Chronicle n° 135: the 2012 vintage – the conventional, organic and biodynamic approaches (Part 2)

The 2012 vintage – the conventional, organic and biodynamic approaches (Part 2) They reacted to the previous report. Chronicle n° 135 (7 october 2012) The 2012 vintage – the conventional, organic and biodynamic approaches. Part 2. Biodynamy is a school of thoughts intimately linking all living things and believing plants not only grow in interaction with micro-organisms in soils but also with support from the cosmos, and particularly the rhythms of the sun and the moon. Biodynamic principles were established by Rudolf Steiner, the well-known Austrian philosopher. In 1924 he was invited to give a series of agriculture lectures to a group of farmers in which he presented his ideas and beliefs. Awareness of the impact the use of chemical fertilizers had on the quality of food was beginning to dawn on them and they were looking for an alternative way to produce. Biodynamic agriculture, wine-growing or gardening is thought as a whole where all living things are closely connected. The aim is to maintain balance and unity. In this context parasites or cryptogamic diseases do not appear as a mere symptom to eliminate. They are mainly the sign of a weakness that needs to be understood to be strengthened. Every single step man takes is therefore meant to develop the plant’s capacity to grow and remain in good health. This type of preventive care implies each and every move man opts for is linked to the next and is tailor-made for the plant - and not simply a standard application used as a plaster on a wooden leg. Biodynamy is extremely demanding on wine-growers and means a real personal drive and commitment, strong convictions and far more efforts than in conventional wine-growing methods. Each intervention is motivated by the respect for micro-organisms in the soil the plant draws its energy from to grow and dig its roots deeper into the ground. In order to stimulate this growth, biodynamic adepts use a rather surprising preparation called Cow Horn Manure. Cow horns are packed with cow dung then placed 30 cm into the ground in the autumn and left there all through the cold months till spring. What one gets then is an efficient, fine and even sweet-smelling humus. This will be diluted with water in small quantities, stirred for a while and then sprayed onto the ground in summer. It will act as a raising agent, activating the development of micro-organisms in the soil and facilitating deep rooting. This puzzling technique is one of the cornerstones of biodynamic principles and the efficiency of what might, in the eyes on the non-initiated, appear to belong to magic or even voodoo practices does not seem to be questioned. The other cornerstone aims at strengthening the leafy part of the plant. The preparation is based on Horn Silica. Why cow horn, might you ask? Specialists point that it is made of calcium. According to them, calcium plays a vital role in matter transformation and is a « bridge in the clayey humic complex », which is a tremendous help for soil fertility. The horns are filled with sand, placed in the ground in the spring and left there till the autumn. The powder, added to water and stirred, will help protect the upper part of the plant the following year. Sprinkled as a mist over the vines, preferably in the morning so as to avoid the heat, it is an extremely efficient way to keep botrytis at bay. But let us go back to 2012 and the fight against cryptogamic diseases, particularly the deadly mildew, traditionalists thought so little of. To determine the best favourable time to plant or care for roots, leaves, fruit and flowers biodynamic aficionados follow Maria Thun’s biodynamic sowing and planting calendar which uses the waxing and waning of the moon, the position of the earth and the influence of other planets in the solar system. (Maria Thun was an enthusiastic follower of Steiner’s ideas and principles). The calendar is based on rhythms and is an invitation to open your mind to them. It comes out every year in November. The last one forecast a difficult situation on April 6th 2012 in case of rain. The full moon was extremely bright on April 6th and at its closest point to the earth on April 7th. Rain fell. A fierce mildew attack broke out. In such cases, the good old Bouillie Bordelaise, a mixture of copper and lime all gardeners are familiar with, remains the most effective preventive treatment, even by 40 mm of rain, providing the leaves are not yet affected. Copper hydroxide is a swift and effective stopper but can be washed away quickly too. Copper oxychloride, though highly praised, seems to be more stressful for the plant. It is efficient from 15 mm of water and resists well. When challenged with the question of copper soil contamination, Thierry Valette, from Château Clos Puy Arnaud, points out that with a maximum of 30 kg/ha over 5 years, the amount per square meter and per year is a mere 0.6g – which sounds very little. To be able to reduce further the quantities that are sprayed, we have to improve their efficiency. Orange terpenes, horsetail and willow tea are used as basis. The quality of water is also vital. There are plenty of filters and devices to soften it. How do biodynamic practices affect the taste of wine? For consumers, biodynamic practices are no guaranty for better taste and finer wines. The required qualities for those depend on many factors. However, in my experience, wines elaborated on biodynamic principles show extra and particularly pleasant vibrancy on the nose from a very early stage. On the palate, they stand out en primeur with more lively fruit and often enough a sense of energy and perkiness that triggers more saliva – in a way, an exaltation of the savoury character. pH are often noted to be lower too, which can be decisive for labels that tend to show a high degree of alcohol content - and I particularly have in mind the clayey-limestone soils from the right bank in Bordeaux. Not terribly enhanced in the past among Bordeaux terroirs, those soils have recently gained in attractiveness under the influence of forward thinkers such as François Mitjaville at the Tertre Rôteboeuf or Stéphane Derenoncourt. Unlike the graves soils on the left bank, the right bank clayey limestone soils are late ripening soils. Fine wines cannot be elaborated following the same principles as on the left bank. It probably did not escape you that right bank labels with this type of soil have seen their reputation go up since the 2000 vintage thanks to an incredible series of Indian summers. As they are late ripening soils, they should be harvested later on in the season to obtain wines boasting more refine and less square tannins. But a longer wait usually means a higher alcohol content, particularly for merlot. And this is precisely when a lower pH, i.e lower acidity, will better balance the sugar content and thus avoid heaviness and the hot character so unbecoming to Bordeaux wines. What’s more, biodynamic principles lead to an earlier phenolic maturity which means the tannins in the skin lose their acidic character and ripen earlier on. According to biodynamy followers, it is entirely due to the use of silica. Ripening earlier in the season is the great advantage of warmer terroirs. Such precocity prevents a boost in alcohol content. Ever since château Fonroque, in Saint Emilion, went over to biodynamy, its wines have changed. They have lost their tannic rusticity. They have become juicier, fatter and have lost their austere and dry character. You will actually measure the difference if you compare the 1996 vintage, elaborated the old traditional way, to any of the vintages from 2008. The use of conventional anti-botrytis treatments tended to harden the skin to make it more resistant. In doing so, the maturation was slowed down. The choice was then either to take risks and opt for a late harvest or to accept an astringent note on finish. The change over to biodynamy has completely and utterly modified the château’s profile. How to recognise a biodynamic wineyard. Excerpt taken from the SIVCBD website - a description that could help hikers and strollers, or even those who inappropriately use pictures of chemically weeded vineyards on their commercial leaflets. « From the small grassy patches that grow after two ploughing and hoeing between rows. From the presence of animals and worms and plenty of biological activities in the soil. Organic matters are digested by soil life and there are less leaves or shoots lying around. The ground is crumbly and soft, clumps are easy to break open and show a lumpy texture. Vines are less perky, the foliage a lighter green and pointing towards the sun.” They reacted to the previous report. Château Latour in Pauillac wrote to precise its commitment to biodynamic practices. I delighted in the following lines: “Our commitment to organic, and more particularly to biodynamic principles, has been a reality for a while now. No chemical weeding products has been used in our vineyards in many years, not even for the end of rows, and an “alternative” way to tend our plots has been in place for the past four years now. In four years, we have gone from 3 to 20 ha, mainly situated in the Enclos, run to entirely biodynamic principles –which means small doses of copper, sulphur, no chemical anti-botrytis treatment, biodynamic preparations and home-grown compost. In parallel, since 2009, we have brought back horses in our vineyards, trained our staff to operate horse-drawn machines, built stables, and gradually increased our herd. Horse power was used to work 35 ha in 2012.” - Château Grand Corbin d’Espagne in Saint Emilion is currently turning over to green principles and points that only 4kg of copper/ha were used this year. It also mentions that many traditionally worked estates use identical, if not superior, doses to organic norms but in 1 or 2 treatments at the end of the season. - The very good château Martet, Bordeaux Sainte Foy, which deserves to figure among the selected labels in my next guide, wrote to say it has gone over from sustainable to biodynamic viticulture with the help of and under the supervision of Anne Calderoni from CLos Puy Arnaud”. Kind regards. Jean-Marc Quarin __________________________________________________________________________ © Copyright 2010. This publication is the original work of Jean-Marc Quarin Sarl, 10 allée de Ginouilhac, BP 40, Le Taillan-Médoc. France. - E-mail : jmquarin@quarin.com The news media and subscribing wine distributors, importers and retailers may use portions of this material (such as tasting notes, ratings or quotes) provided that it is not distorted, the proper wine and vintage are stated, www.quarin.com is given credit for the material utilized, and Jean-Marc Quarin (JMQ) is shown as the Copyright holder.

2012 Chronicles

Chronicle n° 135: the 2012 vintage – the conventional, organic and biodynamic approaches (Part 2)

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