Learning on the Job

My blossoming obsession with the winemaker Olivier Lamy began with his honeyed but hauntingly mineral 1996 Clos de la Chatenière.  Served by the man himself with a generous smile at a dinner party, this spectacular wine came from his first vintage after taking the reins from his father.  Not bad for a first go around.

Three days later, on a field trip from work with my colleague Caro, I realized that luck had nothing to do with it.  Olivier speaks a mile a minute when explaining his passion for vine-growing, meaning his brain must somehow work even faster!  While many growers struggle just to keep up with all the necessary work in the vines, he envisions the future and launches ahead with ideas to improve upon his already stellar vineyards.

Case in point, our field trip site: Derrière Chez Edouard, a Saint Aubin 1er Cru creeping up a hillside of mostly limestone soil, with almost Chablis-like chalkiness.  In 2000, Olivier replanted the parcel with haute densité (high density) vines.  Meaning 30,000 vine feet per hectare as compared to the already high Burgundian standard of 10,000 vine feet per hectare.  This also means about three times as much manual effort must go into tending the vines.  En plus, because it is on such a steep slope, he must plough with a heavy charrue, pushing it up the hill like a lawnmower, instead of cruising leisurely in a standard tractor.  Talk about a workout!  Good thing little Olivier is just about bursting at the seams with energy.

I think Olivier may have invited us just to put us to work!

The result of this bold innovation?  Visually, he has two or three modest grape bunches with small, aerated berries as opposed to his neighbor’s 5 or 6 bursting five or six bunches.  However, as always, the real proof is in the glass, and we were lucky enough to quench our thirst with a vertical tasting of this unique cuvee dating back to its début in 2006.  I’ll remain succinct: juicily ripe peaches supported by an immortal mineral backbone.  And this kind of fruit concentration already coming from mere baby vines?  I only hope I may be lucky enough to re-taste once the vines have plunged their roots down in the soil over the years.  Which is why Olivier does not hesitate to add that he isn’t investing in this kind of work for himself; he’s literally founding the roots for the generations of Lamys to come.

Cozy vines, spaced only 0.35 m apart.  Notice the beautiful little grape.bunches!

And yes, luck, is the feeling I have when I walk down the cobbled streets of Beaune to work with the team at Becky Wasserman Selections each day.  If I can’t realistically dive right into my passion for making wine today, what better way to content myself than to take care of the precious wine babies of rock stars like Monsieur Lamy in the meantime and continue to live in this remarkable region?

Caro and I, displaying the necessary tools for the day.