WHEN HEART O' THE MOUNTAIN VISITS THE HEART OF BURGUNDY
Happy end of summer to all..!
We hope you have enjoyed good times with family and friends and have perhaps done something at the top of your wish list. For us it was a trip to Burgundy where as you can guess our focus was on Pinot Noir!
After learning the process of wine making with the commitment of doing what's right for nature and for the wine, we needed to see for ourselves how our terroir, vine-growing and wine-making compare with what is done in the cradle of our favorite grape. We came back with a renewed belief that we have what it takes to stand with the best and wanted to share the highlights of our trip. After all, your appreciation for our wine has been the best encouragement.
We stayed on the outskirt of Beaune, the capital of Burgundy wines, in the heart of the Côte d'Or. Beaune is particularly famous for its 15th century winery Les Hospices de Beaune where a renowned charity wine auction is held annually.
But first, without getting into details, a brief overview of the past helps understand how Burgundy wines earned their reputation.
The first evidence of vines is attributed to the Romans who produced a wine called Falernum. Later, Charlemagne sold vineyards to monks who began to meticulously document their growing methods—they would eventually build Clos Vougeot. In 1395, a duke of Burgundy banned gamay grapes from the Beaune region in favor of pinot noir. The appellation "burgundy" was officially recognized in 1416 by a decree regulating its geographic boundaries. After a few centuries of observation, the notion of "terroir" was introduced. It emphasized the importance of the nature of the soil deep down, stone content, climate, orientation on gentle slopes—the importance of vine stock selection was introduced later. In the 19th century a strict classification of the best parcels was established, followed by the "appellations contrôlées." Finally, a wine hierarchy was introduced in 1930 with Grands Crus and Premiers Crus.
As we drove around, grazing cows drew our attention in areas where we would have expected vineyards. This was the proof that the observations of the past have, indeed, determined the best locations for growing grapes.
For example, wine is rated differently depending on where vines grow on the slope. For this reason a Grand Cru is made from grapes grown in the "heart" of an incline where vines benefit from good drainage. This of course highlighted our own situation on the southern slope of Mount Roberta in the Santa Cruz Mountains. In comparison, the top of a slope can be undesirable as erosion can wash away the soil and its nutrients whereas the lower part is often affected by stagnant water—resulting in bigger grapes and less concentrated flavors. And so when it comes to appellation, one could say that a few yards could be the difference between a Grand Cru and a Premier Cru.
Our first visit was downtown at Bouchard Père & Fils, a winery established in 1731 by a father and son who bought the Château de Beaune and built cellars in the fortifications. Today, the domain covers 320 acres of which 86 are Grand Crus and Premiers Crus.
Considering the large scale of production we expected some shortcuts. Instead, we discovered that the three-week harvest is still done manually, that grapes are carried in small boxes, and sorted by hand. Heart O' the Mountain had passed the first test!
Yet, with a growing production Bouchard needed new facilities closer to the vineyards. Imagine a 108,000 square-foot cellar, 32 feet underground, with 4,500 vats, and millions of bottles!
We were particularly impressed by the fortified cellar with its 50,000 bottles of wines from before 1950. The oldest, a Meursault-Charmes 1846, was served in 2006 for the 275th anniversary of the winery, as was a Beaune Vigne de l'Enfant Jesus 1865 declared "extraordinarily pure." It is in such wineries that one appreciates the importance of tradition in winemaking.
As we exited through a stone staircase, we climbed the 23-foot thick walls of the fortress—built to withstand the sieges of battle, its perfect humidity, constant temperature, and shelter from light and vibrations, had created a perfect cellar!
Our trip to Burgundy was also the opportunity to visit the cooperage company that supplies our oak barrels, François Frères Tonnellerie in the village of Saint-Romain. There, we saw all the various stages of barrel-making, a process almost unchanged over time. Although the splitting of the oak trunks is now powered, it is still hand-directed to perfectly follow the wood lines that will ensure impermeability. By far most remarkable was the three-stage heating of the oak, first to allow the warping of the staves, then to increase waterproofing, and finally to create the tailored toasting that will develop specific aromas. For this reason, our oak barrels are made to exact specifications.
We find new oak barrels to be a worthwhile investment because of the additional impact on the color of the wine and on its stability—yet some wineries re-use them up to four times. We learn that the slight porosity of oak allows a controlled oxygenation, which enhances the taste and preserves the color of red wines in particular. A new oak barrel, however, will never turn a bad wine into a good wine!
The choice of wineries was of course unlimited. For this reason, we decided to spend quality time in a few rather than rushing from one tasting to another. We had a particularly enjoyable time at Drouhin-Laroze in Gevrey-Chambertin where the owners knew of the wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Although not a small producer, it is a family-owned vineyard like ours. In fact, after spending two hours with us in the morning, Christine Drouhin invited us to come back after lunch so we could meet Philippe, her husband who was leaving on his tractor as we first arrived. (We had planned lunch at the Rôtisserie de Chambertin, one of the landmarks of Burgundy gastronomy—served in a cellar after being greeted by animated life-size "vintners" singing traditional drinking songs, in French of course!).
We were surprised that in Burgundy watering the vines is not allowed, yet they can grow up to four inches a day. We noticed that although the soil was apparently dry, moisture was just below the surface thanks to regular rain. We also learned that in recent years harvest is taking place earlier due to warmer temperatures. And, with Dijon University nearby, there is no shortage of labor as thousands of students apply for the job although many will remain on a waiting list!
The Gevrey-Chambertin appellation consists of 128 acres for 84 owners—some owning more than others often as a result of partition due to inheritance. All are allowed the Clos-Vougeot Grand Cru appellation. As we visited the cellar, Christine pointed to a natural wall showing that the vines grow on a calcareous soil of rocks (good for retaining heat overnight), iron, and clay at the bottom. We see of course a similarity with our soil and wonder if in 50-80 years, the roots of our vines will also reach 16 feet deep!
Drouhin-Laroze, only uses new oak barrels for its Grands Crus. When we said that we also practice cold maceration, Philippe shared the results of their various experiments. As we accessed the unusual two-floor cellar, we asked about its practicability; Christine showed a trap-door allowing gravity-filled barrels—as we do at Heart O' the Mountain.
After such a privileged time, we were wise to keep the highlight of our trip for last: Château Pommard, the largest private vineyard in Burgundy—and from the same lineage as one of our clones.
We entered the grounds of the 18th century château through a garden of flowers, vegetables and herbs. Of course, we visited the museum and its massive 16th century wine press, the only one of its kind, and the impressive kitchen with a roasting-spit activated by a pendulum…
Then, we followed our guide through a gate and for a few moments, we watched an extraordinary sea of vines. We learned about the variations in soil types and micro-climates. The clay soil produces a wine rich in tannin—an attribute of Pommard wines, it is the key element to good ageing. The grapes of each plot are harvested and kept separately to enhance their individual characteristics, and let the creativity of the winemaker give a wine its unique character, which is what we do.
In spite of its 49 acres of mature and young vines, only 85,000 bottles of the Grand Vin du Château Pommard were produced, and only from grapes from old vines. The remainder of grapes from old vines was blended with newer ones under the appellation Bourgogne Pinot Noir.
Not that we haven't seen large cellars before, but theirs has not changed in 300 years. Approximately 300,000 bottles have been resting in this sanctuary at a constant temperature for up to 40 years. The wine is aged for 15-18 months in new oak barrels before being bottled, unfiltered. And, most of the barrels came from François Frères cooperage!
Interestingly, Pommard never had the opportunity to the Grand Cru appellation because of its location too far south of Beaune; instead it produces a Premier Cru and a Village. It has, however, found an equivalency with its Château appellation—the only one allowed in the region. Although such rating is not a practice of North America, we are inspired by the fact that Pommard was initially classified as a Première Cuvée—today's Premier Cru.
Burgundy is known for its wine, but also for its fantastic food. We chose to celebrate at the famous three-star Lameloise restaurant where we thought the number of delicious dishes would never stop.
But, our mission that day was to search for the Holy Grail of Burgundy: the Romanée Conti vineyard, home of one of the most expensive wines in the world. In fact, we were not the only visitors to the revered "4.44-acre plot" in the "heart" of a gentle slope. And, with all due respect to the challenges of viticulture, we noticed here as we did elsewhere some yellowing vines—a fact simply caused by diluted limestone. Surprisingly, the vineyard is partly enclosed by a low stone-wall along a dirt road, and simply identified by a stone-plaque. Sold on futures for thousands of dollars a case, it is a reminder that a good wine comes to life in the cellar.
And so, although we could keep sharing gratifying memories of our trip, we are pleased to report that our philosophy and practices—and our terroir—are similar to what we observed in Burgundy. Our wine should grace our cellar—and yours—for years to come…
Cheers!
© 2008 Marie C. Arnott
