Posts Tagged ‘biodynamic’
Descombes fils vs. Thévenet fils
Kewin “Kéké” Descombes is the son of renowned winemaker Georges Descombes and half-brother of Damien Coquelet. He made his first wine under his own name in 2013, when he was 21. His approach is similar to his father’s (organic farming, semi-carbonic maceration, indigenous yeasts, minimal or no sulphur). The wines appear to be popular in Japan. The three we tasted are currently sold out in Quebec though a second shipment is expected this spring.
Son of Jean-Paul Thévenet, one of the “Gang of Four” winemakers who spearheaded the natural Beaujolais movement, young Charly Thévenet worked at his father’s and Marcel Lapierre’s wineries before acquiring a parcel of old Gamy vines in Régnié. His first vintage was the 2007.
Beaujolais Villages 2014, Cuvée Kéké, Kewin Descombes ($25.00, private import, 12 bottles/case)
100% Gamay from organically farmed vines grown in sandy soil in a 1.2-hectare vineyard in the commune of Corcelles. Fermentation lasted 15 days. 11.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Deux caves.
Textbook Beaujo nose: red berries, vine sap, earth, hints of game and iodine. Clean and quite dry. Light-bodied and not particularly deep – true to type, wot? – but wonderfully pure. The ripe fruit is laced with slate and stems. Fluent acidity keeps things fresh and adds a tang to the finish that calls you back for another sip. (Buy again? Sure.)
Morgon 2014, Jeunes Vignes, Kewin Descombes ($27.75, private import, 12 bottles/case)
100% Gamay from organically farmed vines. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Deux caves.
Funky nose (the wine should have been carafed) of barnyard and burnt match but also red berries, peony and umami. Denser and fruitier than the Kéké. Very clean and dry with a stemmy structure, nipping acidity and a long granitic finish. Good now and probably even better in a year or three. For many around the table, the sweet spot in the KD line-up. (Buy again? Yes.)
Morgon 2013, Vieilles Vignes, Kewin Descombes ($36.00, private import, 12 bottles/case)
100% Gamay from organically farmed vines. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Deux caves.
Closed and darker nose of red and black berries and slate with violet and kirsch overtones and a hint of caramel. Weighty and somewhat monolithic in the mouth. The components – including firm tannins – are all there but only just beginning to integrate. Struggling to find a descriptor of the flavour, I ended up with sukiyaki – a reference to the wine’s meatiness and umaminess. As broad, deep and long as it is inscrutable, this divided the table, with some calling it over-ambitious and others feeling it needs time. I’m in the latter camp, as I found the wine stylistically similar to the Morgons of Descombes père, which often require five or more years to coalesce and uncoil. (Buy again? A bottle or two for the cellar.)
Régnié 2014, Grain et Granit, Charly Thévenet ($35.00, private import, 6 bottles/case, NLA)
100% Gamay from 80-year-old biodynamically farmed vines grown in a 3 ha vineyard with granite soil. The grapes are manually harvested as late as possible and aggressively sorted, the idea being to have very ripe and impeccably clean fruit. The clusters are fermented whole with indigenous yeasts. The wine is matured on its lees in neutral Burgundy barrels. No filtering or fining. Use of sulphur dioxide is kept to a minimum. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Deux caves.
Gorgeous wafting nose of wild strawberries, foliage, slate and peony. Medium-bodied. Pure, bright fruit and a little sap, silky tannins, fresh acidity and a fine mineral backbone. Earthy depth and a hint of herbaceousness are there if you force yourself to stop obsessing over the fruit and look for them. Long, balanced and abuzz with energy. (Buy again? Done!)
MWG February 11th tasting: flight 3 of 6
Two Pinot Noirs and an interloper
The teaser sent to MWG members prior to the tasting described this flight as “Two light-bodied reds. Same country, same grape variety. No other connections.” The third bottle was a last-minute addition, a new arrival (or maybe a restocking) generously donated by one of the group’s members.
Savoie 2014, Pinot Noir, Cuvée Gastronomie, Jean Perrier et Fils ($17.25, 00856997)
100% Pinot Noir. The grapes are manually harvested and pneumatically pressed. After clarification, thee must is transferred to temperature controlled (20°C) stainless steel tanks for three weeks’ alcoholic fermentation, followed by malolactic fermentation. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: LVAB.
Red berries and stems, slate, spice, earth and a hint of blood. One taster detected “endives.” Light-bodied and quite dry, with clean, bright fruit. Lightly astringent more than tannic. What minerals there are come out on the fair finish. A simple, supple, alpine wine that doesn’t scream Pinot Noir but is fresh and tasty enough. Not a keeper and should be drunk lightly chilled. Would have been a good candidate for the Without All flight. (Buy again? Sure.)
Alsace 2012, Rouge, Domaine Marcel Deiss ($26.35, 12185410)
100% Pinot Noir according to SAQ.com and the domaine’s Quebec agency; others claim it is a Pinot Noir-dominated field blend. Whatever the variety, the grapes come from biodynamically farmed vines. Manually harvested. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and regular punch-downs. Matured 12 months. Sees only stainless steel until bottling. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: A.O.C. & Cie.
Now we’re talking. As the French say, ça pinote! Blossoming nose of “cooked strawberries,” earth, leafmould and mushroom. Medium-bodied. Richer than the Perrier. In fact, denser and deeper than most Alsatian Pinot Noirs of my acquaintance. The fruit is juicy, the acidity smooth, the tannins supple. An earthy bass line rumbles nicely along though there aren’t the kind of high notes and overtones you can get with red Burgundies or Schueller’s sui generis Alsace PNs. Still, I’d gladly buy more of this suavely rustic wine. Carafe an hour or two and serve lightly chilled for best results. (Buy again? Yep.)
Langhe Nebbiolo 2009, Aurelio Settimo ($25.60, 12796616)
100% Nebbiolo from young vines growing in the Barolo appellation. Manually harvested. Fermentation on the skins with frequent punch-downs and pump-overs took place in concrete tanks at around 28°C (not temperature controlled) and lasted eight to ten days. Matured 48 months in concrete tanks. 14% ABV. Quebec agent: Vitis.
A wild mouse of a nose: “molasses banana cake,” kirsch, cut stems, rum-raisin, marzipan, “plasticine.” In the pie-hole, it’s medium-bodied, quite intense and a little alcoholic, a savoury mix of fruit, spice and minerals with lots of tertiary flavours, including an “aftertaste of black tea.” The acidity’s a bit edgy, the airframe tannins are mostly resolved and the finish, with its odd note somewhere between metallic and acrid, is longer than you want it to be. We’ve enjoyed wines from this estate in the past; this one not so much. An off bottle? (Buy again? Based on this bottle, unlikely.)
MWG January 14th tasting: flight 5 of 7
Two dryish Rieslings
The teaser sent to MWG members prior to the tasting described this flight as “Two aromatic still whites made from the same grape variety. No other connections.”
Kamptal 2013, Riesling, Zöbing, Hirsch ($27.15, 12196979)
100% biodynamically farmed Riesling sourced from several vineyards around the village of Zöbing. The vines average 15 years old. After gentle pressing, the must was allowed to clarify by settling then transferred to temperature-controlled (22°C) stainless steel tanks for fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Screwcapped. Reducing sugar: 4.1 g/l. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Avant-Garde.
Lemon/lime, white rocks and an evanescing note of “vulcanized tires.” A faint spritz is apparent on the first sip but soon dissipates. Stony tending to austere though softened by the ripe fruit and touch of residual sugar. Backbone comes from acidity that some described as “aggressive” but I found enlivening. Long, clean finish. A wine to drink with dinner rather than sipping on its own before. Very good if a little overshadowed by the Baker. (Buy again? Yes.)
Vinemount Ridge QVA 2012, Riesling, Picone Vineyard, Charles Baker ($35.50, 12718482)
Some background on Baker here. 100% Riesling from vines averaging 30 to 35 years old and grown in the Picone vineyard. Sees only stainless steel until bottling. Screwcapped. Reducing sugar: 15 g/l. 11% ABV. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Burned match, “naphthalene” and “Fort McMurray” aromas blow off, leaving classic lemon, lime, grapefruit, green apple and quartz. In the mouth, the wine is remarkably pure, deep, intense, balanced and long, packed with fruit and minerals, all carried on a stream of fluent acidity. It’s also drier than most Canadian Rieslings. Evolves and improves in the glass. Really impressive, price notwithstanding (before the bottle was unveiled, I mentioned that this was the most expensive wine of the evening, prompting one taster to joke, “Then it must be Canadian.”). A world-class wine with at least a decade’s aging potential and undoubtedly one of the best Canadian Rieslings ever made. As such, it’s unmissable. (Buy again? Yes.)
MWG January 14th tasting: flight 4 of 7
Two dry Loire whites
The teaser sent to MWG members prior to the tasting described this flight as “Two dry, bright still whites from the same broad region. No other connections.”
Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine 2011, Clisson, Ollivier Père et Fils ($21.15, 12259992)
A small restocking of a wine I enjoyed back in October 2014. Clisson is one of the crus communaux (village crus) now recognized in Muscadet (2011 was the first vintage where the commune name could be mentioned on the label). The producer is also known as Ollivier Frères and has no connection with Marc Ollivier of Domaine de la Pépière. 100% Melon de Bougogne from vines between 30 and 75 years old. Matured on the lees for 24 months in stainless steel tanks. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: A.O.C. & Cie.
Chalk and granite, sea breeze, white fruit and, eventually, a whiff of “barley sugar” (quoting another taster). A fundamentally dry, richly textured mouthful of minerals and citrus Nik-L-Nips. Bitter saline minerals and a faint, not unappealing soap aroma mark the long, unctuous finish. Quite substantial for a Muscadet but saved from heaviness by a sustained stream of acidity, this would be dandy with sauced seafood dishes like coquilles St-Jacques as well as rich cheeses. (Buy again? Yes.)
Cheverny 2014, Pure, Domaine des Huards ($20.10, 00961607)
A blend of Sauvignon Blanc (85%) and Chardonnay (15%) from biodynamically farmed vines. The grapes are manually harvested and gently pressed. The must is clarified by settling. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts takes place in temperature-controlled (18-20°C) stainless steel tanks. The wine is then racked into stainless steel tanks for maturation on its fine lees. Reducing sugar: 3.5 g/l. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV (redesigned website!).
Nose dominated by unmistakable jalapeño. Get past it and you discover floral, ash and faint stone fruit aromas. The pepper (sans heat, of course) pops up on the palate along with saline minerals and just enough residual sugar to take the edge off the sharp acidity. Long, tangy finish. The wine’s “juicy freshness” is delightful. Though the jalapeño faded as the wine breathed, earlier bottles of this have been totally chile-free, so let’s assume ours was oddly off. (Buy again? Another bottle to check out what’s up, for sure.)
MWG January 14th tasting: flight 2 of 7
Quality price Orthogneiss
Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine 2013, Expression d’Orthogneiss, Domaine de l’Écu ($22.70, 10919141)
100% Melon de Bourgogne (aka Muscadet) from biodynamically farmed, half-century-old vines grown in a three-hectare vineyard with a thin, gravelly top soil and an orthogneiss subsoil. Manually harvested. The whole clusters are pneumatically pressed and the juice unclarified. Fermented with indigenous yeasts at 15–17ºC (59–63ºF). Matured on the lees for 18 months. The winery uses gravity, not pumps, to move the must and wine. Reducing sugar: 1.2 g/l. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Raisonnance.
Subdued nose of stones and apple with whiffs of honey and dried lemon peel. Slightly viscous texture. The subtle fruit – again apple and lemon – is wrapped in minerals, overtoned with honey. Acidity is brisk but unassertive, the finish long and aromatic with long-held notes of paraffin, seawater, bitter herbs and durian. Bone dry yet rich enough that you don’t really notice. Impeccable and age-worthy (up to 10 years from the vintage). Ridiculously high QPR (Muscadet may be France’s most unappreciated white wine). Though Muscadet is the raw oyster wine par excellence, this has the wherewithal to accompany more elaborate, richly sauced dishes. (Buy again? Definitely.)
L’autour d’Anne Paillet
Anne Paillet is married to Greg Leclerc. In 2010, she decided to abandon her corporate career and become a natural winemaker. Wanting to make wines different from Leclerc’s, she has leased 2.5 hectares of biodynamically farmed vines from Languedoc winemaker Christophe Beau (Domaine Beauthorey in the Pic Saint-Loup region). Harvesting is manual and the grapes are vinified naturally, in concrete tanks with no added anything, in the Languedoc. Wanting to make wines different from your everyday Languedocs, she transports the just-fermented juice to Leclerc’s cellars in the Loire for malolactic fermentation, maturation, blending and bottling with no fining, filtering or added sulphur.
Depending on the date on which the wine leaves the Languedoc, it is labelled Coteaux du Languedoc or Vin de France. To avoid red tape and confusion, Paillet is reportedly planning to opt exclusively for the Vin de France designation in future vintages.
Coteaux du Languedoc 2013, C.S.G., Autour de l’Anne ($27.71, private import, 12 bottles/case)
Syrah and Grenache with a little Cinsault thrown in. The 40- to 60-yar-old vines are rooted in limestone and red clay. The grapes are vinified separately in tanks, with alcoholic fermentation typically lasting 12 to 14 days. Maturation in concrete tanks lasts 12 months. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Deux Caves.
Engaging nose of red and black fruit with hints of spice and faint burnt rubber. Medium-bodied, dry and savoury, with clean fruit and bright acidity. Fundamentally fluid and supple though not lacking tannic grit. The finish is long and minerally. As Loire-ish and it is Languedoc-ish, this is a wonderfully drinkable wine. What’s more, a few bottles remain available. (Buy again? Done!)
Coteaux du Languedoc 2013, Pot d’Anne, Autour de l’Anne ($55.47/1500 ml, private import, 6 bottles/case, NLA)
The cuvée’s name, which translates as “Anne’s pot,” is a homonym of peau d’âne (donkey skin). 100% Cinsault from 20-year-old vines grown on limestone and red clay. Half the grapes are destemmed, the other half left as whole clusters. Semi-carbonic maceration in concrete tanks lasts 12 days. Maturation in concrete tanks lasts 12 months. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Deux Caves.
Pretty, perfumy nose of red and black fruit, including berries, overtoned with flowers, sawed wood and spice. Barely medium-bodied. The lightly juicy fruit is fresh and fluid, structured by supple tannins. Finishes long and clean. So, so drinkable. (Buy again? Moot but yes.)
At the second tasting, someone asked why the wines were so Loire-like. Could the fact that they were fermented with native yeasts explain it? Probably not, as the wines didn’t leave the Languedoc until alcoholic fermentation was completed. On the other hand, malolactic fermentation took place in the Loire, so indigenous bacteria could be a factor (though wouldn’t the wines also bring some Languedoc microflora with them?). To my mind, Max Campbell’s theory that the difference is due to the cooler temperatures of the Loire cellars seems more realistic.
♦
As mentioned earlier, both tastings were followed by a light meal of salads, charcuterie and cheese. As the tail ends of the Deux Caves bottles were insufficient to slake the collective thirst, a few other wines were uncorked (gratitude to all who supplied them). I stopped taking notes at that point but wanted to mention four in passing.
Damien Coquelet’s Beaujolais-Villages “Fou du Beaujo” has long been a Mo’ Wine Group favourite. At the second tasting, the 2012 ($22.43, private import, La QV/Insolite, NLA) and 2014 ($19.20, 12604080) were served side by side. The 2012 was a thing of beauty: vibrant, fruity, sappy, fluid, lip-smacking. The 2014 seemed a little harder and less smiling, though whether that’s a function of the vintage, the age, this particular bottle or the filtering and/or sulphuring possibly required by the SAQ is anybody’s guess.
The Valle del Maule 2014, Pipeño, Collection Rézin, Louis-Antoine Luyt ($18.15, 12511887) is a lovable, natural Chilean wine made entirely using purchased País grapes from organcially farmed vines about a century and a half old. (Luyt buys the grapes – at fair trade prices – from his pickers, one of whose photograph appears on the label.) Fragrant and fruity, ripe and juicy, light and fresh, with frisky acidity, very soft tannins, a disarming rusticity and a quaffability quotient that’s off the charts. I’ve drunk more of this wine than any other this year and it was interesting to hear others who were just discovering it planning to buy cases the next time it rolls around.
The 2001 Château Coutet is a classic Barsac that’s showing beautifully. Rich but not heavy (good acidity), sweet but not saccharine. The complex flavours and aromatics are dominated by stone fruit and botrytis. The finish lasts for minutes. A deluxe end to a most enjoyable evening.
MWG September 27th tastings: flight 3 of 3
♦
Lastly, here’s a link to another, much less tardy report on the tasting – one from which some of the earlier-cited technical information about Xavier Marchais comes – that was posted on the Quebec-based wine discussion board Fou du vin by a new and welcome addition to the Mo’ Wine Group. Du beau travail, Raisin Breton !
Le gros lot de Greg Leclerc
A historian by training, Grégory Leclerc did stints as a journalist and marketer before falling into the world of natural wine-making. He purchased his four-hectare estate – downsized from the original 6.5 hectares, named Chahut et Prodiges and located in Chargé in the hills near Amboise in the Tourraine – in 2007. He farms organically and makes wines from Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Gamay, Côt and Grolleau. The land is worked using a tractor, though Leclerc says he may switch to horses at some point. Harvesting is manual. Vinification of the reds involves placing the whole clusters in concrete tanks for two to three weeks with no added sulphur and no punch-downs or pump-overs – a form of carbonic maceration, what? Pressing is slow and gentle. The wines are unfined and lightly filtered. No sulphur is added to the reds; a tiny amount is added to the whites at bottling.
Vin de France 2013, Le Coup de Canon, Domaine Chahut et Prodiges ($26.87, private import, 12 bottles/case, NLA)
100% Grolleau from 60-year-old vines grown on clay and flint. Matured around nine months in fibreglass tanks. 11% ABV. Quebec agent: Deux Caves.
Lovely nose of Swedish berries, sandalwood, green earth and clean horse stable. Light-bodied and dry. The tart fruit is set on slate. Barely tannic with a silky texture and clean finish. The bottle at the second tasting showed even brighter and cheerier than the one at the first. Simple and appealing, as wines made from this variety should be. A vin plaisir that goes really well with charcuterie. (Buy again? Done!)
Vin de France 2013, La Meule, Domaine Chahut et Prodiges ($26.87, private import, 12 bottles/case, NLA)
100% Gamay from 25- to 30-year-old vines grown on clay and limestone. Matured around nine months in fibreglass tanks. 11% ABV. Quebec agent: Deux Caves.
Sour red berries, smelling a bit candied, with gamy, slate and pastry overtones. Wonderfully pure, tart and juicy fruit, vibrant acidity and lacy tannins. Long, smooth finish. A complete wine that even Beaujolais sceptics might like. If Deux Caves hadn’t been sold out of this, the group would have ordered two or three cases on the spot. (Buy again? If only…)
Vin de France 2013, Les Têtes Noires, Domaine Chahut et Prodiges ($26.87, private import, 12 bottles/case)
100% Côt (aka Malbec). Matured in used barrels. 11% ABV. Quebec agent: Deux Caves.
Darker, meatier nose, the fruit tending to roasted cherries and blackberries with slate and wood notes. Smooth on the palate, due in part to acidity that’s softer than the other Leclerc wines and a tannic structure that’s lighter than expected. Savoury finish though not a lot of follow-through. For me, the wine’s best quality is the purity of its fruit. (Buy again? Done!)
Vin de pays du Val de Loire 2012, Grolleau, Clau De Nell ($40.00, 12411763)
100% Grolleau from biodynamically farmed vines between 60 and 90 years old and grown in silty clay on tufa. Yields were a low 17 hl/ha. Harvested by hand and destemmed. Maceration and fermentation (indigenous yeasts) at 18 to 25°C and involving gentle punch-downs and limited pump-overs lasted 20 days. The grapes were then gently and slowly pressed with a pneumatic press. Half the wine was transferred to fifth-fill French oak casks from Burgundy and half to large vats for maturation on the fine lees, which lasted 12 months. The wine was bottled on a fruit day without filtering or fining. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Séguin-Robillard.
Raspberry-green pepper jelly with a hint of sawed wood. Extracted and dense bordering on heavy. Oddly, given the avoidance of new barrels, the oak treatment seemed a little too lavish and obvious for such a modest grape variety (and I wasn’t the only one to complain of such). Combine that with relatively low acidity and you have a lethargic wine, albeit one with a certain hefty presence. Bottom line: it’s a wine that tries to hard, that gives itself airs. Tellingly, the wine was served double-blind and no one guessed it was made from the same grape as the archetypal Coup de Canon. A few years in the cellar may improve things but who knows? While I’ve enjoyed earlier vintages, this is not what I’m looking for in a Grolleau. (Buy again? Nope.)
Mo’ Wine Group September 27th tastings: flight 2 of 3
Brett happens 