Imagine yourself in Ampuis in 1781.  This is a tiny town in the Northern Rhone, famous for its red wine made from Syrah and white from Viognier. Joseph Vidal-Fleury, the founder of Vidal Fleury, was an important grower and negotiant. Today this is the Rhone valley's continuously operating winery.

Since the 1980s Vidal-Fleury has been owned by the family of Etiene Guigal, yet operated as an independent firm with vineyards in both the northern and southern Rhone. Today I had the good fortune of meeting winemaker and General Manager Guy Sarton du Jonchay, a very affable gentleman who has many fascinating theories about wine.

$25 million recently was invested in Vidal-Fleury, used to renew the winery and optimize aging, bottling, and maturation. A new logo was created to reflect this change (and create more consumer recognition).

Today I had the chance to taste many wines, including the 2009 and 2007 Cotes du Rhone white (made from mostly viognier) selling for $14 that is incredibly fresh and delicious, with racy apricot on the palate and a long finish. The soil is clay, granite, and sand. To get the the concentrated flavor, the wine is aged on lees with battonnage for six months, followed by three months maturation in bottle. I also liked the 2007 Saint-Joseph Rouge with flavors of blackcurrant and pepper.

One of the highlights was the Cote Rotie Brune Et Blonde 2004, a very elegant wine culled from syrah on both the Cote Blonde (southern part, with soil consisting of gneiss covered by a top layer of siliceaous calcareous soil) and Cote Brune (northern part, with schist mixed with mica and iron oxide). This wine was aged on the lees for four years in barrels and wood vat "foudres" followed by extended maturation in botttle.  The nose was of soft flowers, tobacco, and black olive and very gentle flavors of soft cherry on the palate.

I liked the Cote du Ventoux Rouge 2009 (60% syrah, 30% grenache, 20% others) with its blueberry flavors, yet went wild for the white Muscat d Beaumes de Venise 2008. The residual sugar was 120 grams per litre yet it did not taste that sweet. The Muscat grapes are grown on sandy Marl soil, hand picked when they have at least 353 grams per litre of alcohol, pressed, racked, then fermented in stainless steel tanks with selected yeasts. Fermentation is stopped with pure alcohol to fortify the wine, which is then aged on the lees with battonage for twelve months. Really loved the clean, pure, apricot flavor with undertones of honey.

Guy Sarton du Jonchay is a very interesting individual and his wines are fabulous.  He has had many important positions in his career, including senior winemaker at Barton & Guestier. During our time together, Guy kept mentioning how Vidal-Fleury has revitalized itself. Though I have not tasted the former Vidal-Fleury, before the rennovation in the winery, the new wine I am tasting today is quite delicious. They are available in the U.S. and definately a quality wine.

“Welcome!” says Jeremy Steimer in perfect English, looking very fresh and crisp on this hot sunny day with his well-pressed shirt, light hair, and cheerful smile. We shake hands in the M. Chapoutier Caveau (showroom), a gorgeously decorated place where the special soils of Michel Chapoutier’s vineyards can be seen behind a glass case.

Would it sound strange if I tell you I am a bit thrilled by the soils? I actually stand over the glass floor display and compare how different all the soils seem to be, and how curious the vineyards are so close together. “Would you like to see the vineyards?” Jeremy asks. Eagerly, we say yes.
 

From reading about Michel Chapoutier in the new book Les Creatures Du Vin by Bettane and Desseauve, I learn Michel wanted to leave his mark on the wine world at an early age. He traveled extensively in the 1980s, took note of advances in technology, and when he came back to the family business thought the wines had too much alcohol and were too evolved because they were aged in chestnut barrels. He also saw that the Chapoutier image was falling in the wine world, and he took over the family business at the age of 24.

Now  as we walk along the narrow streets of the pretty village Tain to the Chapoutier vineyards, Jeremy tells us about the viticulture. He’s a remarkable young man, and I remember reading in Bettane’s book that Michel frequently hires “from within” and past Caveau interns have become top salespeople.

Biodynamic and Organic

Chapoutier vineyards are also biodynamic and organic, and Michel was much influenced by Rudolf Steiner’s biological agriculture. They make their own compost, use nettles to ward off insects, and many other practices that help the vines express themselves as naturally as possible. In the words of Michel, “Biodyamic is simply life in action.” Organic compost is prepared on-site, nettles are used to detour insects, and groves are dug by horse.

L’Hermitage

Finally we reach the the four red and three white wine areas at l’Hermitage, all with very different distinct soils. For that very reason (the soils) the wines deliver very different expressions. The plot selection speaks. With the same climate, fruit, viticulture practices and winemaking, the wines are different (as we later taste in the Caveau).
 

Winemaking

In the words of authors Bettane and Desseauve, Michel is a “maniac” for prolonged maceration. “The more you macerate the skins, the finer the tannins so that the wine changes texture and becomes silky. Michel likes to control the temperature during fermentation, fearing that with too much heat, one loses finesse, and too much cool can bring a vegetable character,” Michel says in the book.

Back at the Caveau

After a walk (climb?) up the steep vineyards, we went back to the Caveau for a tasting and a short film featuring Michel Chapoutier speaking about the wine. Between the film and the vivid, candid descriptions in the Bettane/ Desseauve book, I feel like I know him – or at least, can get a sense of his independent spirit and passion. Apparently in the 1980s he has been called “mad” and “wild” yet he was a pioneer in the organic and biodynamic space, and other producers in the area were of another generation and another line of thinking.

The Bettane/Desseauve book also talks about his early childhood – reading between the lines, it seems he felt an outsider and was most comfortable working with farming families herding animals and being in nature. The story about how he became the head of his family’s company at age 24 (the authors briefly mention issues with succession) and literally turned it around in short order can make a book on its own.

When you are in the N. Rhone, the Caveau is a wonderful place to stop and experience the magic of M. Chapoutier. You can find books, the soil samples mentioned, and find delicious wine. Very grateful to the entire Chapoutier team and very excited to continue to learn more about the vineyards here, and also Michel’s new vineyards in various parts of the world.

Exciting times!

Ah, Syrah!

Do you prefer it young, fresh, and juicy with expression? Or sophisticated, well-rounded, yet seductive all the same?

One of the best things about living the vida loca wine life is that there are so many helpful "enablers" all around you, feeding into your literal thirst for wine knowledge.

Take wine store clerks, for example. Manhattan is filled with savvy staffers who really take delight in showing you fabulous wines, even going as far as sending you a blind presentation so you can contrast old and new world styles at your leisure.

When Worlds Collide

As we head towards 2020, the new trend is Old World wines made in a New World  (more fruit forward) style, and Old World wines made in a New World (more restrained) style. This sort of pairing is best represented by the Syrahs of the Northern Rhone and California.

Poured into their glasses, the two wines had the same dark intense concentrated purple color.

Wine #1 had lots of spice, plump purple grapes, a strong purple violet aroma, and racy acidity – it packed a powerful punch. It seemed young and juicy and would be incredible with lamb fresh off the spit.

Wine #2 was a bit shy on the nose, with an aroma of violets, yet on the palate had the kind of balance and structure one comes to expect in Old World wines. The balance came in the form of the acidity and tannin and fruit concentration at the same exact level, with neutral oak tying it all together in an integrated fashion.

Wine #1 was indeed new world, La Clarine Farm 2009 Syrah from the Sierra Foothills in California. Wine #2 was Les Iles Ferray Vin de Pays Ardeche from Pierre Gonon

Fair Beauty Contest?

Okay, this beauty contest may be unfair – the La Clarine Farm is ultra natural – we’re talking foot crushing (hello Lucy Ricardo!), spontaneous fermentation, ambient yeasts, and pressing from skim/stems to old French oak barrels without sulfur, racking, etc.

The hotel is actually in the middle of nowhere, and tiny narrow roads and construction turned what we were told would be a twenty-minute drive into 90 minutes. Yet when you see the pictures below, you will see it was well worth the effort. Absolutely one of the best lunches in the area – and one of the most reasonable since we only had time for the short menu.

Chemin des Fontanettes – 38121 Chonas L’Amballan 04 74 58 81 52