Magali took over this domaine when her father Daniel died in 1997. Since
then she and her partner Ludovic have made significant changes while at the
same time maintaining the very high standards of wine-making which
Daniel had set them. There are twenty hectares of which only one is given
over to white grapes. The entire vineyard is cultivated biodynamically, no
fertilisers having been used for over twenty years. Even copper and sulphur
are used to a minimum extent, preference being given to medicinal plants.
Daily checks are made in the vineyard to confirm the health or otherwise of
the vines, and there are weekly tastings when every wine is put to the test.
The vineyards are worked almost entirely by hand, including the preparation
of the soil, pruning, disbudding and the tending of the foliage in summer.
There are no vendanges en vert, Ludovic believing that, with severe pruning
and disbudding, they are not necessary; according to him they are a
mutilation of the plant, to which the vines in due course will respond by
finding their own ways of over-producing. Needless to say, harvesting is
nowadays by hand too. By achieving the best balance between soil and vine,
Magali and Ludovic can reduce to zero the use of any oenological products
or processes in the chais, sulphuring having been abandoned in 2001.
Artificial yeasts and enzymes are banned too; nothing but the grapes goes
into the wines.
It would seem that the conversion to biodynamic practice has not
commended itself to the local tasting committee, dominated by powerful
voices within the Coopérative. They have witheld the all-important
agrément in respect of the 2003 and 2004 vintages on grounds which do not
seem to correspond with reality. No-one could objectively criticize these
wines for lack of ‘matter’, nor for containing ‘vegetal flavours’. It is more
likely that such perverse decisions reflect the desire in some quarters to force
the handful of independent growers into the arms of the Cave. Any
independent Syndicat of growers should welcome and encourage growers of
the quality of Magali and Ludovic rather than try to force them out of
business. This pair will doubtless win through somehow, because their wines
are excellent.
In the cellar, Daniel’s splendid old foudres have been retained, and Magali
and Ludovic have invested in four brand new ones from Taransud in the
Charente, the only ones of their kind I have seen in the South-West. All the
wines here are raised in wood, the foudres being supplemented by 600-litre
demi-muids in preference to the more usual 225-litre Bordeaux casks.
The one hectare of white grapes produces a small amount of sauvignonblanc (**B); the grapes are given 36 hours’ preliminary maceration before
being fermented in new demi-muids where they also get a malolactic
fermentation, before being aged for a further twelve months. The result,
being somewhat atypical in terms of sauvignon style, is certainly different
and interesting.
It is the red wines however on which the reputation of the domaine rests, and
these may well be considered to be the best of the appellation. There are just
two cuvées; Le Domaine de Pech (***B) is from the two cabernets and
merlot, the proportions being governed by the yields harvested in any given
year. The grapes are fermented and macerated in stainless steel for four or
five weeks and then aged for two years in a mix of
old and new foudres. Success seems assured in every vintage, in some years
like 2000 and 2003 the accent is on concentrated matter and structure, while
in 2001 there was more charm and finesse. Ludovic, unlike many other
wine-makers in the South-West, believes that their wines from the 2003
vintage were the best they have made, perhaps because they delayed picking
until there was a little rain to restore life to the parched vines.
The second red is called La Badinerie du Pech (***B) and is a blend of the
best bunches of each year. The wine is vinified in Burgundy type wooden
cuves for 4 to 5 weeks with regular pigeage, by hand of course, before being
transferred for their second fermentation into demi-muids about one-third of
which will be new each year. This excellent wine seems to combine the best
features of every vintage, power with elegance, structure with finesse and
the finish is always soft and long.
It needs to be said that the use of wood at this domaine is exemplary. The
influence of oak has moderated over the years. Today none of the wines
leaves any taste of it, but the élevage adds sumptuousness and complexity in
a way which should be a lesson to all.