At
the foot of the rolling vineyards of Moulin-à-Vent, just across the road from
its famous namesake windmill, Domaine Diochon has been making Beaujolais the
old-fashioned way since 1935.
Bernard Diochon, the beloved, mustachioed character immortalized by
photographer Gail Skoff, succeeded his father in 1967. As a torch bearer to the
ancestral methods passed down to him, Bernard explains,
I like tannic wines without
heaviness; with fruit and floral aromas. I don’t like weighty wines with hard
tannins. My favorite wines are St Emilion from Bordeaux, and Chambolle-Musigny
and Nuits-St-Georges from Burgundy. Every vigneron naturally chooses to
make wines in the style they prefer. It works well that Kermit and I share the
same taste; it’s what has allowed our relationship to last for so long.
Picking
when the grapes are perfectly mature, traditional whole cluster fermentations,
aging in large old oak foudres, and
bottling unfiltered in the springtime have characterized the house style.
According
to Bernard, one of the most unique qualities of the domaine is the quality of
the soil that they farm. Crumbly granite allows the vines to plunge easily
towards “gore” subsoil, which feeds the vines, while adding a pronounced
mineral component to the wine. (James E. Wilson, author of Terroir, explains gore to be an accumulated mass of sand and thin
clay deposits with weathered feldspars, mica, and quartz.) Given the old age of
his vines, anywhere between forty and one hundred years old, yields are
naturally small. These are wines that are easy to enjoy in their youth but can
handle years of cellar aging with great ease.
In 2007, Bernard wanted to retire but had no heirs. He appointed Thomas Patenôtre as his heir apparent, which has turned out to be an easy transition. We are grateful that the Diochon tradition continues through Thomas, safeguarding the ancestral methods that distinguish real Beaujolais from the mass-produced and highly over-commercialized juice that floods the market today.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
| Wine |
Blend |
Vine Age |
Soil Type |
Vineyard Area* |
Moulin-à-Vent
|
Gamay |
50 - 85 years |
Pink Granite, sandstone, with a manganese-rich sub-soil |
5.05 ha |
"ha"=hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres
VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION
• Vines are situated
on granite slopes with east by southeast sun exposure
• Vines are
sustainably farmed
• Harvested by hand
at the perfect ripeness; no chapitalization
• After the harvest,
grapes are transferred to temperature-controlled cement cuves, where they
undergo a traditional semi-carbonic, whole cluster fermentation for about twelve
days
• Pump-overs are
performed daily
• Two rackings take
place towards the end of the fermentation process
• The wines age in
oak foudres for at least 6-7
months before bottling
• Only minute doses
of sulfur are used
• Wines are bottled
unfined and unfiltered
MISCELLANEA
I forgot what year it was, but it
must have been between twenty and twenty-five years ago. Kermit phoned me to
let me know that he was looking to expand his portfolio in the Beaujolais. At
the time, he was working with producers in Morgon, Fleurie, Brouilly, and
Moulin-à-Vent. He asked me if I wouldn’t mind sparing a day to visit other
producers. As you might expect, I agreed. And so one fine morning, the two of
us left in his car. The first visit was in Saint Amour at a friend’s place who
makes good, but very technical wines, using more modern methods with cement
tank or stainless steel aging and a filtered bottling. We stayed for only a
half an hour in the winery. Kermit watched, observed, and tasted, but said
nothing. We took our leave of the vigneron, and before getting back in the car, he
said to me, with a tone that silenced me, “If you are going to continue
bringing me to the factories, perhaps it is better that we stop here.” I
learned my lesson, and we spent the rest of the day with vignerons that work in the old-school style. Alas,
only one cru caught his attention; it
was a Chiroubles. I don’t know what happened, but their collaboration didn’t
last long.
What a good memory and what a great
day for me.
Bernard Diochon
Diochon’s
Moulin-à-Vent is juicily delicious yet there is a majesty to it. It is
full-blown and full-bodied, yet it has a lush, supple, swallowable texture. No
hard edges. No astringency. No heat. Moulin-à-Vent is supposed to
be the grandest of the region’s Grands Crus,
and here you sense a certain grandeur
throughout the taste experience. And don’t overlook the visuals. Diochon’s
color is always a sight to see. The color, like the flavor, is cassis-like. This wine
is a perennial favorite at the retail store in Berkeley, and Bernard himself is
one of the most respected and beloved figures in the region. His wild moustache
looks as if it has seen the inside of a million wine glasses, and it’s hard to
imagine a world without wine like this.
Kermit Lynch
