“For the impeccable quality of Burgundy wines”.
First of all, I’d like to say what a great pleasure and honor it is for me to be here with you today. My father was very attached to the Académie Internationale du Vin, to the quality of its work and to the defense by each academician of the noble wine, the only real driving force in our professional lives. I shall therefore try to make my modest contribution to your research by assuring you, first of all, that I fully and unreservedly share the founding charter of our Academy. The area of freedom I’m going to talk to you about today refers, among other things, to the international 85% rules of the game; 85% rules which are to be compared with the 100% rules in force in France. When I started working at Maison Louis Jadot, I hadn’t really thought about the notion of terroir. It was intuitively and deeply rooted in me, and the strict rules of the game that were, and fortunately still are, ours seemed natural to me. Nevertheless, this firmly established system coexisted within me with the dreams of freedom and the pioneering spirit of youth.
Visiting one or more production regions around the world every year, I’ve tried to understand whether or not these rules are really imperative. As far as Burgundy is concerned, my answer is simple and unambiguous: our appellation d’origine contrôlée is an exceptional concept when it is put in place in the right place by responsible people; as its name suggests, it must be regularly controlled and it is impossible to collectively produce noble wines without respecting our rules of the game; evolutions must be slow and considered. We are not racing against time; on the contrary, time is our friend. For us, a brutal space of freedom is incompatible with the production of terroir wines.
On the other hand, the question becomes more interesting if we put it another way: is it possible for a large region to produce exclusively terroir wines every year, without any safety valve and whatever the climatic conditions? Is it possible to produce other wines in the same region on an occasional basis, with more flexible rules? That’s what I’m thinking about today. The notion of terroir is part of France’s cultural heritage. In every wine-producing region, this harmony between the land, the topography, the climate, the vines and local customs is the foundation of our profession. The Appellations d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) have enshrined and framed this notion of terroir, establishing clear, strict rules of the game to ensure the wise continuity of this formidable heritage, of which we are fortunate to be the heirs. The appellation d’origine reveals the power of the terroir; it is not always synonymous with quality, but it is a promise of quality.
Today, 55% of France’s vineyards are classified as “appellations contrôlées”, and if we add vins de pays, 75% of French wines are proud to be vins de terroir. Our European neighbors, each in their own way, are sometimes part of an identical process. Until the early 80s, the world of wine, perceived as being of high quality, was totally dominated by the notion of vin de terroir. Over the past 20 years, things have changed. The countries of the New World have developed massively. Starting from nothing, they’ve tried everything. Of course, they drew inspiration from what was being done here, but they left plenty of room for new ideas and the implementation of a marketing model very clearly oriented towards consumer tastes and desires. Penfolds is a case in point: every year, the company produces Australia’s most famous wine, “Granges Hermitage”. This wine comes from blends of different vineyards chosen each year according to the climatic conditions of a particular sub-region of Australia. Thus, Australia’s most famous wine is a wine without any notion of origin.
It’s not my intention to focus on the confrontation between “New World” wines and wines from our own regions. Their arrival in force, leading to healthy competition, is forcing us to improve, and so much the better. Let’s return to France. It’s customary for us to make a simple and direct connection between the vineyards and the wines we produce. To simplify things a little, we consider that we are organized as follows:
– AOC vineyards produce Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée wines.
– Local vineyards produce local wines,
– The other vineyards produce table wines.
In fact, the reality is different. Being lucky enough to own an appellation contrôlée vineyard doesn’t always result in the production of a wine worthy of that appellation. Vin de terroir is not an income derived directly from divine will. It’s also the reward for hard work, respect and an attitude that allows us to produce noble wines. I therefore prefer the following table:
If we focus on appellation d’origine contrôlée vineyards, we can see that they give rise to 4 types of wine:
It’s easy to forget the fourth category very quickly. Bad wines have to be distilled. Those who produce them in consecutive years will inevitably have to sell their vineyards. So let’s concentrate on the first 3 categories, which I’ll call A, B and C, where each label now bears the name of the appellation of origin. For simplicity’s sake, and out of an atavism that I’m sure you’ll understand, I’m going to focus on my own region, greater Burgundy, as an example. I believe you’ll find a very similar situation in the other regions of France. Greater Burgundy begins in Chablis and ends in Beaujolais. Here, we produce 32 million cases each year from 50,000 hectares cultivated by 9,000 winegrowers.
We use almost exclusively 3 grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gamay, with no blending between them. Finally, our entire vineyard is subject to the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) regulations, with no possibility of withdrawal for the wines produced here, except for table wines, which in France prohibit the notion of grape variety and vintage. So why should a Burgundian fortunate enough to come from such a noble land consider thinking about a different world, a taboo subject, where the battle is fought over grape varieties, various blends, osmosis or oak chips? Quite simply, because the current situation is cruel. Logically, Burgundy wines should be divided between category A (noble wines) and category B (good terroir wines), where the economic model allows everyone to make a good living and ensure the long-term future of their business. The reality is different.
In category A (noble wines), we are an undisputed benchmark, and the wines produced here are the pride of our region. Category B is for good terroir wines that are easier to access and completely faithful to the notion of appellation d’origine contrôlée. On the other hand, and unfortunately, a significant proportion of our production falls into category C (average, soulless wines); these wines not only tarnish the image of our region, but are part of a more than uncertain economic model. This situation is not new, but it has become more acute in recent years. The gap between high-performing, reliable producers with an impeccable image, and those in the shadows, is widening every day. Our two families, the wine trade and winegrowing, have failed to share added value and slowly build a coherent, irreproachable Burgundy together. The over-rapid development of our vineyards has favored quantity to the detriment of quality. As a result, some of our wines have sold for less, and some of us have been caught up in a spiral from which we can no longer escape. Trade drives part of our production, when it should be the other way around.
In the future, global segmentation will be much simpler:
on one side, noble terroir wines
on the other, well-made varietal and branded wines (not to be called technological wines).
There is no longer any place on the international market for wines that are supposed to be terroir wines, but which turn out to be average and soulless.
Our responsibility is a collective one, and we all need to react as quickly as possible: either bring these inadequate wines back into the terroir category, – or move them into another universe, that of varietal and branded wines.
If we don’t take clear decisions today, economic reality will force us in an uncontrollable direction that will not be the one we want.
Let’s start with the vines: our vineyards are planted on land that has the potential to produce terroir wines. Origin is not negotiable. We can improve, of course, but let’s not change our production rules. Let’s apply them, period, to all our vineyards, without exception. For the wines we produce, which are insufficient today, the temptation is great to go for ever more technology. We must resist this temptation; varietal and branded wines do not correspond to our culture. This would mean a two-speed Burgundy, and everyone (our customers first and foremost) would be at a loss. We must therefore strive to bring all those who have strayed into the fold of terroir wines.
But once you’ve made your choice, it’s time to act. Is it realistic to claim that one day we’ll all deserve the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée on our labels? Of course, if you produce Gevrey Chambertin Premier Cru Clos Saint-Jacques and a climatic accident occurs, it’s always possible to replant it as Gevrey Chambertin Village, or even red Burgundy. On the other hand, if you live in southern Burgundy, produce only red Burgundy and a climatic accident occurs, what do you do?
In a single-varietal region, the stakes are even higher. It’s impossible to force a wine producer to do something he doesn’t want to do. We can convince him, give him proof, but the final choice will always be his. To achieve our goals, we won’t always be able to live in a vacuum. We’ll need a safety valve. Then we’ll be in a position to strictly enforce the rules of the game carefully thought out by our parents, because we’ll have found an honorable solution for wines that occasionally fail to meet the standards worthy of their appellation.
The downgrading to table wine proposed to us today is no longer justified, because there is no market for these wines, nor will there ever be. It is here, and only here, that the space for freedom appears: to punctually correct divine or human inadequacies. Naturally, wines produced in this way can no longer refer to their place of production. They will simply fit into the category of varietal or branded wines from France, in accordance with international rules. You’ve heard me right: our choice is terroir and its authenticity. But to succeed in this choice, we need a small opening. Under these conditions, and only under these conditions, this space of controlled freedom is desirable and possible in Burgundy. This adaptation, this evolution, entails dangers and temptations of which we must be aware. It must therefore be carefully thought through, intelligent and compartmentalized.
All of us here who want to produce noble, terroir-driven wines are deeply attached to the notion of origin, and our greatest wish is to strengthen our appellations. We are proud and right to be purists; it works very well as individuals. On the other hand, it’s becoming much more difficult to be purists collectively; let’s show a small dose of controlled realism and courageously implement this indispensable safety valve ourselves, in our regions of origin.