Burgundy Wine making circa 1830′s
Recently, I met Sean Thackrey, a very interesting intellectual from New York, living in California who also happens to make fascinating wine. Being totally opposed to accepting anything without trying it himself, Sean is ever the eccentric, whilst making complete sense. Upon meeting we got right into speaking about his library he presents on his website Wine-Maker.net . The library includes a great deal of literary finds, with a focus on wine. These works are a time capsule of wine making, detailing traditions, and philosophies, processes, regions, politics, taxation, etc. The languages of these books include latin, french, Elizabethan english and more. As soon as we met, Sean mentioned a particular book from one Dr. Morelot first published in 1831.
Dr. Morelot was a Burgundy land holder in the early 1800′s who also made wine. He goes to great lengths illustrating the Burgundian wine making landscape in his times. Of note, yields are discussed in much detail. In his time, yields of the great appellations were roughly 8-10 hectolitres per hectare….I know, I know. What is a hectare (ha) and a hectolitre (hl)? Well, a hectare is how land was and is measured. One hectare is equal to basically 2.4 acres. A hectolitre is a measurement of liquid which works out to 100 litres. Well, in modern times, the great vineyards of Burgundy can produce wines (under a strictly regulated system) of upwards of 35 hl per ha. I was shocked. Well, that was before I had be reminded by Bill Nanson that vines training systems as we know them weren’t common in the 1800′s. Rows of vines would be a collection of long vines taking up far more space, with much less efficiency than what we have today. Makes sense.
Reading further, Morelot details the vinification process. Areas of interest are that he notes 24-36 hours being all that is needed from harvest to completion of fermentation. Wines of this process were thought to still be rich, boasting great body whilst being elegant. Surely this has something to do with the reduced yields, but, who knows.Also, he mentions that some in the South of France are using covers for the tops of the vats, which he recommends to use only at the end of the fermentation process as there is a great deal of gas prior to this. Also, he mentions that some in his village place a layer of clay over the last bit of grapes places in the vessel, ensuring protection from air contact. Once the cap rises, the clay and layer of grapes ruined by this layer of clay rise out of the vessel leaving the good grapes to continue the process.
There is so much more in this. The text is in French. However, many who visit this site either speak French or can get by well enough to get the gist.(EDIT: A reader mentions that Google Translate can use URLs to convert the pdf into english.) Sean has produced a brilliant summary (in english) that goes over much of what I mentioned and more. The material is truly interesting. If nothing else, it forces one to lengthen the time line of what truly is considered traditional.
Enjoy the texts,
Cheers!
Musings on the upcoming Harvest
Burgundy is filled with wine makers. Feel free to count those who claim to actually make the wine, and you may get but a small handful. Wine is made in the vineyards. This is not only a cliche, but something that is ingrained in the Burgundian culture. Further stated, I personally feel that I would prefer to have the wine be a result of actions (or the lack thereof) in the vineyards rather than decisions I make in the cellar. With the harvest quickly approaching, I am forced to break away from the romance of letting the wine make itself and figure out what needs to be in my facility to make this happen the right way.
I’ve made up my mind on general style approaches, and the best thing I can settle on is to leave as little imprint on the wine as possible. Here is the thing. Ideas are great to have. When it comes to executing, you see what flies and what was totally impractical. That said, I have started with a few general ideas that I’m shooting for.
I am looking to harvest quite early, most likely before 8am. Berries are going to be sorted by 8 people on a sorting table, de-stemming by hand (this is going to be a pain in the ___). With my small scale, the effort should be great, but the length of time short. Wooden foudre is preferred for fermentation. Also, the cold soak should last a decent amount of time, with pigeage (these size 14 feet should work) starting just before I am getting readings of around 2.5-3.5 Brix. No extended maceration post fermentation. No bleed offs. I am grabbing barrels to a ratio of 4 old barrels for every 1 new. So, 20% new, at most. One cooper will be used. Filling barrels by gravity. No racking until bottling. Being a small operation, the wine will rest for as long as it needs in barrel, no need to rush things. Neighbors bottling/releasing earlier won’t be of consequence. No fining, no filtering. Bottling will be done by hand, using gravity.
Alright, I’m off of my soapbox. Now, this is my first vintage in Burgundy. So, the ‘plan’ is just that. Someone doing something different is fine with me. My plan may be the opposite of some successful producers out there. However, this is a blueprint if you will of what I plan to do. I feel truly awkward setting there parameters up, but that is exactly what needs to happen to set up equipment, estimated time tables, material, manual help, etc.
It’s getting exciting over here…..even if I am just mentally tinkering. It’ll be interesting to see the results.
Cheers
Fruit Sources Coming In…
It’s been quite busy around here lately. The facility negotiations are going well, equipment is being sorted out (unintentional pun – but it stays) and finally, fruit sources are starting to be solidified. This is excellent news, much needed news at that. Thanks to some very generous friends in the States connecting me with new friends in Burgundy, it looks like Maison Ilan may not only have some brilliantly situated 1er Cru, but also some Grand Cru – both from the Cote de Nuits! Sadly, I have to keep the vineyards to myself for the time being. Burgundy is home to not only beautiful vineyards, villages and food, there simply is not enough room for secrets. Trust me, this is very good news. Both of these sources are being offered in grapes(as opposed to buying wine past the primary fermentation in barrel), the Grand Cru being quite the rarity for a newcomer such as myself. 
More updates are soon to come.
Cheers!
the future home of Maison Ilan?
View of Cuverie House
A good friend of mine in Burgundy, Fabrice has been working very hard to pull together all of my various loose ends. A few months ago, I was shown this facility in Beaune, just outside of the central village ring. I was impressed, but more consumed with a different option.
Looking deeper into the property Fabrice found, it has an amazing amount of potential. The cuverie is attached to a modest house. However, this cuverie from the early 1910′s has so much character and charm. There is a main floor for the winery, an attic for storage and plenty of room below ground in the brick lined cave. This will most likely be the future home of Maison Ilan.
Courtyard view of cuverie
Exterior of cuverie
Loading/Unloading Dock
Interior of Cuverie
Interior of Cuverie w/ attic access
Brick lined cave
Cave with wall storage
Arched brick ceilings
Stairs to courtyard
What are your thoughts on the facility?
Cheers
EDIT: After sitting vacant for over a year, the owner’s of the facility requested 9 years rent in advance from me. I respectfully declined. Shortly after, a wine maker from St Aubin was to sit at a table to sign contracts. As odd as this sounds, an item in the contract restricted the tenant from making wine…in the winery.
It seems I in fact did not miss out on a thing.
Cheers!
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Cheers
