Describe yourself in three words...

Always producing wine.

 

What has surprised you about being a winemaker?

How plants can be so resilient, and that I keep learning every day.

 

Could you provide a brief description of the winery and vineyards?

Both vineyards and winery are in the small and beautiful village of Vergisson, down in southern Burgundy. There, I work with my wife alongside my daughter and son to maintain the vineyard and produce the result of what the vines can give us.

 

What is your winemaking philosophy?

We try our best to respect the plant and the vineyard to produce our wines. We work the vineyards biodynamically; it has been a few years since we’ve been working that way, and the plant itself has become more resistant and is able to produce amazing grapes. We keep to a minimum (aside from green harvesting) the work we do in the vineyard, and everything is done by hand. If we take care of the vineyard, the vineyard takes care of us and gives back.

 

What is one of your favourite varietals to work with, and why?

Chardonnay is such an amazing grape; malleable and though probably the most studied, yet it doesn’t stop it from being surprising year after year. After all my decades of working in the vineyard and vinifying the wines, each year I learn something new about Chardonnay. Millions of years ago the area of Vergisson was covered by the sea, and I think Chardonnay captures that element of salinity in its tasting note very precisely. It’s capable of translating its origins very well.

 

How do you know when you have a particularly good vintage on your hands?

I think it really depends on what you expect, and more importantly, taste. I don’t think there are bad vintages; we merely produce what the vine gives us that season. We had some older vintages, in large formats which at the beginning we thought they might not be giving us as much as riper or balanced vintages. However, surprisingly, they were stunning. I think, when the weather in May is good though not too warm, so flowering can develop, followed by a bit of rain here and there, and not too warm a summer (without hail and frost) can make for a beautiful vintage. Again, it’s more down to taste than anything else in my view!

 

If you had to recommend just one of your wines to a customer, which would it be, and why?

Pouilly-Fuissé ‘Pentacrine’ as it’s affordable, yet quite a complete wine and a good introduction to what we produce from our vines. This is a selection of different plots from around our estate; some from deeper soils, some from iron rich soils, and others from chalk soils. All in all, a balanced cuvée.

 

Can you explain the importance of organic and biodynamic viticulture?

For sure, we have been working the vines organically and biodynamically for a long time now, everyone needs to do their part. We use no chemicals, promote biodiversity, and harvest everything by hand.

 

How has climate change impacted your winemaking?

We have adapted our work in the vineyards including the introduction of green harvest, however, more importantly climate change has made choosing picking dates more crucial. Given it is all done by hand, we start harvesting very early in the morning – at 5am with headlights as we have only two pressing machines, so we have to pick early as well at a cool temperature otherwise the grapes can reach above 30°C, which extracts unwanted flavours and we don’t want that.

 

What are your thoughts on the Premier Cru status introduction for Pouilly Fuissé?

I think maybe the association hasn’t properly looked at why it should be Premier Cru or not in some instances, as to my mind, some parcels have clearly the best soils and ability to produce a superb wine. All together though, it is good to differentiate and make it easier for customers to see differentiation.

 

What is your favourite restaurant and why?

Cassis in Mâcon. It’s a great restaurant for foodies where authenticity and provenance are key in their dishes; some are traditional, some are more creative.

 

Name your desert island dish and paired wine...

Lobster with Bâtard-Montrachet or Le Montrachet!