Falstaff Magazin International 00/2021

wine / BORDEAUX <

wine / BORDEAUX < profound minerality supported by tannins of the greatest nobility. A further example is Tertre de la Mouleyre belonging to Eric Jeanneteau. He manages two feats at once: to produce a wine still just within the confines of Saint-Émilion that is amongst the finest and richest the appellation has to offer; and to make a living from just 1.8 hectares/4.4 acres of vineyard without being ranked in a classification. THE EQUILIBRIUM OF SOILS What about the economy of Bordeaux? While the most sought-after châteaux evidently prosper like they never did in the 20th century, at the other end of the scale, the bulk wine price for the generic Bordeaux appellation has fallen below one Euro a litre. Then there are whole subregions suffering from a depression, namely Sauternes, Barsac and their neighbouring appellations – because our gastronomic zeitgeist finds little room for the intricacies of these rich and nobly sweet wines. “It is not the economy,“ Jan Thienpont says with a good measure of defiance in his voice, “that will determine the future of Bordeaux. The actual factor is the biology of the soils and their incredibly complex equilibrium. This and nothing else is the point with which Bordeaux can differentiate itself in the long term. Compared to the enormity of this task, the economy is almost irrelevant.“ Eric Boissenot, a highly respected oenological consultant in the Médoc stresses a similar point. The wines of the most prestigious estates of the Médoc are analysed in Boissenot’s small laboratory. He works for four of the five premiers crus classés and about forty of the rest, but also for dozens of smaller châteaux. Together with the teams at each estate he develops THE ACTUAL FACTOR IS THE BIOLOGY OF THE SOILS AND THEIR INCREDIBLY COMPLEX EQUILIBRIUM. JAN THIENPONT WINEMAKER Above: Eric Jeanneteau tasting and toasting with friends. Left: Justine Tesseron of Château Pontet-Canet and amphorae at their cellar used for maturing wine. concepts that lend even more detail and definition to the wines – far removed from any oenological standard formulas. When asked what his clients’ most pressing concern has been in recent years, he says: “The estates put enormous effort into viticulture, they focus on proper and respectful farming methods. At the winemaking level, time and again it is about understanding the terroirs.“ Boissenot also emphasizes that Bordeaux needs both glamorous top châteaux and solid professional practice at entry level. “A great many people in Bordeaux are very good at what they do,“ he says. “At the crus classés and, Photos:©I.Mathie, Julie Rey, 32 falstaff summer 2021

just a few kilometres further, at less well-known estates.“ Yet it was also the Médoc that was rather slow to innovate, especially in terms of organic farming. A not insignificant reason for this was also that a 60–80 hectare/150- 200acre estate of a typical Médoc estate on the Left Bank is harder to convert than a 10 hectare/25 acre estate on the Right Bank. It is therefore all the more telling that the paradigm shift that is now underway started in Pauillac – at the very top: at Château Latour and Château Pontet Canet. Château Latour worked according to a phased plan. In summer 2008, a team IT IS THEREFORE ALL THE MORE TELLING THAT THE PARADIGM SHIFT THAT IS NOW UNDERWAY WAS STARTED IN PAUILLAC, AT THE VERY TOP: AT CHÂTEAUX LATOUR AND PONTET CANET. member hired specifically for the task of organic conversion started the first trials of alternative farming methods in the vineyards. In 2009, three parcels were farmed biodynamically. By 2014, the entire enclos, the 32 hectare/79 acre vineyard that makes up most of the grand vin had been convertad, since 2016 the entire 65 hectares/161 acres of the estate. “We realised that our wines reach a perfect balance of their own accord via these farming methods,“ Latour’s technical director Hélène Génin says. “They have healthier pH levels, fresher aromatics.“ < summer 2021 falstaff 33