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!
An offer to work with Olivier
While we were in France, I was able to meet some really kind friends. Burgundy was no different. While in Puligny Montrachet I met Olivier Leflaive, who befriended me. Olivier and his family are one of the most respected wine families in Burgundy. After speaking about my project with him, he offered me help to get going. Recently, Olivier offered a chance to work with him this harvest at his domaine in Puligny Montrachet in the cellar. I will work with him while starting my own project in nearby Beaune. I can’t wait to get out there and get started. Stay tuned….
Update 9/25
As it turned out, I was far too busy with my own winery to help out with Olivier Leflaive. I am quite thankful for the offer that he extended to me.
Cheers
Back to the books
After visiting vineyards in Chambolle-Musigny with Eric Bourgogne, the vineyard manager of Comte Georges de Vogue, my mind keeps wandering back to things he mentioned while there checking out Bonnes Mares, Musigny, and the beautiful Les Amoureuses. Have to admit, I kept the camera at home, I wanted to take in every word that was told to me. He spoke about vineyard management keeping away from soil fertilizers, pruning low, and spraying the vines for protection as their only chemical interference. Terroir was conveyed to me on a much smaller scale than ever before. Eric mentioned the close relationship with nature, embracing the bugs on the top of the soil and the worms living beneath. Sure, for many this level of attention is at times hard to digest but it certainly made me think about things on a much smaller scale.
After coming back home, I’ve been researching the history of the vineyards in Burgundy. Not just the wines. That would be less valuable for me. Looking at the simply the wines or the end result is cutting short the importance of the vineyards and disregarding a bit of the origins producing the raw material. I’m especially interested in reading older articles and books on the subject to see what philosophies have changed or mutated,and why. Vineyard spacing, soil types, drainage, vintage differences effecting the vineyard, pruning, vine age, trellis type (if at all), diseases, chemicals, machines, tools, growing season length, everything is of importance. Can’t wait to get my grubby hands on some more info. I’ll be sure to update with thoughts.
