VINNAYA KARTA (Russia)N°2 mars 2004

Stephane Derenoncourt and New Idea of Bordeaux

Our meeting with Stephane Derenoncourt turned out to be a logical link in a chain of events that happened to him in the past few months. This star winemaker from Bordeaux who shook the world with his ‘garage’ La Mondotte 1996 is now engaged in a project the fruit - or rather the wines - of which open one’s eyes on the true potential for the lesser vineyards of the region. While this material was being prepared for print, we received a confirmation that Stephane Derenoncourt and Francois Thienpont, a well-know negociant from Bordeaux, will come to Moscow to participate in EXPO Vitrina Assembly on 12-13 April where they will run their Master classes.

Francois Thienpont’s grandfather came to Bordeaux in 1924 from Belgium, and his father came to tend the vines after the war in 1946. Now the Thienponts family owns, among others, such diamonds as Le Pin, Vieux Chateau Certan and Chateau Puygueraud. In 1995 Francois started his own negociant business, Wings, with operations on the European, American and Asian markets.

And now we are talking in the stylish office of Terra Burdigala, which was founded by Francois Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt in spring 2001 in order to promote new Bordeaux wines. While Stephane is being delayed, Francois Thienpont tells me about his business and a new joint project.

- I am a negociant, and I have my allocations from all First Growths, - he says. - But I found the position of smaller estates unsatisfactory as they still do not have consistency in the quality of their products, especially in more technically difficult vintages. The idea to create Terra Burdigala came from this frustration. My goal was to offer quality products from smaller estates and the only way to achieve success is to work in the vineyards ourselves. I shared this idea with Stephane two years ago, and we have been working together since then.

The partners made agreements with a few Right Bank vineyard owners who were ready to grow the grapes and make wines in close contact with their team. What were the criteria for choosing estates?

- Good terroir, easy to work, and also the quality of the owners, - answers Francois.

From the very beginning Francois and Stephane aimed to create wines which would reflect their idea of Bordeaux - fruit, balance and pleasure - and which could be accessible to all Bordeaux lovers.

- We see that together with Grands Crus our clients are interested in good wines to drink on everyday basis, notes Francois Thienpont. - Now there are lots of modern wines, interesting, but not much character. We want balance, not over-extracted or too oaky. And of course, our wines are for pleasure.

Stephane Derenoncourt has already joined us, and the conversation takes a different turn. I want to know why this man is considered to be one of the most controversial winemakers in Bordeaux, and his answers do not make you wait. Everything Stephane talks about does not fit the picture of traditional Bordelais winemaking approach. His views became the source of shocks and changes in many estates of the region.

Stephane agrees with a title of a revolutionary given to him by journalists.

- Yes, because I am not an oenologist in a traditional for Bordeaux way, - he specifies. - I did not have roots here. I came from the north of France and I do not have formal education. I first came to Bordeaux in 1982 and started as a grape picker.

It took Stephane 15 years before his winemaking career brought him international renown. After a few different jobs he started to work in Chateau Fronsac in 1985. He learnt step by step how to work in the vineyards and the winery. The list of chateaux where Stephane worked later sounds like a new Pantheon of the Right Bank: Pavie-Macquin, Clos Fourtet, Canon-La Gaffeliere, Clos de L'Oratoire...

- My work in La Mondotte was very important, of course, because it brought me success. La Mondotte 1996 became of the most sought after ‘garage’ wines, together with the cult Valandraud and Le Pin.

What was the source of inspiration for the self-taught winemaker? By his own admission, he got a lot of influence from Burgundy.

- I think there is a big difference between Burgundy and Bordeaux, - Stephane continues. - People in Bordeaux own big chateaux, they are more entrepreneural. People in Burgundy are very different. They have their traditions. First they look at the vineyard. If its conditions are good and the quality of the fruit is good then the wine will be good.

In 1999 Stephane opened his own consultancy and now he works with 45 estates in Bordeaux, both prestigious vineyards of St. Emilion, Margaux or Pessac-Leognan, and less popular appellations of Fronsac, Francs and Castillon. Besides, he consults Vineda Alonso del Yerro in Spain and three estates in Tuscany. When the workload increased, he got assistants who share his views and methods. Now he has 4 helpers.

What are the beliefs that make Stephane different from others?

- You must work with the grapes first, - he says. - You must have perfection in the vineyard. If you have perfect grapes, all the rest is easy. We are constantly improving our work in the vineyards to get the best from nature. Low yields and harvesting when the grapes achieved full ripeness are obligatory conditions of work.

Derenoncourt’s philosophy is to work in close contact with nature. His methods in the vineyard are, in fact, biodynamic, because they allow the energies of nature to maximize their effect. To work passionately, to work with the grapes, to rely on intuition and to achieve balance - that is the success formula, according to Stephane Derenoncourt.

- Everybody thought I was crazy, that I came from another planet, - he recalls. - Surely, because who else in Bordeaux used whole berries fermentation, or aging on the lees, or micro-oxygenation, or aging in the barriques 15 yeas ago? And now, look, everyone uses these methods.

In the meantime Stephane is trying new approaches to vines and grapes experimenting in his own Domaine de l’A, that is situated in Cotes de Castillon. He calls his domaine his “information centre”. This information is used not only in the French projects.

- In Spain I work with Tempranillo, and in Italy with Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The conditions are totally different. If in Bordeaux there is not enough sun, then in those places it’s too much.

We taste the Terra Burdigala range of 2001 and 2002. With all the differences between appellations (Bordeaux, Cotes de Castillon, Montagne Saint-Emilion, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru), terroirs and characters, all the wines have something in common. Fruit expression, wonderful balance and sheer pleasure.

- My favourite is Chateau Manoir du Gravoux - Cotes de Castillon, - says Stephane. - The wine reflects excellent terroir with a perfect grape maturity. And you, perhaps, prefer a sensual Chateau Peyroutas Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2001

The tasting is concluded with Chateau Puygueraud Cotes de Francs 2001, a family wine of Francois Thienpont, that is made in collaboration with Stephane Derenoncourt. It shows such class that I irrevocably become a follower of the wines of the Thienpont-Derenoncourt alliance.