Biodynamics, terroir and dirt at Vouette et Sorbée
Neville and I have been lucky enough today to spend three hours in the company of Bertrand Gautherot, his vines and his wines. Gautherot, a keen convert to biodynamics and one of the increasing number of boutique producers influenced by Anselme Selosse, is just beginning to become known amongst champagne lovers.
He is based at the little known village of Buxières sur Arce in the Aube. This idyllic hamlet is not really a part of the Champagne people know well — the heavily industrialised monoculture of vines or wheat. Bertrand has taken advantage of this: he can more easily enhance the ecology of his vineyards by introducing other farm animals and plants into the area. As the surrounding vines are owned by his family, he has been able to convince them to not spray pesticides and herbicides close to his vineyards.
This means a lot of work for Bertrand: he sprays neighbouring vines himself, sprays his own vines by hand, ploughs using a horse, and undertakes all other activities by hand.
Vouette et Sorbée is only a young domaine, its first release (a mere 3,000 bottles) was in 2004 from 2001 fruit. His vineyards, though, have a longer history. His grandfather was lucky enough to survive the first world war. Upon returning back to the region, he was one of the only men left fit enough to work the land. As such, he took control of some 300 hectares, 15 of which were planted with vines. These vines have since been divided amongst the famly. Bertrand has amassed 5 hectares by buying plots from his extended family and friends. Until the domaine was founded, all wine was sold to the local co-operative and then often on to the big champagne houses. This is still the case for the wine of his relatives and all but one other producer in the village.
The name Vouette et Sorbée is a reference to the two vineyards he received from his grand father. Vouette, a word which refers to a small rural passage, commands a good position on a steep slope facing south west. Indeed, it has the appearance of a small path in between folds of the hill. Sorbée is higher up the hill, on the plateau. The name refers to the trees planted around the vineyard (those of the Sorbier genus).
Bertrand has been deeply influenced by the work of organic and biodynamic farmers and vignerons. He was traveling and encountered the wines of a producer who used such methods. He was immediately impressed by the wine. The vigneron showed him his vines, the life in the vineyard, the absence of pesticides, herbicides. He looked to his own region, consulting people such as Anselme Selosse and Pierre Larmandier. All the advice he received pointed in a specific direction: he needed to rejuvenate his vineyards and bottle his own wine. He did just that: selling shares in the cooperative and borrowing money, he converted to biodynamic viticulture and purchased the equipment necessary for bottling and aging his own wine.
The first wine to be produced was the Fidèle. Soon to follow was a Saignée de Sorbée and then the Chardonnay based Blanc d’Argile. There is a fourth, rare cuvée: the Extrait, a bottling of a single interesting barrel for lovers and supporters of the domaine.
Bertrand took us on a detailed survey of his holdings, stopping often to point out the ecology of the vineyards. He took a shovel full of dirt from his vineyard and his neighbour’s, a mere few metres away. The difference was obvious: his soil was loose, deep in colour, full of all kinds of bugs, with a deep smell of the forest about it. His neighbour’s soil was very wet, much more like gray clay, it was hard with no bugs and had no real smell to speak of. Both vineyards are on the same part of the hill, literally next to each other, but could not be more different. The contrast above the soil is just as striking: grasses, dandelions, flowers grow in Bertrand’s rows. In those of his neighbours, there is no plant life at all, due to use of herbicide spraying.
We moved to the cuverie to taste some vins clairs, or “quiet wine” as Bertrand liked to call it. I was struck by how fragrant all the wines were. They smelt like finished Burgundies. Bertrand worries that maybe his wines are too flavoursome to be proper sparkling wines.
A special treat was to try the solera wine, which was extremely rich, full of wood spice, almonds, dried lemon and cream. I could have drunk considerably more of this.
The Saignée de Sorbée deserves special mention. The wine undergoes a brief period of carbonic maceration to begin the fermentation and to extract colour. It is then pressed and aged in oak like the other wines. By using this method, Bertrand invokes the memory of his childhood, when his grandfather grew Gamay to make wine for workers on the farm. Like farmers of Gamay in Beaujolais, the wine was produced using the carbonic maceration technique. Although the Saignée de Sorbée is made from Pinot Noir, there is a hint of the fruitiness of Beaujolais to it. The similarities stop there: it is altogether a much more serious wine than most Beaujolais.
We then moved onto two bottled wines.
Blanc d’Argile (2006 fruit) Upon pouring, a vibrant mousse which carries a lot of aroma: spicy with lemon and red currant like aromas, despite this being a Chardonnay based wine. The mousse dissipates quickly, Bertrand adding less sugar than many people to produce less CO2. He thinks that it could also be because the wine is not filtered and those particles of yeast or sediment left in the wine discourage the longevity of the mousse. On the palate, a rich wine with crème brûlée and lemon syrup, roasted nuts, cloves and white flowers. A core of sweet fruit, despite there being no dosage.
Fidèle (2002 fruit, freshly disgorged) A rich, creamy, mature nose. You could be forgiven thinking this was Chardonnay. The palate has a lot going on, it’s more like a Burgundy than a Champagne. Beautifully fresh acidity. Long spicy finish. This is a startling confirmation of the power of organic viticulture and attentive handling of Champagne.
For French speakers there is more at the Vouette et Sorbée website.
You can also read Neville’s thoughts.
