Screaming Eagle winemaker Nick Gislason wears many hats – he is also the Technical Director of Lopez Island Community Fireworks and co-founder of Hanabi Lager. FONDATA's Gavin Lucas caught up with the busy man to discuss how these dichotomous ventures have more in common than you might think.

Screaming Eagle's Nick Gislason on winemaking, beer brewing (Hanabi Lager) and designing fireworks (Island Community Fireworks)

FONDATA: Curiosity & Wonder: Magic’s Secret Ingredients 

Curiosity and wonder: magic’s secret ingredients

Burgundy’s vignerons are currently preoccupied with the 2024 vintage – one that has been challenging, with warm, wet weather and high disease pressure, leading to a relatively late harvest in comparison to recent years. But we’ll soon be back on the ground, tasting the 2023s with producers. We’ll be providing a full, detailed report as soon as we can, but – in the meantime – here’s a preview of what to expect from the year.   The 2023 growing season in Burgundy  The growing season wasn’t – for once – hugely eventful in 2023, until the harvest, at least. The winter was warm and dry, delaying budbreak until early April and allowing the region to escape the dangers of frost. The warm weather continued, with a quick and even flowering – promising a generous and homogenous crop. Across the season, rainfall was average for the region. Showers seemed to arrive when needed to support vine growth, with some storms in June, but any disease pressure was easily handled by producers. There was a little localised hail in July, with some damage reported in Meursault.  The first grapes were brought in from 25th August (starting with those destined for Crémant de Bourgogne). Fruit destined for still wines started coming in from the very end of August: 29th for Alvina Pernot, Au Pied du Mont Chauve and Louis Jadot following on 4th September, and Samuel Billaud in Chablis on 11th, with all the fruit in by the end of September. Just as harvest got underway, however, temperatures soared: making for incredibly challenging conditions. As Frédéric Barnier at Jadot explained, it was the first time they’d had to pick in the middle of a heatwave – but was, as he said, “probably our future”. The challenge was largely human: ensuring the safety of those out in the vines picking. There were widespread reports after five people died further north in Champagne due to the strenuous conditions. Some producers harvested at night, or as early as possible once dawn broke, ensuring they stopped before the heat of the day set in, to reduce the risk to pickers. Barnier explained that, although challenging for the team, the hot spell was helpful for the reds. While they picked the whites, the conditions allowed the Pinot Noir to concentrate and gain density, as well as reducing the sometimes-extreme volumes.  The yields were so generous (thanks to the even flowering, warm conditions and plentiful rainfall) that green harvesting was key. Frédéric Weber of Bouchard explained how the vineyards were “a wall of grapes” and they had to drop half the crop. Faiveley green harvested across 80% of its vines. Nevertheless, producers saw record volumes, even on normally low-yielding old vines. At Heresztyn-Mazzini, they reported finding single bunches on their old vines that weighed half a kilo, and Cyril Audoin found he was at the legal maximum even on his oldest plots. At Domaine des Lambrays, Jacques Devauges reported that there’s a third more of their Grand Cru Clos des Lambrays in the vintage, with an impressive 40hl/ha. There were even reports of producers reaching 100hl/ha in potential crop.  Although most vignerons saw even higher yields than 2022, that wasn’t universally the case – as at Lamarche and Hubert Lamy, who both brought in slightly smaller crops than the year before. Even at these addresses, however, producers are happy to have full cellars – and with high-quality wines too.  Key decisions for Burgundy 2023  “It was hard to make bad wines in 2022, but was very easy to take wrong decisions in 2023,” said Louis-Michel Liger-Belair of Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair when we visited him last year.  Harvest dates are always important when it comes to the pernickety Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but there were many elements to consider in this vintage. Space was a challenge for some producers, on a purely practical level, needing the requisite number of tanks at the right time to allow them to harvest at the right time. The hot end to the season risked losing freshness, so preserving acidity – especially in the whites – was key. As mentioned above, managing the crop-load was important, balancing quantity and quality. Yields were less of a concern when it came to the white grapes, as Chardonnay is better able to manage high yields, however there was potential concern over concentration for the reds. Good producers, of course, are well aware of the need to balance the vine to avoid any potential dilution – and handled the season to harvest a good crop of high-quality fruit.  With the Chardonnay, Barnier explained how at Jadot they blocked the malolactic on some lots to retain freshness; while for the reds, sorting was important (to remove any shrivelled berries) and saignée common. At Jadot, they bled off between 10 and 20% of the juice. We haven’t yet spoken to many producers regarding élevage; with higher volumes, however, we anticipate that there may be higher portions of new oak at some addresses, while others will have looked to alternative vessels to complement their “standard” portion of wood.  The style of the wines in 2023  So far, we’ve tasted very little – only the whites from Samuel Billaud and Alvina Pernot (both of which were very impressive – find more on these below), and we’ll be reporting more once we’ve been out to taste more comprehensively. We can, however, tell you what producers are saying – and what we’re expecting based on the growing season and our conversations so far.  Following on from the good yields of 2022, 2023 was another plentiful vintage – allowing producers to replenish stocks, and cellars are looking much less bare. With the warm weather and good rainfall, the wines are riper than the 2022s, quite generous in style, with an approachability that means they will drink well in youth – yet don’t let that fool you into thinking they don’t also have good acidity.  We have heard rumours of heterogeneity, and – as ever – producer decisions are key in determining success; with the human hand likely more important than site this year. Those that over-cropped risked producing dilute wines – but they are undoubtedly in the minority, and lesser names. That said, from what we’ve tasted and heard, there is good consistency across sites – from village through to Premier and Grand Cru, and across the Côte d’Or.  Alcohol levels are average for the region – sitting between 12% for Bourgogne or village wines, and up to 13.5% for some Grands Crus. The reds are not powerhouses; Jean-Marie Fourrier compared them to 2009 for their ripeness and the generous yields, but Barnier at Jadot feels they sit between the 2017s and 2019s in terms of richness, with a “buvabilité” (“drinkability”) that is very appealing. We expect the whites to be particularly strong this year – offering similar acidity levels to 2022, but additional richness.  At Alvina Pernot, it’s brilliant to see the style develop – with a very complete range of effortless composure; we loved all the wines, but the Meursault Perrières was an undeniable highlight. Alvina Pernot and Philippe Abadie love the purity and balance in their wines, and suggest the 2023s are a blend of the 2020 and 2022 vintages, while Barnier points to a vintage somewhere between 2015 and 2018. The 2018 vintage is also the reference point for Samuel Billaud in Chablis, whose wines were already enticingly aromatic in July this year – precise and gourmand, with a satisfying suppleness.  News from the region  Burgundy, more than ever before, is a region constantly shifting, with land changing hands, producers and ranges evolving. Here are some of the key developments to be aware of for the vintage:  William Fèvre: This benchmark Chablis producer was acquired by Domaines Barons de Rothschild (of Ch. Lafite Rothschild fame) and 2023 will be the first vintage under their ownership – although be reassured that longtime winemaker Didier Séguier remains in situ.  Alvina Pernot: Alvina Pernot stepped down from her family estate (Domaine Paul Pernot) in time for the 2023 harvest, to focus exclusively on her project with husband Philippe Abadie. There is also a new Premier Cru in the line-up this year – Puligny-Montrachet Champs Gains.  Henri Boillot: The 2023 is the 40th vintage that Henri Boillot has produced of their monopole Clos de la Mouchère – a site to which he is rightfully attached. He also noted that the range is around 90% domaine in the vintage.  Hubert Lamy: The 2023 vintage is the first to be made in his new, enlarged cellar.  Charles van Canneyt: The star winemaker behind Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat purchased Domaine des Chézeaux and the 2023 vintage will see the first wines made by him from the estate (under a name that remains to be confirmed). The acquisition brought some prime vineyards, including Griotte-Chambertin, Chambertin, Clos Saint-Denis and Lavaux-Saint-Jacques.  Duroché: The 2023 will be the first vintage of a new Corton from Duroché (half a hectare in Corton Rognet). Technically it is négoce, but is domaine in all but name as they are farming the site themselves.  Olivier Bernstein: Although the Bernstein team has long been farming organically, the 2023 vintage is the first on their path to official certification.  Bouchard Père & Fils: Since Artémis Domaines (the Pinault family of Ch. Latour) purchased the company in 2022, Bouchard has been winding down their négoce operation and the 2023 vintage will be the last for the final few négoce wines, with the range domaine-only from 2024.   What we know so far about Burgundy 2023  A relatively uneventful growing season with a heatwave during harvest  A plentiful crop of good-quality approachable reds and whites  Alcohol levels are average for the region, between 12 and 13.5%  The whites expected to be particularly strong, combining richness and good levels of acidity  The reds seem juicier in style, destined to drink well in their youth and for the medium term  A vintage where producer decisions rather than site seem to have dictated the style of the wines   Keep your eyes peeled for further coverage of the Burgundy 2023 in the coming weeks. In the meantime, browse all available Burgundy 2023. 

Next month our team will be heading out to Burgundy to taste and dig into the 2023 vintage. Ahead of our full report and as the first wines are released en primeur, here’s everything we know so far

Ahead of our full report on Burgundy 2023, here’s everything we know about the vintage, the growing season and the wines produced

A first look at the Burgundy 2023 vintage

Burgundy 2023: first look

We arranged a tasting of some of the top picks including Jean Stodden, Klaus Peter Keller, Bernhard Huber and Dr. Heger. The variety on offer just from a handful of these wines showed the incredible potential of the region for top Pinot production. With Pinot’s inherent ability to express terroir we found a huge range in structure and flavor profiles from different single vineyard sites. 

Prior to our mixed case offer of these top producers out next week, the tasting helped us map out the different terroirs in Germany as well as the typical profiles of these top producers. With such rich diversity in soils, climate and clones throughout the Pinot growing regions of Germany, there is plenty to discover, from the cooler climate, slate soils of Ahr to the richer, more opulent Pinots of Baden.  Pinot Noir’s amazing ability to express terroir is the perfect vehicle for the variety and nuance to be had from the top sites in Germany, which are dotted all around the fine wine regions of Germany including Mosel, Ahr, Franken, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Baden and beyond. In the last 20 years there has been a quality revolution in Germany, specifically with Pinot Noir production, buoyed by the ever-increasing demand for Burgundy and the intrinsic connections the Germans have with their contemporaries in Burgundy.  Many producers have strong links with the Cote d’Or either having worked extensively in the region or from forging long-term friendships with some of the top growers. Between the two regions, there has been a real sharing of knowledge from viticultural to winemaking techniques, exploring the variations and nuance created by the distinct soils and the mix of both German and Burgundian clones being used today in Germany.   The recent trends in Pinot Noir production with a move towards earlier picking, less extraction and a reduction in oak have helped further promote the diversity of styles found throughout the German Pinot regions and allowed the top producers to really shine in recent years. Critics throughout the world have been praising the results coming out from the top producers in Germany. This Pinot Noir Revolution gripping Germany is well worth getting excited about and we are thrilled to be able to offer a range of some of the finest examples.

 Top Pinot Noir producers Jean Stodden – Ahr 
One of the longest-running wineries in Germany, the Jean Stodden estate has been producing wine in Ahr since 1578. The wines are unique thanks to their very specific terroir and incredibly cool climate and this shows in spades throughout their range of wines, producing beguiling ethereal examples that are quite unlike Burgundy but distinctly European. 

This really is cool-climate Pinot, with vineyards located 50km north of Mosel. The wines
only reach ripeness thanks to the steep south-facing slopes grown on slate soils that retain the heat in the vineyard. The Estate has just 6.5 hectares of vineyards. This soil type, steepness and slate soil offer a completely different style of Pinot Noir compared to the Cote d’Or.

On tasting, the wines have an incredible line of acidity running through them, distinctly more marked than Burgundy. There is amazing contrast here too. Tasting the Sonnenburg Grand Cru alongside the Monchberg, these wines have completely different personalities, the Sonnenburg is incredibly linear and focused on the palate with great precision and pitch. The fruit is delicate and uber-fresh – sappy cranberry, wild strawberry and earthy rhubarb flavours. This is one for all the acid heads.

The Monchberg really is outstanding, and certainly worthy of Grand Cru status anywhere in the world. Incredibly compact with tons going on. The spectrum of fruit goes from fresh red fruit right through to meatier, savoury tones. The mid-palate is striking – weighty and viscous yet still has such delicacy and finesse. The length and breadth of the wine is extraordinary and the contrast of the wine shows real terroir in action. This wine is not cheap but its is stunning. 

Both wines have quite a different tone to Burgundy but are full of European etherealism. If you can find it, the Monchberg is one not to miss. World-Class.

 Key wines:     Jean Stodden Spatburgunder Herernberg Grosses Gewachs (GG) Jean Stodden include Hardtberg Spatburgunder GG Mayschoss Monchberg Spatburgunder GG  NeuenahrerSonnenburg Spatburgunder GG What the critics say: 

“From their home village Rech, Stodden's 2016 Recher Herrenberg Spätburgunder GG shows a ruby-garnet color and an aroma of pure, fine slate but warm, ripe fruit. Lush and intense on the palate, this is a full-bodied, quite powerful and intense Pinot with a lingering juiciness and spicy slate flavor. The 2016 is still very young, but its potential is enormous. Tasted during the preview of the GG wines in Wiesbaden in August 2018."
 93 points, Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate “Alexander Stodden's 2016 Neuenahrer Sonnenberg Spätburgunder GG is brighter in color than J.J. Adenauer's Sonnenberg and shows a very ripe, slightly caramelly yet pure and slatey bouquet with remarkable precision. Sweet, round and elegant on the palate, this is an intense and refined Pinot Noir with good concentration, remarkable length
and a tight finish. This 2016 is excellent, but it needs time.”
 91+ points, Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate

 Markus Molitor, Mosel
 Starting from practically nothing in the early 1980s, Markus Molitor has rapidly grown into one of the world's most respected winemakers, with a list of accolades including Rising Star of the Year 1999 from Gault & Millau, Winemaker of the Year 2014 from Falstaff and raft of huge critic scores. He is also the proud owner of over sixty hectares of prime real estate that Mosel Fine Wines – an independent review of Mosel Riesling – describes as a "who's who of Grand Cru between Erden to Bernkastel and the Southern Saar."

Molitor, like all producers in the Mosel, is most well known for his Rieslings, with Pinot Noir just making up 4% of his plantings. However, his top Pinot Noirs are becoming as collectible and as respected as his whites and are rated amongst the finest in the world. He produces seven different Pinot Noir cuvees in total.

"Try the most 'simple' Pinot Noir Molitor is bottling and you are already in the upper class of German Pinot Noir. His three-starred Pinots are mind-blowing and can compete with prestigious Grands Crus from Burgundy.” Stephan Reinhardt, RobertParker.com

 Key wines:        Trarbacher Schlossberg   Brauneberger Klostergarten     Graacher Himmelreich K.P. Keller – Rheinhessen 
 Alongside Egon Muller, Klaus-Peter Keller’s wines are the world's most collected and prized wines coming from Germany, famously quoted by Jancis Robinson his Riesling has been described as the Montrachet of Germany. Whilst his Rieslings initially brought so much international fame to the winery, his Pinot Noirs today also have a strong following. His 16 hectares of vines are predominantly made up of Riesling plantings but he has a Grand Cru site for his Dalsheim Spatburgunder grown on the Burgel Grosses Gewachs site. 

This Grand Cru has a specific shell limestone soil more suitable for Pinot Noir than Riesling
production. Yields are minuscule with each vine reduced to just two bunches of grapes and each individual cluster further halved. Klaus believes this helps to increase the overall acidity allowing him to pick the grapes at full ripeness whilst retaining freshness. His global recognition in a region more famous for high yielding dirt cheap Liebfraumilch, has caused a quality revolution in Rheinhessen, with more producers following in his footsteps. 

The Keller Pinots are genuinely impressive, the wines capture the beguiling Pinot fragrance
and the finesse to the tannins are very close in style to top Burgundy. We tasted the Frauenberg Grand Cru, the last of Keller’s Pinot Noir vineyards to be harvested, being the coolest site and grown at altitude. The wine has tremendous stony minerality, very precise fruit clarity and is not without structure – think Clos de la Roche rather than Chambertin.

 Key wines      
 Dalsheimer Burgel Spatburgunder GG         Frauenberg Spatburgunder GG      Westhofen Morstein Felix Spatburgunder GG What the critics say 
Frauenberg Spatburgunder GG 2013: “From French mass selections planted in 1996 and picked with 35 hectoliters per hectare, the 2013 Frauenberg Spätburgunder trocken GG has a
clear and subtle yet aromatic bouquet of red and dark berries (raspberries, wild blackberries, cassis), along with some flinty/smoky flavors. Intense, concentrated and firm on the palate, this is a full-bodied, powerful and firmly structured Pinot.  It has a velvet texture, ripe and grippy tannins, and a persistently sweet and concentrated flavor of ripe cherries and red fruit jelly in the finish. The wine has more power and body than the Bürge, l but also needs more time to develop. It's from a cooler and windier plot, and always the last Pinot harvested at Keller. The 2013 was aged in used barrels, whereas only the 2012 was still in new barrels until the malolactic fermentation was finished.  92 points, Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate “The 2014 Frauenberg Spätburgunder GG offers a ripe, yet precise, fresh, well-focused and rather coolish Pinot aroma; it shows some very discreet toast and mocha flavors highlighting the wild blackberry and dark cherry aromas. Full-bodied, ripe and concentrated on the palate, this is an intense and juicy, almost charming Pinot Noir from low-yielding vines on limestone
bedrock (21 hectoliters per hectare). The finish is intense and powerful, but well structured due to the stems on which the wine fermented for 21 days.  The finish is almost sweet, due to the ripeness (a word rarely used 30 years ago in the higher altitudes of the Frauenberg), but is also very fresh and precise; whereas the ripe tannins give the required grip and structure. This is a promising wine with delicate fruit flavors, mineral freshness and probably more power than the Bürgel; but at least at this moment, it maybe has less transparency and finesse.  
91-92 points, Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate

 Bernhard Huber, Baden
 Bernhard Huber was seen as the German godfather of Pinot Noir and was one of the most
instrumental vignerons to improve the region's reputation for the varietal. Working extensively with massal selection of clones, 10 – 15 different Pinot clones exist within one vineyard. Huber’s style has always been centred around creating a “nervosity” in his wines. The vineyards share a similar climate and limestone soils of the Cote d’Or. 

The wines are distinctly smoky, meaty with both sweet cherry liqueur notes but also greenness too. The Sommerhalde Grand Cru however is a real step up from the Alte Reben cuvee (made from declassified Grand Cru grapes). Even more impressive was the Bienenberg Grosse Gewachs. You certainly get more weight in these wines from Baden. The wines have rich broad textures on the palate and the tannins more velvety and sturdy than the wines of Keller and Stodden with have more finesse.

 Key wines:     Bernhard Huber Alte Reben Spatburgunder    Bernhard Huber Sommerhalde Spatburgunder GG  Bernhard Huber Malterdinger Bienenberg Spatburgunder “R” 
What the critics say
 "Cherry red and fresh in color, the 2015 Sommerhalde Spätburgunder GG has a pure, very elegant and rather floral bouquet of fresh red fruits. Still a bit reductive on the palate, this is an elegant, silky textured, fresh and fruity Pinot Noir with firm but fine tannins and a long, complex and pretty tight finish with reduced power. It is an impressive wine but the most closed of Huber's 2015 GG Pinot quartet at this early moment. Tasted in Wiesbaden,
August 2017. 
93 points, Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate
 
Bernhard Huber Malterdinger Bienenberg Spatburgundr “R” 2015 – “Julian Huber's 2015 Bienenberg Spätburgunder GG shows a lovely, vital ruby red color and opens a bit reductive still, with a clear, fresh and well-defined bouquet of red fruits, crushed stones and spicy and floral aromas. It is a full-bodied, firm, fresh and finessed Pinot Noir with a serious tannin
structure and persistent vitality. This is a terribly clear and precise Pinot, and the finish is really cleansing and stimulating. Tasted at the "VDP Grosses Gewächs" presentation in Wiesbaden, August 2017.” 
 92 points, Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate 
Weingut Dr. Heger, Baden  
One of the more established domaines in Baden the winery has been in operation since 1935.
Today run by Joachim Heger who was understudy to Helmut Donnhoff, the winery has never been in better shape, producing their unique expression of German Pinot Noir thanks to the distinct volcanic soil found in their two main Grand Cru sites of Winklerberg and Achkarrer Schlossberg.  
The 2015s we tasted were stunning. Whilst perhaps less complex in terms of fragrance at
least at this point, the palate has very fine textured tannins, tremendous finesse - there is so much elegance to these wines and so much freshness, the wines leave your mouth enlivened and salivating. Is this the effect of the volcanic soils? Whilst clearly European in style this is again very different to Pinot Noir from Burgundy but certainly as interesting and ethereal. 

 Key wines:     
 Hausleboden Winklerberg Spatburgunder GG Mimus Winklerberg Spatburgunder      Achkarrer Schlossberg Spatburgunder GG      Vorderer Winklerberg Spatburgunder GG Rudolf Furst, Franken
 These days this prolific estate is run by Paul Furst who has continued to make further improvements in their already world-renowned vineyards, further increasing the planting density and replacing German clone vines with Burgundian clones. The estate comprises 20 hectares in total, of which 13 are planted on the Centrafenberg Vineyard in Burgstadter, one of the most celebrated vineyards in Germany. The site is made up of red sandstone, iron rich soils ideal for Pinot Noir production. He also produces a Pinot Noir on the very steep slopes of Schlossberg. Furst is famous for their tiny yields operating at ruthlessly low production levels in order to maximise quality.

 Key wines:       Centrafenberg Spatburgunder GG         Hundsruck Spatburgunder GG          Klingenberg Schlossberg Spatburgunder GG What the critics say: Weingut Rudolf Furst Hundsruck Spatburgunder GG The 2016 Hundsrück Spätburgunder GG is even more fine and spicy on the nose than the Centgrafenberg. The palate is lush and firm but also concentrated and very elegant, with remarkable finesse and aging potential. This is great German Spätburgunder, and I am looking forward to tasting it again with more time and more wine in my glass. Temporary score. 
94-95 points, Stephan Reinhardt (tasted in Wiesbaden in August 2018) Explore more Editorial 

We have sourced a parcel of some of the finest Pinot Noirs coming out of Germany, a diverse region that is today arguably producing the most exciting Pinot Noirs in Europe, outside of Burgundy. Top examples are world-class and offer both similarities and important differences to the Cote d’Or. 

The finest Pinot Noirs are coming out of Germany, a diverse region that is arguably producing the most exciting Pinot Noirs in Europe, outside of Burgundy. 

Exploring Germany's Pinot Noir

Beyond Burgundy: Exploring Germany's Pinot Noir

Over two trips to the region, our team delved into the 2022 vintage – visiting, tasting with and talking to a range of producers up and down the Côte d’Or. Here we break down the year by producer, from north to south, with a summary of how each fared and our favourite wines from the tasting table

A run-down of the Burgundy 2022 vintage wines en primeur by producer: from Fourrier to Lamy via Bernstein, Lamarche, Lambrays, Duroche and Hudelot-Noellat

Burgundy 2022 – the vintage by producer

Burgundy 2022: by producer

Burgundy is a mecca for lovers of fine Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but, with its litany of producers and vineyards, it can be a tricky region to get to grips with. Here we offer an essential guide to the region – breaking down everything from how vineyards are classified to producers to look out for

Discover everything you need to know about Burgundy: from vineyards and producers to the difference between négociant and domaine or what a Grand Cru is

Your essential guide to Burgundy wine

Your essential guide to Burgundy

One name that kept cropping up when speaking to winemakers about wine and cheese pairing was Bernard Antony, a man who now supplies 20 of the world’s 3* Michelin chefs as well as working alongside many of the world’s top winemakers matching cheese and wine at events for Guigal, Angelus, Humbrecht and many more.   We caught up with Jean Francois Antony (Bernard's son and protege) to find out more about Affinage (the ageing of cheese) and their perfect cheese and wine pairings. 45 years at the service of taste Bernard Antony is one of the world’s great cheese makers. Strictly speaking, his mastery
is in affinage, that is finishing and ageing cheeses. From humble beginnings working as a travelling grocer in Alsace, in 45 years he has gone on to become one of the most recognised men in the world of fine cheese.  Bernard Antony was the protegé of the late great Maitre Pierre Androucet – known as “the Pope of Cheese”. Bernard says of Pierre: "To me, he was like a father. He was the man who created me, who taught us everything, to my wife and me. He didn't like me to say it because he wanted to give me all the credit for my success”.  Following on from Androucet’s advice and support, Bernard set up his own cheese ageing cellars in the early eighties in the southern Alsace village of Vieux-Ferrette. The ageing cellars are made up of seven different chambers all at different humidity and temperature levels – ideal for raising and ageing various different styles of cheese. Only when the cheeses are deemed ready and at perfect ripening are they released to the markets and delivered to restaurants. Ageing of cheeses can range from just a few months for the fresher goat’s cheeses to several years for some hard cheeses. Speaking with Jean Francois Antony, Bernard’s son, who works alongside his father, running the day-to-day operations of the cellars, he identifies that the skills in good affinage revolve around a number of key elements. First of all, “raw (unpasteurized milk) is essential if one is to speak of cheese with authenticity…taking into account the breed of animal, the animal's diet, the talent of the cheesemaker and then of course the controlled process of ripening are also key”. The cheeses arrive at the cellars already halfway through ripening and their ageing cellars go into action to give them the final touch. They provide the perfect environment and temperature for ageing as well as the most important element in the Bernard Antony cheese cellars, the natural yeasts that live there helping the cheese mature distinctly and in the best way possible. The famous ageing cellars are open for visits in the village of Vieux-Ferrette. If you are travelling through Alsace it is an essential visit. Book via their
website. They often pair the cheeses with fine wine so we thought who better to ask for advice on the ultimate cheese and wine pairings than the man himself.  Below is the Bernard and Jean Francois Antony’s essential guide to food and wine matching, split up between the different styles of cheese, with additional advice passed down from Pierre Androucet.  The Floury crust family of cheeses Camembert        Brie de Meux (un peu sale)         St Marcellin and St Marcellin (runny)     Petit Mosellan         Coulommiers         Chaource
 The classic pairing would be Champagne (Blanc de Blancs, Aged and even Rose Champagne) however Bernard Antony advises that you remove the crust as it can make the wine appear more harsh. The bubbles work brilliantly in refreshing the palate from these rich cheeses and the yeast flavours from the Champagne also work really well. Avoid tannic reds with these cheeses. One of Bernard's favourite matches include a Gevrey Chambertin 2012 from Domaine Denis Mortet with the St Marcellin. He states a white wine with both gentle oxidation and good acidity works particularly well with Petit Mosella (Saint Peray from
Domaine Tunnel or Alain Voge) or a fruity red wine with well-coated tannins such as a Beaujolais Cru wines with the Chaource and Colombier fermier. The Washed Crust family of cheeses Epoisses       Langres         Livarot     Munster  Maroilles    Vacherin         Pont-l’Eveque According to Androuet: robust and virile wines, with sap and generous bouquet work best with these potent washed crust cheeses. They require “solar wines“ which can harness the power of washed crusts. Gewurtztraminer Grand Cru from Albert Mann, Chambolle Musigny from Liger Belair would both work well. Pinot Noir from Zind Humbrecht, Bollinger 2008 Grande Annee also a particular favourites with Bernard Antony. The pressed crust family of cheeses Comte     Emmenthal        Beaufort         Gruyere Suisse According to Androuet the matches depend on the evolution of the cheese. Dry white or red wines with bouquet work well, red wine brings a balancing touch of bitterness. These cheeses flatter any red wine by erasing astringency and promoting fruit therefore making White or Red Burgundy a good match. With more ageing of the cheese, wines from the greater South-West, the Rhône Valley and Languedoc Roussillon become better matches. Other personal
favourites from Bernard Antony include Vernaccia di San Gimignano (Italy) White
wines from Valais (Switzerland), and Savignin wines from the Jura. The pressed (uncooked) crust family of cheeses Morbier   Tomme de Savoie fermiere       Mimolette demi étuvé         Salers     Roblochon  Sainte Nectaire Pairing again depends on the maturity of the cheese. The older the cheese the richer the wine. Chateau Latour 2001 is Bernard’s match with Morbier. Saint Joseph Pierre Gonon 2013 works well with Reblochon and Chateau Canon La Gaffeliere Grand Cru Classe St Emilion 2008 works well with Saint Nectaire. The family of blue cheeses Bleu d’Auvergne     Roquefort        Fourme d’Ambert      Blue de Gex          Stilton    Gorgonzola These are best paired with sweeter fruited wine or sweet wines. Avoid red wines as the mould changes the structure, the aromas and brings out the bitterness. Top picks are Rivesaltes Vins Doux Naturels, Pacharenc du Vic Bilh or aged Sauternes even red Vins Doux Naturels such as Maury, Banyuls work well with blue cheeses. The family of Goat and sheep cheeses Ossau-iraty         Brebis cremeux et parfume Brebis Corse     Chevre Frais    Chevre Moelleux et onctueux   Chevre Affiné. Vieux et sec   St Maure de Touraine Banon de Provence Chevrotin des Aravis With this family of cheeses the wine must tame the acidity of milk. The wine must work with the texture of the fat and complexity of the flavours. Androuet confirms the well-known phrase – match local wines with cheese of the same origin, particularly very dry and fruity whites. Dry white wines from the Loire – include the smoky Pouilly Fume, Sancerre, Menetou-Salon, Quincy and Reuilly work well with the goats cheeses from the region. From Burgundy, try the lighter Aligoté, Saint-Véran, Macon villages and from the Alpine pastures the white wines of Savoie or lighter reds of the Loire – Bourgueil and Chinon. Bernard Antony’s particular favourites with these cheeses include wines closer to home including Riesling Vendange Tardive 2007 from Barmes Buecher, 2002 Brundlmayer Gruner Veltliner Kaferberg 2002 and Pinot Gris Grand Cru Osterberg 2016, Domaine Agape. Read more Editorial 

Eating cheese and drinking fine wine is one of life’s little pleasures. We explore the art of ageing cheese (Affinage) and the perfect wine pairings

Find out more about affinage (the ageing of cheese) and the perfect cheese and fine wine pairings, with cheese guru Bernard Antony 

Pairing cheese and fine wine

The alchemy of affinage with cheese guru Bernard Antony 

I was hesitant about meeting Ivan Massonnat. The man who created Domaine Belargus seemed to fill easy stereotypes. A background in private equity. Lived in Paris. A passion for wine – and a dream to make it himself. Big scores and some pretty punchy prices for a brand-new estate from the Loire. Reading between the lines, I feared there was a lot of cash and possibly too much polish. Thankfully, I was wrong.  Created in 2018 and based in Anjou, Domaine Belargus has rapidly become one of fine wine’s hottest new names. The first wines were released in 2021, in the midst of the global pandemic, but had already earned serious acclaim. Yohan Castaing wrote in Decanter, “Remember this name, as its production should meet with resounding critical success in the coming years.” The wines received glowing reviews in Wine Spectator and the Wine Advocate – where Stephan Reinhardt declared it “one of the most spectacular new entries in the history of [the publication]”, granting a coveted 100-point score for its 2018 Quarts de Chaume Ultra. But that was just the beginning. Ivan Massonnat is a man with big plans – both for his own wines, and the region as a whole.  Wine was a part of life for Massonnat from a young age – with his grandfather farming a small vineyard in their village in the Savoie. But, despite helping at harvest time each year, he didn’t end up drinking wine until he was 20, when he was “instantly hooked”, he says. He fell in love with Burgundy and the concept of “vin de lieu” – wine of place.  Massonnat made his money in private equity, based in Paris but travelling the world, where fine dining – and fine wine lists – only fed his terroir obsession. Two decades ago he was looking for a country house for his family, and – not having a car – settled on the Loire. “The more I was spending time there, the more I realised that the region was totally misunderstood,” he says. Prior to the upheaval of the French Revolution and the subsequent arrival of mildew and phylloxera, the Loire was one of France’s most prestigious wine regions – home to the nation’s kings, the fruit of its vines were the royal court’s natural choice. Post-phylloxera, however, quality was scrapped in favour of quantity. “Its image started to blur,” says Massonnat.  Combine the region’s history with its two great, native varieties – Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc – and Massonnat saw “an incredible diamond in the rough”. Wine had become an increasingly large part of his life – tasting widely and visiting producers as much as possible, especially in Burgundy where vignerons such as Philippe Pacalet and Thibault Liger-Belair friends and mentors. But it wasn’t just a hobby – Massonnat was starting to think this could be more, the adventure that lay beyond the world of finance.  As the adage goes, the world of wine is a brilliant way to make a small fortune – provided you start out with a large one. Massonnat, however, didn’t underestimate the challenges and set about getting to grips with the mechanics of the business. “It started really to become a project 10 years ago,” he says – talking to importers, consultants, journalists and merchants. And, perhaps unsurprisingly given his successful career, Massonnat wasn’t looking to make any wine – he was determined to create something exceptional.  After a failed attempt to buy a Chinon estate in 2015, he turned his attention to great Chenin Blanc sites in Anjou Noir, between the Layon and Loire rivers – low-yielding hillsides where producers were struggling to make money and consequently there was land to buy. More than just availability, it was here that Massonnat saw great potential. The area’s dark, schist soils (cause for the “noir” in the region’s name) were littered with tiny appellations, echoing those of Burgundy, with a much hillier landscape, and the only Premier and Grand Cru vineyards in the region.  Between 2016 and 2018, Massonnat started visiting every vineyard he could find – looking for the exceptional. Then the local winemaker Patrick Baudouin introduced him to Jo Pithon – a legend of the Loire. Pithon had been making wine since 1978, a pioneer of organic farming, crafting fine dry and sweet wines – but the talented vigneron was by no means a businessman. By the early 2000s, his lack of commercial knowhow lost him the rights to his name, along with the majority of his vineyards – all but one plot, the Coteau des Treilles.  Massonnat met Pithon at the Angers wine fair in 2018; they got on well enough and he arranged to see Pithon’s vineyards the following day. The next morning, it was snowing and he regretted his decision . But then, at 8.32am on 6th February 2018, “It’s as if I was struck by lightning,” Massonnat says. Pithon had brought him to Coteau des Treilles. Long farmed organically, it has slopes at a gradient of 70%, embedded in a natural reserve, with a Mediterranean microclimate – and Massonnat knew instantly it was what he had been looking for. He bought the Pithon-Paillé operation that Jo Pithon had created a decade earlier.  Luck continued to be on Massonnat’s side – and he bought two other vineyards over the next six months, adding to his collection of prime sites. He managed to buy a quarter of the Quarts de Chaume appellation – the only Grand Cru vineyards in the region – which amazingly had been on the market for 10 years. “Nobody wanted to buy it… They were looking at it as a sweet wine terroir. But actually, a great terroir is a great terroir… you will do dry wines that are quite exceptional,” Massonnat explains. Then he snapped up a parcel in Savennières – the only plot to have been sold in the last seven years.  He hired a young team and Pithon stayed on to consult – and the real work began. “Belargus is a 100-year project. Everything we do, we have that horizon,” Massonnat says. The vines are all organically certified, but they’re now working towards biodynamic accreditation. Yields are low, and they’re trying gradually to increase them to around 35hl/ha in a good vintage (currently the highest they’ve managed is 29hl/ha). “Our obsession is to have the right maturity,” Massonnat explains. To battle Chenin Blanc’s natural heterogeneity, they pick in multiple passes, minimum two or three but up to six, depending on the year – and that is just for the dry wines. The general approach is minimalist – with stainless steel and mainly larger, old oak, indigenous yeast, letting malolactic fermentation happen (or not), keeping wines on the lees and using only essential levels of sulphur. A new winery is being planned to take things to the next level, with, for example, a Coquard press (allowing especially gentle pressing, commonly used in Champagne).  The project is about expressing the different terroirs of this corner of Anjou Noir. The first release (which sold almost instantly given the hype from the critics, with 80% exported) consisted of 14 cuvées – nine dry wines and five sweet, focusing on nine specific plots across the estate’s vineyards. The dry wines are powerful, tightly wound and intense – as Massonnat says, “It’s not wine for every day,” comparing them to white Hermitage or Corton-Charlemagne, wines that need food and time. Although 90% of production is dry, Massonnat confesses, “We are obsessed with sweet wines.” These, he feels, are what will really set Anjou Noir on the world stage – if, perhaps, what he calls “the sugar pandemic” ever stops.   With Massonnat’s finance background comes a flexibility that few others have. He hopes to hold all the wines back four years eventually, but for now it is between three and four – and he was able to release the 2020s before the exceptional 2019s. It also allowed him to set prices unusually high compared to his neighbours. “I had the luxury to make that choice for the region,” he explains. “I wanted to break the glass ceiling.” And although he thought it would take time – his first release proved that there were plenty of people ready to snap up the value that these wines offered, including many of those now priced out of Burgundy.  And this is his real dream – for the Loire to be recognised as Burgundy is, as “a tier-one region which any collector needs to have in its cellar, that needs to be understood”. It’s easy to imagine other producers might have bristled at an outsider’s arrival, pitching their very first wines at unheard-of prices; but Massonnat is intent on leading the crusade for the entire region, not just Domaine Belargus. He volunteered to run the Paulée d’Anjou – a celebration of the region’s wines – in 2019, and made it bigger and better. In 2021, he became co-president of the Quarts de Chaume appellation, alongside Marie Guégniard from Domaine de la Bergerie. Together they are fighting for the appellation to permit both dry and sweet wines, as Savennières technically can, and Quarts de Chaume could until 1996. “Anjou was a dirty word. And look at the revolution now,” he says.  Like the precious blue butterfly that gives its name to the Belargus estate, Massonnat isn’t happy sitting still – and he’s already got another project – having had the chance to buy the Chinon estate he’d originally had his eye on in 2015. The best wine he ever tasted was a Chinon, a 1989 from Charles Joguet. “There was a whole civilisation in this wine,” he told me, trying to explain how moving the experience had been. There’s no doubt that Massonnat is a canny businessman, but his vision is extraordinary – and one that he seems set to realise.  Explore all current listings of Domaine Belargus or read more Editorial 

Since it was created in 2018, Domaine Belargus has become a name to watch. Sophie Thorpe sat down with Ivan Massonnat, the man behind the project, to find out more about the Anjou estate and his vision for the region

With top reviews for its first releases, Anjou estate Domaine Belargus has become a name to watch. We sat down with founder Ivan Massonnat to find out more

Talking to Domaine Belargus’s Ivan Massonnat

The archangel of Anjou: Ivan Massonnat

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