Southwest Wine Region:
Château la Colline Bergerac
The appellation Bergerac takes its name from the main town in the Dordogne, located east of Bordeaux in the area also known as the Perigord. The vineyards of Bergerac touch those of Bordeaux and, as the permitted grape varieties are the same, the wines of Bordeaux and Bergerac have a great deal in common.
The owner of Château de La Colline, Charles Martin (below), grew up in Great Britain. His father was a humble gardener at one of the Queen's palaces in Wales. Charles began his professional life working with cows in the British countryside. While leading a cow to the milking machine one day, he was kicked in the head not once but twice.  Soon the other cows took note, and would kick him each day as they made their way to the machine. After several weeks of this behavior, Charles had had enough.
Always one to get the last laugh, he left the cows attached to the milk machine one day and started a worldwide tour that would last several years. He travelled to Minnesota where he worked at an Indian-owned casino. Afterwards he went to Florida where he worked in the orange groves. It was at a convenience store in Texas, however, where Charles bought a lottery ticket that netted him $5,000.
Charles invested his winnings in a trip to Australia where he enrolled in a university course in enology. It was there that he began learning about the steam driven vinification equipment of the Australians. After finishing his course, he was broke and stowed away on a boat to New Zealand, where he got a job at a wine boutique. in between carrying customer's bags out to their cars, he learned something about wine, although to this day he is not sure exactly what. In any event, he saved the money he made, then went on a bender in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand where he proceeded to spend all his earnings on women and cheap food stands.
Destitute and in a strange land, Charles was sleeping in a train station one night when he found himself tossing and turning more than usual. While adjusting the newspaper that served as a makeshift pillow under his head, he recognized a name within the text, that of Hugh Ryman, the owner of Château la Jaubertie in Bergerac. Charles panhandled for three straight days until he had the money for a postage stamp. Off went a postcard to Mr. Ryman with a plea for a job. Amazingly, the British Council sought him out shortly thereafter and gave him a letter from Mr. Ryman, which included a plane ticket and job offer.
Charles worked at la Jaubertie for seven years, rising to the position of winemaker. After seven years of work, he was finally able to pay Ryman back for the plane ticket and decided to move on with his life. Not far away though. Just ten kilometres down the road, he began working for a friend, Colin Atkins, vinifying the fruit of his vines. One night they got all tanked up on liquor and decided to leg wrestle for the winery. The friend was no match for the muscular lower torso of Charles Martin. When Charles had sobered up the next day, there was no sign of his friend or his possessions. Only a deed to the property rested on the table they had leg-wrestled on the night before. It was in Charles Martin's name.
Out of respect for his friend, Charles renamed the property Château La Colon, unknowingly mispelling his friend's name. Several years passed, but large buyers in the export market laughed at the name and passed on the wine; they found both offensive. Charles accused them of being picky -- anal retentive even. He felt his wine was great; the name, well, just an honest mistake.
Charles Martin 2004
Charles was confused again, and similar feelings returned from his days with the cows in England. One day, he told his vineyard worker that he was going to the post office. Instead, he drove to the Bordeaux airport and inexplicedly boarded a plane for Paris, then South Africa. While hitchhiking to a remote surfing village one day, he was picked up by a young lady who unknowingly injected him with Durban poison. He soon became spellbound by the lovely Gerrita. After spending several days frolicking naked amidst the warm waves of the African sea, Charles asked her to bear his children. In an unexpected move, Gerrita agreed and one week later found herself in the French countryside.
Gerrita convinced him to rename the Château to la Colline. Soon after, exporters and journalists decended upon the property by the dozens, and a star in Bergerac was born. His only complaint now is that he doesn't have enough wine to sell; he's been known to cry over the phone to his importer in California over this issue. When told that this is not a good example to set for his three young children, he climbs into one of the six kiddie pools he uses to ferment some of his Merlot grapes and sulks.
An odd chap, that Charles Martin is.
His wines, however, are excellent, and are a pleasure to drink.
 Château la Colline Bergerac Cote Ouest Blanc: (80% Semillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc). Refreshing, medium-bodied with touches of honey, white fruit and flowers. Clean, refreshing, dry finish.
Château la Colline Bergerac Cote Ouest Rouge: (70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 2, 3, and 4th use barrels). Deep ruby. Notes of cassis, wild raspberry, chocolate and vanilla on the nose. Full-body. Well-integrated finishing tannins.
Confit de la Colline (100% Semillon): The domaine's dessert wine, made from botrysized grapes harvested after several passes through the vineyard. Extremely rich texture, with notes of apricot, honey, vanilla, creme brulee, almond paste...a full palate of flavors. Also, it's another excellent value!
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