A couple of weeks ago I spent a rainy five days in Burgundy tasting a few hundred wines from the 2006 vintage. As usual, I was hunting for organic and biodynamic gems among them, hoping to find some from producers new to me. I did, but I expected even more estates to be following these eco-friendly paths.
That’s because whenever anyone wants to make the case for biodynamics (an organic farming method that views a vineyard as part of an entire ecosystem) as the key to wines that truly reflect terroir, they invariably point to Burgundy. I do this myself, all the time.
Internationally famous winemakers Lalou Bize-Leroy, Anne-Claude Leflaive, Dominique Lafon, and Domaine de la Romanee-Conti’s Aubert de Villaine all make some of the best wines on the planet. As passionate believers, they’ve given the biodynamic movement plenty of buzz and influenced many across the globe. When I taste their wines, I’m struck by their individuality and balance, fresh, pure fruit, and incredible length to the finish.
But even though more and more producers in Burgundy are cutting down on chemicals, and while horses have replaced tractors in many vineyards, those going all the way to organic and biodynamic still represent a small minority in this region of tiny properties.
Out of hundreds of growers, only about 59 estates with 3 percent of the vineyard area are ‘officially’ listed as organic or biodynamic. The number may be double that. Privately many proprietors tell me they are ‘practicing’ organic, but don’t want to market their wines that way or go to the bother and expense of getting certified. And maybe they want to hang on to a little bit of chemical insurance. When you consider the hailstorms, rot, mold, pests, and more of the difficult 2007 season, you can understand why Chablis producer Domaine Collet is only experimenting for now.
Add to weather problems the complication of Burgundy’s famously fragmented vineyards, the result of French inheritance laws. What’s the point of farming your few rows of vines organically when your neighbor is using chemical sprays that the wind blows onto yours?
Nonetheless, forward-thinking members of the younger generation are pushing ahead. Young Sylvain Loichet, in his twenties, is farming his family’s section of the Clos de Vougeot vineyard (84 owners!) with biodynamic methods and great results. His wines will be arriving in the U.S. later this year.
Philippe Drouhin, the fourth generation of large grower-negociant house Maison Joseph Drouhin, farms all his family’s 177 acres organically.
My biggest surprise discovery was a group of young, ambitious producers in the Maconnais, where a white wine renaissance is going on. Dedicated to respecting the environment, they call themselves The Artisan Vignerons of Southern Burgundy and are making some very serious Chardonnays. Many are farming organically; a few, like the Bret Brothers, have converted their family domaines to biodynamics.
Sexual confusion for moths is one of the latest organic methods to replace pesticides. In many vineyards I saw brown plastic capsules hanging close to the foot of vines. Pheromones inside saturate the air around the vine, preventing male and female moths from communicating. This is a village-wide tactic, where all vineyard owners apply them on the same day.
How much does doing away with chemicals enhance the taste of terroir in the wines? To be honest, I’m not sure.
But when it comes to other reasons for drinking organic, consider the new scary study about pesticide residues found in samples of red wine that came out the last week in March.
It was commissioned by a group called Pesticide Action Network Europe (www.pan-europe.info).
Laboratories tested forty wines from five European countries, Chile, South Africa, and Australia, 34 made from grapes grown conventionally (with chemicals) and six from organically-grown grapes. All conventionally-grown wines contained residues, including procymidone, a carcinogen. According to the report, three of these were famous crus classés red Bordeaux from St. Estephe and Pessac-Léognan, one of which cost $200. The wines were not named.
This week I’m in Bordeaux, tasting the 2007 vintage in barrel. And I’m thinking: why are Burgundy’s best producers, in a difficult climate, so forward thinking about organic practices and those in Bordeaux are not?
Here are some wines on my Burgundy hit list. Most are not certified:
Whites:
2006 Domaine Barraud Daniel et Julien Pouilly Fuissé En Buland Vieilles Vignes ($45): From vines planted in 1934, this Chardonnay is incredibly complex and savory, with mineral overtones. 89
2006 J-M. Brocard Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos ($67): This grower-negociant is in the process of converting their properties to biodynamics, but that will take a few years. Ripe and citrusy, this Chablis has wonderful freshness and a taste of minerals and green herbs. 90
2006 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir ($50): This large, respected grower-negociant makes wines full of finesse and subtlety and sets a high standard with all of them, especially their 1er and Grand Cru wines. Drouhin makes a range of Chablis; this one is easy to like, with its green fruit taste and long finish. 92
Their 2006 Chambertin Clos de Beze ($200) is super sexy and velvety, very harmonious. 90
2006 Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon Macon-Bussières Le Monsard ($25): Dominique Lafon is one of those leading the renaissance in Mâcon, and this single vineyard wine from the southern part of it is bright, rich and an exceptional value. 89
Domaine des Comtes Lafon, his biodynamic family estate in Meursault, is justly celebrated for its whites. The Meursault ($150), all tropical fruit with a chalky edge, has class, refinement, and elegant depth. 90
And in a year when reds in the Côte de Beaune didn’t do all that well, his Volnay ($100) is subtle and savory, with very pure, transparent cherryish flavors. 90
2006 Domaine Jeandeau Mâcon Viré-Clessé ($20): A small domaine in Fuissé, which the younger generation, son Denis, has converted to biodynamics. He is making some stunning Pouilly-Fuissés, but this Mâcon is very rich, with the creaminess of lemon curd. 88
2006 La Soufrandiere, Bret Brothers Pouilly-Fuissé En Carementrant ($28): The two Bret Brothers have been getting buzz for a few years now for their intense serious very distinctive Chardonnays. Some, like this one, are from non-certified organically-grown grapes; others are certified biodynamic. This one has plenty of fresh, bright fruit, with a snappy, pineapple-y tropical character. 92
Reds
2006 Domaine de L’Arlot Nuits-St.-Georges Clos des Forêts Saint-Georges 1er Cru ($75): Reds from the Cote de Nuits generally did better than those from the Côte de Beaune in 2006. This domaine has practiced organic farming since 2002. A heady, juicy, seductive wine that has a deep structure and should age well. 91
2006 Domaine de la Vougerie Grand Cru Bonnes Mares ($175): Founded in 1999, this estate unites 91 acres of negociant Boisset’s vineyards. They use a combination of ‘natural’ and biodynamic farming. Very full-flavored, with rich fruit and a bit of oak showing now. 90
2006 Domaine Taupenot-Merme Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Riotte ($75): Since 2003 the vineyards of this domaine have been organic; this wine from old vines has lively energy, sweet fruit, and good concentration. 92