Il Mensile 3

Undertones of the winemakers that came before

Cultural and educational DNA is seen among musicians, chefs and artists (and, I’m sure, many more mundane professions too). This month we are going to look at how that can play out in the vineyard and winery.

The relationship between apprentice and master is dotted through all the history books. The concept is as lofty as it is basic: as Bach shared chords with Mozart and Cezanne’s brushstrokes became Picasso’s, a mother deer will steer her bambi clear of poisonous weeds. The sharing of knowledge, skills and technique is not simply vocational, it’s personal. While the practice of stagiaires is perhaps a little on the nose these days, it is certain that with time spent in the cellars of others, certain ideas will sprout. 

Giorgio and I particularly seek enjoyment from tasting the personality of the wine makers in our bottles, and so, over a few wines, we started to wonder how much has also come from the lessons learned at the apron strings (barrel taps?) of others? Are we tasting not one, but perhaps two or three personalities in each glass?

A recent visit to the Jura and Savoie took us to the caves of two fledgling (and fabulous!) winemakers - Katie Worobeck (Maison Maenad) and Damien Bastien - both of whom, as it happens, have worked with Jean-Francois Ganevat. While Ganevat needs no introduction - his wines among the cornerstone wines of the much-lauded Jura region - it is interesting to note that his success is, in part, put down to his time in Burgundy and the traces of the way they work that is found in his wines (particularly the low-yields and biodynamic practices he brought back with him). 
 

And so to our winemakers:
 
Katie, Maison Maenad, Saint-Laurent-la-Roche, Orbagna, Jura
A Canadian, Katie studied political economy, later working with a winery in Canada before moving to France to work with Ganevat. She stayed six years and, three years ago, when the option came up to buy 3 hectares she jumped. She is on her second vintage with her own label Maison Maenad.
 
Damien, Damien Bastian, Brenthonne,  Savoie
A Savoyard, Damien studied environmental science before acquiring 3.9 hectares in his homeland. Has been working these parcelles for 6 years. While preparing to launch his own label, he split his time between the Savoie and the Jura, working part time with Ganevat.
 
Katie has found a parcel on a north facing slope in Saint-Laurent-la-Roche. The parcel is planted with the star grapes you would expect to find in the Jura (Poulsard, Trousseau, Savignan, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir), nestled in a gentle green valley overlooking one of Labet’s plots, overlooked further afield by one of Ganevat’s. The vines are about 35 years old, they had been well-cared for and are on their way to more organic days.
 
Damien, meanwhile, is now back fulltime in his homeland running a parcel that runs deep with the traditions of the Savoie and Haute-Savoie: particularly Chasselas (a Swiss grape), alongside Altesse, Pinot Noir and Gamay. His grandfather helped create the geographic appellation here and, perhaps as a result, Damien is relishing the task of making delicious out of a slightly maligned grape.

It is immediately apparent that both winemakers held tight to one key piece of strong advice: “limit your vineyards to around three to four hectares” - just enough to work on, make a living, but not too big to find yourself slipping out of the vineyard and into a spreadsheet. A suggestion as simple as it is profound.
 
In the winery itself, there is direct pressing without destemming for whites, whole bunch maceration for reds, movements of the wines by gravity, while both are toying with allowing their whites a little more time in barrel (of course, a classic Jura trait, but interesting seen with Damien’s wines in the Savoie too). 
 
Katie is now farming these classic Jura grapes (her first two vintages were made with negoce grapes from a parcel she looked after in Les Varrons, a parcel and label she will likely keep, alongside the wines from the new vineyard), while Damien is giving the limelight to the less-loved. Interestingly neither are following strict biodynamic principles (although at times the ideas are being incorporated), nor are they vinifying in amphora, and yet there was a sameness in their cellars that bordered on spooky. While they were both entirely charming, old, farm buildings, replete with the romance of thick stone walls and the ghosts of vintages gone by, both are entirely spotless. These are not two characteristics that always go hand in hand. This too, seems to have travelled through the veins of one winemaker to these two others.

For Damien, alongside drawing on the rigor - in both the vineyard and the cellar - of Ganevat’s work, it is this spirit of sharing, of passing down knowledge, that is fundamental. He talks of Julie Balagny / P’tit Max, “for the wines they make! Their high level of humanity, sincerity and sharing”, of Stephano Belloti for “the whole of his project, which is not limited to the vines” and Domaine Bedon who he lauds for their considered simplicity “but with a lot of work!”.

Katie repeats the sentiment: “It has been inspiring to see how the business continues to operate at a human level, and that the interpersonal relationships are at the heart of the business.” Beyond Ganevat, she looks to a handful of women growers, to those focussing on regenerative agriculture alongside social and ecological justice. “I do not think I could make wine without a more nuanced understanding of how my wine project is related to the outside world,” she explains.
 
Katie’s academic approach to wine and the wider world is thoughtful and considered. Her wines are likewise precise, clean and delicate. She is a rigorous and gifted winemaker; an organised, planner. It’s interesting to see that a taste of her political degree is also in her thoughts and her process. “Presently, the most interesting question for me is not about winemaking, but rather about ecology and if it is possible to reimagine a version of agriculture that is truly sustainable,” continues Katie. “Much of this inspiration comes from outside grape growing at the moment. Additionally, I feel on an intellectual level that my wine project has sprouted from my ongoing interest in social and ecological justice; to that end there are endless resources that are continuing to shape how I think about wine.”
 
“I learned the practical skills of very detailed cellar work as well as employing the work ethic needed to make wines of excellence,” says Katie. “I feel thankful everyday that I gained the skills and knowledge to be able to make the types of wine that excite me: working without interventions, searching for energy in the wines, and above all trying to make something that is beautiful.”
 
You can also see the spirit of Ganevat in Damien’s wines, you can see the flair, the excitement and the pure response to the nature around him. “Three days into the harvest the whole winery had taken the perfume of the past and the yeasts of sixty years woke up,” Damien explained with wonder. His is an agricultural world. He is deeply connected to the land, and while he likes the rigour and the precision, he is bringing a little of the wilderness he sees in the fields into the bottle. If he has to stay all night to pick at the right moment, he’ll do it.

While Ganevat’s legacy will be rich and deep across the viticultural world in general, beyond the rigour, both Damien and Katie talked of the little bit of magic in his bottles. He undoubtedly has an incredible palate and his blending capacity is testament to this skill. His touch and his taste, suggests it’s more than technique that makes the difference. If you don’t have that touch you can’t make like him - it will be beautiful, but in a different way. And yet, while you certainly can’t teach someone to taste as you do (will we ever know that the red we see is the same tone the person at our side is seeing), Katie suggests you can teach someone how to taste. “The hours and hours I had the privilege of tasting in the cellar with JFG were instrumental in my own wine education, namely honing my palate towards natural wines made with integrity,” she explains.
 
Of course, the apprentice also has the opportunity to influence the master’s creative vision, bringing new perspectives and ideas to the table. Many established impressionist painters where influenced by later artists who brought new ideas of colour and light to the table. These winemakers have absorbed, but they will also transmit their ideas onwards.
 
“I know first-hand the challenges that present themselves in the world of wine that come from systems of discrimination, I hope that people can use my experience to help circumnavigate the problems around gender/class/race,” says Katie. “I also hope to transmit the sentiment that building something from nothing takes a certain type of dedication and focus, often hand in hand with some sacrifice. I want this project to be a refuge from the often soul sucking practices of capitalism, that there can be a gentler and more healing way to go about work and our working lives.”
 
For Damien, the sentiment is equally grandiose, yet perhaps more simply stated when asked what he would hope to pass on: “To transmit the love of life, plants and wine. To be a perfectionist from start to finish.”
 
What was certain in our time together is they both held him in the highest esteem. Over a beautiful dinner at her home, Katie positively gushed about her time at his side, while Damien somewhat literally brought him to our shared table, choosing a bottle of Ganevat to accompany our pizza at lunch. The influence looms large.
 
We are all a tapestry, and yet, we would be a very boring tapestries if we were only woven in one colour.

Please email info@giorgiodemaria.com if interested in purchasing wines fro these two producers