and village
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