Millésime 2019
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BRET BROTHERS Jean-Philippe, Jean-Guillaume & Marc-Antoine BRET Grands Vins Blancs de la Bourgogne du Sud Grands Vins Rouges du Beaujolais et de ses Crus & D omaine La S oufrandière LL aa SS oo uu ff rr aa nn dd ii èè rr ee « Des Raisins d’Exception pour des Vins d’Exception » Happy Wines ;-) Millésime 2019 BRET Guillaume - Jean Drawing by Charlotte Hevin for our cuvee “La Carbonnode” Philippe, - BRET BROTHERS - La Soufrandière 125 rue Aux Bourgeois - 71680 Vinzelles - France Tél : (+ 33) 03 85 35 67 72 - E-Mail : [email protected] Conception Jean www.bretbrothers.com Domaine La Soufrandière La Soufrandière is our family’s estate, purchased in 1947 by our paternal grandparents. In 2000, we officially took over La Soufrandière and its 4.5 hectares of Pouilly Vinzelles planted on the best, east/southeast-facing clay-limestone slope in the village. Then, in 2004, our maternal grandfather entrusted his one hectare Clos in Mâcon-Vinzelles to us. As of 2016, we were lucky enough to acquire 5 hectares of q< organically farmed vines: 3.5 hectares in Saint-Véran, 1.2 hectares in Pouilly Fuissé, and 1.2 hectares of Bourgogne Aligoté. We decided to work Organically and Biodynamically from the start. As we see it, an agriculture respecting the Living environment is the only way to produce wines with exceptional balance, that vibrate with energy and reveal their terroir. Maintaining balance between the Soil and Vine allows us to produce small berries that are balanced and rich in phenolics and organic acids that are essential to optimal grape ripening. The grapes are harvested by hand in small cases, then crushed, pressed and vinified in barrels or in tanks, with the indigenous yeasts naturally present on the grape skins. The aging period varies from 11 to 18 months depending on the cuvée. Jean-Philippe & Jean-Guillaume BRET La Soufrandière is located in Vinzelles, in Southern Burgundy 1st vintage vinified by J-Phi & J-Gui at La Soufrandière: 2000 11 ha of Chardonnay: Mâcon-Vinzelles, Pouilly-Vinzelles, Saint-Véran and Pouilly-Fuissé, and 0.30 ha of Bourgogne Aligoté Annual average production: 60,000 bottles Vineyards plowed since 2000 (2 ha plowed by horse since 2017) Certified organic (Ecocert) and Biodynamic (Demeter) since 2006 2019 Vintage : The 2019 vintage is another revelatory one in the ongoing series, “Chronicles of a Deregulated Climate,” that defines the past two decades of climatic conditions in the vineyards. After the heat waves and droughts of these past few years, the winter of 2019 was particularly mild in the Mâconnais. Once again, the risk of spring frost was imminent. Rain fell at the start of April, followed two days later by a clear, star-studded night, without a cloud in sight to help conserve any heat in the atmosphere. And as predicted, on April 4th the still humid, just emerging buds were frosted. A large portion of parcels at the bottom of the slope of the Mâconnais and Beaujolais were hit hard. For our domaine, a young vineyard was 100% damaged, and the Clos de Grand Père lost 60% of its production. Very fortunately, the slopes where most of our vines are located were saved at 90-95%. We remained at risk for other episodes of frost through the end of April, but drier conditions saved the young buds despite the continued negative temperatures (C°) that ensued. Flowering began in early June, with a hot and dry summer to follow, and harvest began on September 10th, finishing on the 21st. In the end, yields were down mostly due to the colder spring’s effect at flowering. But we’re happy to enjoy the results of this beautiful vintage, full of charm and character. Cheers!! BRET BROTHERS We created Bret Brothers in early August 2001 with the aim of making great terroir-driven wines, primarily from Southern Burgundy. We expanded the line up to include the great Beaujolais Crus in 2013. We strictly adhere to a number of rigorous standards: we select micro-plots of old vines farmed by passionate growers on specific terroirs; we buy only grapes that are still on the vine; we hand-pick the grapes ourselves; we vinify exclusively with indigenous yeasts; we cellar, age, and bottle the wine ourselves. We give the same care and passion to these grapes as for the grapes coming from our Domaine La Soufrandière. Since the 2019 vintage, 100% of the wines will be certified by Ecocert “organic” or “in conversion to organic”. Great Mâconnais white wines (Southern Burgundy) and Beaujolais Crus 1 Wine = 1 Parcel = 1 Grower (except Mâcon-Villages ‘Terroirs du Mâconnais’) Selection of old vines (at least 40 years old), 100% chardonnay, 100% gamay Hand-harvesting by the BRET BROTHERS’ team Since 2019, 100% of the purchased grapes are organic or in conversion certified Total of 14 ‘micro-cuvées’ (900 to 6,000 bottles per wine) Annual production: 50,000 bottles 100% indigenous yeasts for alcoholic fermentation Most of the wines are vinified and aged in Burgundian barrels (7 to 18 years old) Photo captions, counter-clockwise: Chardonnay flowering at the end of June 2015 in Les Quarts, golden 2015 grapes in ‘Longeays,’ a vine during bud break in Spring (F. Leduc), La Soufrandière before 1947, le ‘Clos de Grand-Père’ in the morning sunlight, the typical ‘Tinnailler’ tanks of the Mâconnais, our underground barrel cellar (F. Leduc), La Soufrandière as seen from afar (F. Leduc), from left to right – Jean-Guillaume, Jean-Philippe and Marc-Antoine The Wines of Domaine La S oufrandière : Cuvées « Zen » This is the second time we’re proposing a “Zen” version of multiple cuvées, with no added sulfur until bottling. For these wines, the total added sulfur is less than 20 mg/l. Total added sulfur is generally 40-50 mg/l for the other Bret and Soufrandière whites, and 20-40 mg/l for the reds, levels which are already quite low. For comparison, the Biodynamic certification association Demeter allows 90 mg/l total sulfur, Organic wine can be up to 150 mg/l, and non-certified wines can go as high as 210 mg/l. As a result, the Zen cuvées are more open and vibrant, with a stroke of magic. They should be stored at 15°C maximum. And they’re very limited! BOURGOGNE ALIGOTE CUVEE « ALIGATO » « Zen » La Soufrandière 2019 : Limited production (1200 bottles) “The other white Burgundy,” from vines acquired in 2016. This is a micro-production of Aligoté from east-facing vines, at the foot of the Roche de Vergisson. 2018 is for those who love tense wines. Almost incisive, and yet so gourmand! MACON-VINZELLES La oufrandière « LE CLOS DE GRAND-PERE » 2019 : S The younger brother of our Pouilly-Vinzelles, our MÂCON-VINZELLES “LE CLOS DE GRAND PÈRE” comes from a plot belonging to our maternal grandfather, who inherited it from his own maternal grandfather! The vines, 60 years old on average, are located on a hard limestone terrace, which is believed to be an old Roman path, at the bottom of the slope in Pouilly-Vinzelles. In 2018, notes of white flowers on the nose and a noble bitterness on the palate invite a second sip SAINT-VERAN CUVEE «LA COMBE DESROCHES» La Soufrandière 2019 : We acquired this beautiful parcel of about 1.5 hectares in 2016. Located at the foot of the Roche de Vergisson, on the north- facing hillside of a stunning valley, its soils of marl and clay are ideal for Chardonnay. The grapes achieve lovely ripeness despite this cooler terroir. A terroir for the future. An elegant wine in 2016, ideal at the start of a meal. AINT ERAN LIMAT A ONNODE S -V C «L B » La Soufrandière 2019 : Neighbor to “Combe DesRoches,” “La Bonnode” is a superb parcel of 2 hectares, facing east at the foot of the Roche de Vergisson. The vines are mostly bordered by old brush: a sheltered, isolated situation that allows us to biodynamically cultivate the vines with ease. Working in this parcel, we can see across the Saône Valley all the way to the Mont Blanc in the distance to the east. This first vintage confirms our hopes: this is a great terroir for whites, with both tension and fruit. Cheers! SAINT-VERAN CUVEE «LA CARBONNODE » « Zen » La Soufrandière 2019 : La Carbonnode is the result of a Carbonic maceration on La Bonnode. This is a truly unique cuvée, made with a whole cluster fermentation on our Chardonnay grapes. After a 10-day maceration in a closed tank, the grapes were pressed, and fermentation finished in barrel (228 liters). With a slightly orange tint, a zesty and expressive nose, it’s an enticing, outside-the-box kind of wine. An exercise in changing the world while sharing a bottle amongst friends ;-) 2018. A favorite ! SAINT-VERAN CUVEE « OVOÏDE « Zen » La Soufrandière 2019 : As of this year, we’re proposing another version of our Saint-Véran La Bonnode. The juice fermented naturally in a cement ovoid tank (19hl) for one year, with no added sulfur. In August, the wine was racked to stainless steel tank for a final ageing period on fine lees. It will be bottled, without filtration, in January 2020. A pure, magnificent, ethereal wine. One rediscovers Chardonnay in a new light. The experiment will continue with a second ovoid tank in 2019. 2018. A favorite ! OUILLY UISSE U IGNERAIS P -F « A V » La Soufrandière 2019 : Our parcel of about 0.50 ha is on the southern hillside of the Roche de Solutré, at about 300 meters’ altitude. The view is magnificent and the clay-limestone soils are particularly red here.