“The quality of our raw material comes from the vines, not the wine making.”
That's what M.Chapoutier wants to develop for its brand. They want to create extraordinary wines from the ingredients which are carefully cared for and harvested as they are the main factors to produce a good wine. Biodynamic farming and the secret of soil are what make M.Chapoutier become special.
Biodynamics
Opening to biodynamics is first of all about observing, noticing and acting. Some agricultural methods erode the soils and weaken them, they stifle biological life regardless how important it is. This observation led M.Chapoutier to taking a stand and daring a disruptive move. Since 1991, biodynamics has been at the heart of M. CHAPOUTIER’s philosophy.
During the 19th century an Austrian scientist, Rudolf Steiner, laid the groundwork for biodynamics. His idea was simple: a plant never lives alone, it belongs to an ecosystem. It finds nutrition in the ground and if it grows with the energy provided by light. It sounds simple but it was a revelation at its time. In 1991 Michel Chapoutier made the decisive choice to apply these biodynamic methods to the vine. His choice was questioned by many at that time, but Michel remained confident about one thing: he would reveal the truth of the terroirs.
Bio means « life ». Dynamic means « action ».
A battle summed up in these two words: life in action.
The battle of a man who wants to assert his convictions without paying attention to the trends.“I have always doubted classical and formatted education”. A battle of natural elements that work together. Chemical pesticides and herbicides are banned. We introduce natural elements (minerals, plants, animals) to preserve natural balances. The soil is fed with organic matter, thus it preserves bacteria which is the real “Mother” of the vine and will transform mineral into vegetal. This precious bacteria transmits the personality of the terroir to the vine and the wine. It is frequent to see Michel Chapoutier scrutinize the sky. Biodnamics is also about understanding the cycles of the Earth, the sun and the moon. From these observations we take crucial decisions: when to prune, when to harvest. Yields are respected and each terroir offers what its purest essence: its truth.
All these soils have something to say.
Terroir is a combination of soil, climate and man’s know-how. It’s impossible to make the best wine. Trying to get the best possible snapshot of a terroir is the art of the vintner. It’s not about making technical wines, but serving the terroir. Allowing it to express itself truthfully. Man can make or destroy a terroir.
Source: M.Chapoutier
