THE SEAMLESS DIALOGUE BETWEEN WINE AND OAK
Ruling the roost at Château de Villemajou, traditional Bordeaux barrels are generally very popular among Boutenac winegrowers. But that doesn’t mean one size fits all. We unlock some winery secrets…
Is Corbières-Boutenac matured in the same way as other wines? Are there specific techniques designed to suit the terroir, the high percentage of Carignan and the varietal blends? The appellation’s statutes, which simply stipulate that Corbières-Boutenac wines cannot be released for sale before 31 December of the year following the year of harvest, leaves the issue open for debate. Theoretically, barrel maturation is not mandatory but in practice, what is the tack taken by winegrowers?
The issue was raised in the 1970s, when some growers opted for whole-cluster fermentation. In addition to favouring more intense aromatic expression, the objective, from the outset, was to rein in the tannins in the Carignan, whose erstwhile moniker was the ‘harsh vine’.
“We started the maturation process with 40 Nicolas demi-muids supplied to us by Saignes in Narbonne, which had close ties to Nicolas”, recalls Yves Laboucarié, who bought Domaine de Fontsainte in 1969. His friend Georges Bertrand, who purchased Château de Villemajou in 1973, rapidly made the decision to mature his wine in traditional Bordeaux barrels.
Use of the barrels set a precedent. “In 1978, just two years after I sold my first wine in bottles, I used whole-cluster fermentation across the range and conducted my first maturation trials with ten Bordeaux barrels from the Demptos cooperage that Georges Bertrand gave me”, recounts Patrick Reverdy, owner of Château La Voulte-Gasparets. “Subsequently, I tested other suppliers, but I always preferred wines aged in Demptos barrels”. Romain Pauc, the estate's flagship label (38,000 bottles and 2,500 magnums) created in 1986 from the oldest Carignan and Grenache vines, is now entirely matured in 225-litre barrels in the vaulted, Medoc-inspired cellar, where they are stored at a constant temperature of 13°. “But I generally only use a quarter of new wood; I work mostly with second-fill barrels. They are less aggressive for the Carignan and Grenache”. The addition of Mourvèdre and a modicum of Syrah to the blend has not been a game-changer in this respect.