Biodynamics dépassés par Eco-Luneau....!

Marie Chartier (Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin) demonstrating 

a return to an age-old tradition to analyse 

the newly born 2014 Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine  

It is an immutable law of nature that there comes a time when even the most cutting edge, starry movement slows and is overtaken by something new. Last Thursday we had the good fortune to discover that this may well now be underway in Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine. There is now a palpable sense that biodynamics is beginning to appear jolly fatigué!

Pierre-Marie Luneau – listening to his nascent 2014 Muscadet

Eco-Luneau is a return to hallowed traditions and values, including one long forgotten aspect of wine – its sound.

Trail-blazer Pierre-Marie Luneau (Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin) explains: "We have forgotten how to listen to wine. Of course, the sight, aroma and taste are very important but we must never forget the sound of wine – the fourth sense. Unfortunately all the current wine notation systems, including of course the 100-point scale, concentrate exclusively on the three senses ignoring sound so only assess a part of a wine's qualities."  

Pierre Clavel, Domaine Clavel in the Languedoc  

(Millésime Bio, Montpellier January 2012)

 

Pierre-Marie acknowledges the pioneering and inspirational work carried out by Pierre Clavel into the audiology of wine over the past few years. 

The Luneau family with their promising 2014 Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine:

Pierre-Marie, Marie, Monique et Pierre 

(above and below)

Marie with the finely calibrated divining stick

 Monique Luneau with a stereo of 2014 Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine

 Muscadet Sèvre-et-Ligeoise:

there will be some exciting new flavours 

emerging from the Pays Nantais this year

Seresin: bio-dynamic seminar@Shoreditch

Seresin Estate viticulturalist Colin Ross +

Patrick Schmitt (The Drinks Business) 

and Neil Beckett (The World of Fine Wine)

 Awaiting lift-off...

A selection of photos from yesterday's rather unfocused Seresin biodynamic seminar in the heart of Shoreditch.

Fresh cow shit from a Sussex field collected that morning

Silica and processed cow shit after it has been through horn transformation

Patrick Schmitt (The Drinks Business) and Neil Beckett (The World of Fine Wine)

Neil exhibiting a certain unease and scepticism perhaps?

Colin Ross

Colin Ross with echoes of the late, great Tommy Cooper?

The venue was The Rochelle Centre an ex-Victorian school (board?) 

– many of these solidly built structures still survive in London: 

some as schools, others converted, while many schools 

thrown up in the 1960s have been demolished 

Neil Beckett exhibiting just a scintilla of doubt over this hand exercise...

(above and below)

Table set for lunch

A stirring excerise:

A vortex

Adding the processed cow shit and stirring...

... and stirring

... and stirring

... and stirring

... and stirring

... and stirring

... and stirring

The ever diligent Anne Krebiehl

Denis Jamain: Reuilly's first organic wine + dynamising cow horn

Denis Jamain: Reuilly's leading exporter and the producer of the first organic wine in Reuilly 

(above and below)

Denis Jamain (Domaine de Reuilly) is Reuilly's leading producer – certainly in terms of export and no-one is making better quality Reuilly. 60% of his wine is exported with the USA, Germany and Scandinavia as leading markets. The overall average export figure for Reuilly is 13%. Jamain has just released the 2011 Les Fossiles, Reuilly Blanc (Sauvignon Blanc). This is the first certified organic wine from Reuilly. It is more minerally and austere than Jamain's regular Reuilly Blanc cuvée but at the same time has some soft texture and good length.       

2011 Les Fossiles, Reuilly Blanc 

Reuilly's first organic wine 

Jamain is now in the first year of converting to biodynamics and I was able to see them getting ready to treat the vines with powdered cow horn (query- cow dung?) dissolved in water and dynamised before spraying. Six hectares were due to be sprayed with 270 litres (45 litres per ha) of the dynamised mixture, which was dynamised for an hour. The spray is intended to stimulate the roots. 

Readying the dynamiser

The dynamiser

Adding the corn horn to the water

 Dynamising 

Death row vines in Saint-Georges sur Cher 

Biodynamics continues to receive an often sceptical press. However, whatever one's view biodynamics, it surely cannot be as mad as this example of 'conventional' vineyard management with all life apart from the vines blitzed by weedkiller. This particular example comes from Saint-Georges-sur-Cher (AC Touraine) but unfortunately could come from a number of other appellations in the Loire.