WINE INTERNATIONAL - UKFebruary 2004

BORDEAUX YOUNG GUNS : Who is challenging the old guard?

Shaping a bright future in traditional region, these individuals share the perception that great wines can be made without following the established canons of Bordeaux, and that pleasing the cutomer is imperative to survival.

Someone once said that good wine is made despite oenologists. It's a sentiment that Stéphane Derenoncourt obviously emphasizes with when he says that “we are living in a diploma(niac) society”. As someone who does not hold a diploma in oenology, and is one of the most influential winemakers of the younger generation in Bordeaux, the man sometimes considered to be the enfant terrible of the region’s scene seems qualified to make such a statement...

...Stéphane Derenoncourt

Sometimes considered as the enfant terrible of the current Bordeaux scene, Stéphane Derenoncourt starts by talking about his team. As someone not born into the Bordeaux system, he knows too well how much he owes to others. He calls his colleagues “de-frocked oenologists”, which clearly demonstrates the fundamental irreverence of his approach with regard to the established order. His consultancy company is named Vignerons Conseils which emphasizes another trait of his approach to wine: the vine comes first.

Derenoncourt is not a flat-earth fundamentalist, however. He is always ready to experiment with - and use all kind of - new techniques in the winery. But if the grapes aren’t right, then neither can be the wine.

He arrived in Fronsac as a hitchhiker in 1982, the year of a plentiful harvest of unusually ripe grapes. He came to pick them, and stayed. The quality of these grapes seems to have left an indelible mark on the young Derenoncourt’s mind. Having scratched a living for years as a part-time vineyard worker - while also making wood toys to sell in windy markets in order to supplement his income - Derenoncourt landed a training contract at Château La Fleur Cailleau in 1985, a property belonging to Paul Barre who was one of the rare exponents of biodynamic farming techniques in Bordeaux. This marked the beginning of a hands-on apprenticeship.

Derenoncourt's approach to the of wine incorporates human taste as an essential part of the decision-making process. His motivation comes from a true love of wine, and awareness of the importance of teamwork from years spent working in the fields and the cellars. This is what taught him to observe, listen and think before making a decision...
...Common sense and respect for nature are the key phrases.

Sentiments are also vital in understanding the man. Derenoncourt says he will not accept a client if there is not a “good feeling” between them, and if the client does not have a project that goes beyond making money. Realism and affection must go hand in hand...

...Derenoncourt has recently formed a company (TERRA BURDIGALA) with François Thienpont to make and sell wines from a range of lesser-known appellations...