|
 Biodynamic viticulture is slowly moving from obscure homeopathy-cum-astrology
to hippy mainstream. As you'll see below, the illustrious names who are
members of the Renaissance des Appellations - Return to Terroir group (120 of
them in 12 countries) speak for themselves. I tried wines made by the following
growers at a groundbreaking tasting during the London Wine Fair in May 2006:
Josmeyer (Alsace), Falfas
(Bordeaux), Derain, Leroy,
(Burgundy), Abbatucci (Corsica),
Gauby (Roussillon), Breton
(Loire), Trévallon (Provence),
Montirius, Chapoutier
(Rhône), Nikolaihof, Geyerhof
(Austria), Herrnsheim,
Sander, Eymann (Germany),
Pepe, San Giuseppe,
Dodon, Castellina,
Trevvalle, Valgiano
(Italy), Lezaun, Estela
(Spain), Benziger, Bonterra
(USA), Emiliana, Antiyal
(Chile) and Castagna (Aus). I've only included my
favourite wine from each to avoid a great long list. There were many other
top estates there too, just not possible to taste everything!
Nicolas Joly - owner of legendary Coulée de Serrant in
Savennières (Loire Valley), the group's founder, author and biodynamic guru - believes
the whole concept of appellation, that specific site brings unique character,
has been lost in a frenzy of chemical farming and corner-cutting economics. I've
attempted to summarise his talk at the event (posted after notes on the
wines below) and hence ideas and way of life:
some of it makes absolute sense, some a little hard to grasp... For further
thoughts and perhaps clarity, click on his book to visit the CDS website.
FRANCE
Domaine Josmeyer -
Wintzenheim, Alsace
2004 Riesling les Pierrets - deliciously
intense offering floral v citrus fruit, elegant and crisp finish.
90-92
Château Falfas - Côtes de Bourg, Bordeaux
2002 Le Chevalier (Merlot Cabernet Malbec) -
richer and smokier than the 'base' blend, again forward and leafy (indicative of
2002 probably) yet firmer and more concentrated to finish; nice now in fact.
88-90
Catherine & Dominique Derain - Saint Aubin, Burgundy
2003 Mercurey la Plante Chassey (Pinot Noir) -
from a 0.9 ha plot (2¼ acres): scented violets and raspberry fruit, quite
austere for a 2003 (hot vintage) with firm tannins v weighty mouth-feel; should
open up. 87-89
Domaine Leroy - Auxey Duresses, Burgundy
2004 Vosne-Romanée (Pinot Noir) - wild smoky
nose, quite concentrated and rich with 'sweet' start then savoury finish, fresh
bite and length; real finesse. 92-94
Comte Abbatucci - Ajaccio, Corsica
2003 Faustine (Niellucciu Sciacarellu)
- fragrant garrigue notes (earthy wild herbs and
flowers) bolstered by rich raisin fruit, very firm bite v nice soft palate.
89
Domaine Gauby - Calce, Roussillon
2003 Muntada (Carignan
Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre) - stewed red and black fruit combo, power v
grip on a complex concentrated palate; purity of fruit on the finish.
92 (More Gauby wines and info
here).
Clos de la Coulée de Serrant - Savennières, Loire
Valley
2003 Coulée de Serrant (Chenin Blanc) -
floral peach stone aromas give way to richer fruit and palate, exotic v mineral
intensity, quite big with 14.5% alc. yet finishes very fresh and tight; wow.
93-95
2002 Coulée de Serrant - oily developed nose, lovely texture of maturing
complex fruit adding fatness, then again that minerality and fresh long finish
complete the picture. 95-97
Domaine Catherine & Pierre Breton - Touraine, Loire
Valley
2005 Bourgueil Trinch (Cabernet Franc) -
delicious fruit with biscuity yet meaty edges; nice grip, fresh length and
liquorice fruit all ride in together. 90
Domaine de Trévallon - Baux-de-Provence
2001 rouge (Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah) -
herbal v smoky complexity, rich yet dry textured showing attractive maturing
fruit v structured tannins. 92-94
Domaine Montirius - Vacqueyras, Rhône Valley
2003 Clos Montirius (Grenache Mourvèdre) -
richer fruit than the 'non Clos' with spicy blackberry and rustic tones, firm
and powerful yet sufficient weight of fruit too. 89-91
Maison M. Chapoutier - Hermitage, Rhône Valley
2003 Le Pavillon (Grenache Syrah) - spicy
smoked bacon and blackberry notes, rich and complex with a hint of oak;
concentrated fruit v very solid tannins; wow. 94
AUSTRIA
Nikolaihof - Wachau
2005 Vom Stein
Riesling Federspiel - pure flowery aromas with mineral celery notes,
richer and more exotic than the nose suggested finishing with crisp fresh
length. 88-90
Weingut Geyerhof - Kremstal
2005 Grüner Veltliner Steinleithn -
floral with mineral vegetal undertones, very concentrated and rich with oily
extract followed by crisp bite, very long with real fruit purity and mineral
intensity. 93-95
2005 Riesling Goldberg - delicately floral
with blackcurrant notes, super zesty citrus palate with gummy texture, gorgeous
fruit layered on its mineral acid structure; sublime Riesling.
95
GERMANY
Freiherr Heyl zu Herrnsheim
- Rheinhessen
2004 Pettental Riesling First Growth,
Spätlese trocken - a bit closed on the nose, less obviously fruity than their
(very good) Kabinett Riesling but much more intense and mineral, pure extract v
shimmering acidity on its full dry finish; class. 93-95
Weingut Sander -
Rheinhessen
2003
Gewürztraminer Mettenheim, Auslese - the first organic
vineyard in Germany in fact (1950): this has lovely pure sweet Auslese style
with floral lychee fruit, opulent mouth-feel yet freshness to balance on its
long finish. 89-91
Weingut Eymann - Pfalz
2004 Riesling
Toreye, Auslese - delicious aromas, oily yet citrusy; concentrated and rich
yet hardly seems sweet thanks to fresh acidity and impeccable balance; very
long. 95
ITALY
Azienda Agricola Bio
Emidio Pepe - Abruzzo
1983 Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - very raisiny
yet savoury with sweet fruit v red pepper tones, mature tannins but still alive
and kicking. Wow: 95. His 2001 is a
90+er too.
Azienda Agricola San Giuseppe - Tuscany
2004 Rosso di Montalcino (Sangiovese,
barrel sample) - meaty tar aromas, very firm palate yet rich with nice tobacco
and plum fruit; should be very good. 90-92
Domaine Borc Dodon - Friuli
2001 Refosco dal Peduncolo rosso - plum and soy sauce notes, sweet v
savoury; chunky maturing fruit and tannins; different.
87-89
Fattoria Castellina - Tuscany
2004 Daino Bianco, Toscana rosso (Merlot)
- attractive dark plum v red pepper and soy undertones, chocolate oak and
extracted fruit, pretty big tannins and lush mouth-feel; good but a bit forced.
89
Poggio Trevvalle - Tuscany
2004 Morellino di Scansano 'Larcille' (Sangiovese)
- perfumed floral and earthy, concentrated cherry and raisin fruit with tight
firm finish, elegant and fresh. 92-94
Tenuta di Valgiano - Tuscany
2003 Tenuta di Valgiano (Sangiovese Merlot Syrah)
- quite closed and showing a tad more oak than their Palistorti, this is
concentrated with rich fruit and power, contrasting with nice bitter twist and
well-integrated 14.5% alc. 93-95
SPAIN
Bodegas Lezaun - Navarra
2002 Reserva (Tempranillo Garnacha Graciano)
- complex herbal notes on a smoky backdrop, rich and firm with power yet tight
and elegant too v maturing fruit. 90-92
Mas Estela - Empordá Costa Brava
2003 Vinya Selva de Mar (Garnacha Carignan Syrah)
- savoury fruit aromas lead to a firm closed up palate, powerful with meaty
fruit and grip on the finish. 90-92
USA
Benziger Family Winery -
Sonoma Mountain
2002 Tribute (Cabernets Sauvignon &
Franc Merlot Petit Verdot) - rustic yet herbal with oak and cassis tones,
soft fruit with nice dry texture and bite. 90-92
2005 Sauvignon Blanc Paradiso de Maria -
very lively pure and mineral with gooseberry and grapefruit flavours, long fine
finish. 90-92
Bonterra Vineyards - Mendocino
2002 McNab Ranch red table wine (Merlot Cabernet
Petite Sirah) - pretty okay but the palate's more subtle offering nice
maturing blackcurrant and raisin fruit, firm yet rounded and long.
88-90
CHILE
Viñedos Organicos Emiliana
2004 Novas Syrah
Mourvèdre - the vanilla toasted oak is a
bit strong but this has good depth of fruit on its tight palate, nice fresh bite
of tannins and acidity; hope the oak drops out. 89
Viña Antiyal - Maipo Valley
2002 Antiyal (Carmenère
Cabernet Syrah)
- smoky rustic and lush with firm v ripe palate, has weight intensity and
interesting choco v pepper characters, tight long finish.
92-94
AUSTRALIA
Castagna Vineyard -
Victoria
2002 Genesis Syrah - minty style
showing nice pure Syrah fruit and spice, subtle concentration and power v
elegant length. 90-92
Nicolas Joly: wine growing for the
future
"You have to understand about life and living
things to appreciate the effect of life. What is Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée?
Most wines don't carry the 'taste of origin', why not? We have to go back to
farming, nature's assistant isn't the winemaker. AOC is based on climate - heat,
light, rain, humidity - and soil / geology. Then take the grape variety, how do
you bring it up in the above environment? You can't just look at the smallest
component of matter, it's a dead end.
Hence why we've gone back to the old botanical view to look at plants
differently. The Earth's power - gravity makes matter physical, attract to the
Earth and also react against it - plus heat light and air, minerality or level
of minerals, liquids and gases. The vine is caught by the Earth's forces, mostly
pulling it down. It has no capacity to grow upwards yet has an enormous ability
to grow in the poorest soils.
In the 60s and 70s nasty herbicides were sold to clean the vineyard; we had no
information about them at that time and they killed all micro-organisms and
hence the terroir effect. It's essential for the roots to draw the vine's needs,
assisted by bacteria etc. So when the roots are starved they turn back up to the
surface to find the chemical fertilisers that are also added!
After the summer solstice, vines shouldn't grow outwards anymore but inwards; if
you add fertilisers and water, you force growth which provokes diseases, e.g.
fungus to regulate this growth. Systemic chemicals get into the sap and poison
the plant, leading to a natural imbalance and more diseases. It's the same story
with all these yeast strains that influence flavour, it's not the flavour of
terroir; or technology such as reverse osmosis. Stupid clones aren't progress:
it's like the army, they all behave the same! And having say 3 clones, that's
not proper mass selection; a blend of different plots brings synergy.
So we've reached a crisis and realised we have to return to organic viticulture,
biodynamic being the full expression of this. Unfortunately some might be doing
it because it's trendy, but in the first 2 to 3 years there's a real risk, you
could lose a chunk of your crop. So it can't be done for quick profit, it's a
long term philosophy.
Biodynamic farming helps nature do its job by restoring forces and recreating
balance. It's important to understand other plants and their uses. Aloe Vera
helps scorched leaves, seaweed has a similar effect when it's hot, by producing
colloids, applied as a 'tea'. Camomile combined with cow gut as this digests it
best = synergy.
Spring represents the point when the sun is stronger than the earth's force;
it's the opposite at the start of autumn. The solstice = complete victory of the
sun over the earth, or vice versa (summer v winter). Grapes are the crop but are
really about the vine producing seeds to continue its survival. The best wines
are thus made when vines flower around 10th June (northern hemisphere); if it's
too early, taking say California, the best sites are therefore at altitude
facing west to delay it.
The treatments we apply, a few 100 grams per hectare, all have a specific
purpose because of the different bacterial, chemical, mineral composition of
each one. When 'dynamised' we move from macro to micro with matter working in
opposition to non-matter. This gets the vines to tune into each specific process
at certain times, which gives them the need to be healthy. Organic works on a
physical level, biodynamic on an 'energetic' level.
Three key issues in summary:
Chemical spraying appears set to continue in conventional viticulture, yet these
chemicals make vines less able to receive solar energy through leaves and the
soil's vitality through roots. The more you use to attempt to control disease,
the more you need to use as the vines get weaker and weaker. So reliance on
technology to produce 'quality' becomes greater.
So-called 'agriculture raisonnée' (like integrated pest management) doesn't
represent any real progress, as it sets its sights no higher than a 20%
reduction in toxic chemicals.
By using the 'world of energy' more directly, biodynamic viticulture increases
the vine's receptivity to its environment and the way it expresses it in the
wine.
The Quality Charter is divided into 3 levels:
Level 1: the basic principals, which must be implemented on the whole vineyard
for at least three years. Ploughing or grass cover (no weed-killers), compost or
organic fertilisers only, use of natural products to fight diseases as per
organic norms, indigenous yeasts only, no GM vines.
Level 2: hand-picking, natural fermentation with no enzymes or aids, no
interference with natural grape concentration such as cryo-extraction or reverse
osmosis, manual selection of vine cuttings for true field selection.
Level 3: adverse weather might prevent compliance every year. No must
rectification such as acidifying or chaptalising, no fining, max sterile
filtration of 1 micron." |
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