Château Pierre-Bise Savennières ‘Roche aux Moines’ 2020

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

The Roche aux Moines plateau is composed near the surface of rhyolite, an acidic volcanic rock formed from cooled magma. It is responsible for the orangey colour of the siliceous sandstone at the bottom of the slope. This first part is the least rocky (the topsoil is around 80cm thick).

Since the volume of water is strongly dependent on the thickness of the soil, the silica of the sandstone and the slope are responsible for the level of acidity and its vivacity. Continuing up the slope, a band of spilite (basic volcanism) at a depth of about 30 cm reinforces the mineral complexity from the sandstone. Without increasing acidity, it adds density to the structure of the wine.

Finally, the crimson schist at the top of the hillside with its thin layer of soil, brings roundness and fleshiness that are specific to this level of weathered schist and very poor rocky soil.

The Roche aux Moines site, on the edge of the Coulée de Serrant appellation, overlooks the Loire Valley and the small but most famous of Anjou’s winegrowing villages, Savennières, with its magnificent properties and imposing cedar parks.

The plantings are now over 30 years old.

About Château Pierre-Bise

The people of Pierre-Bise are driven lovers of wine that are putting their bodies on the line doing the hard manual work to think holistically of the whole natural system in a bid to make pure wines that are a reflection of the lands on which their vines grow.

Pierre Papin bought Château Pierre-Bise, at the age of 50, in 1959.

In 1974, his son Claude took on the original nine hectares in Pays de la Loire and gradually expanded the estate, particularly during the 1980s, with the purchase of vines from his winegrower father-in-law in Rochefort, Chaume and Quarts-de-Chaume. In 1992, he also took over the Clos de Coulaine vineyard, adding the Savennières appellation to the estate’s range.

Organic commitment

In the Vineyard

The Chenin Grape

Even if some trace the origin of this grape variety to the 11th, 10th or even 9th century, which is indeed when the cultivation of vines is considered to have started, the earliest officially recorded presence of Chenin only dates from the 16th century; however, it is likely to have appeared in the 15th century at the manor of Montchenin. What is well established, though, is its roots in the Artois region in northern France (it originates from the Savagnin variety), and its flourishment on the banks of the Loire.

The typical grape

Displaying a bouquet of relatively subtle aromas, Chenin is a late-ripening variety and a true interpreter of terroirs. It is particularly good at producing a mineral expression of different wine-growing situations.

Nourishing the Vines

Following the example of Masanobu Fukuoka, a Japanese researcher who practised his concept of “do-nothing” farming, we wish to use conservation agriculture to cultivate vines by striving as much as possible to leave nature its role of shaping and giving life to the landscape.

Organic cultivation

In addition to the management of grass cover, this approach has led us to introduce agroforestry (integration of trees), winter grazing animals and vineyard chickens to eat snails in spring (their droppings stimulate and enrich soil life), lactic fermentation of plants (role in redox, and the supply of trace elements), and we also have an even more unusual project to plant a hillside using an agroforestry technique called Arbustra (where vines, trees and animals cohabit).

Regarding foliar protection, which is still necessary, we continue to employ the approach initiated in 1976 based on trace elements, and only use small amounts of copper and sulphur against downy mildew and powdery mildew.

Obtaining a quality harvest is our ultimate objective and this guides all operations in the vineyard. From pruning to thinning, through the modulation of grass cover as a variable for adjusting vigour, our sole aim is to achieve aerated bunches that are controlled in number and size, facilitating phenolic maturity at harvest.

In the Winery

The philosophy in the winery remains consistent with the work in the vineyard, the idea being to accompany fermentation and then ageing, with as little intervention as possible.

Generalising, for the white wines the freshly-picked fruit is gently pressed (the flow is slow but as continuous as possible, to obtain very clear juices, avoiding extraction of undesirable compounds, using a Coquard press, which is a benchmark for quality)with a small addition of sulphites at this moment. The juice is allowed to settle and then fermented with indigenous yeasts in a mix of older wooden vessels, typically large foudres, with overspill being vinified in 400-litre barrels.

Reds are of course destemmed, the fruit macerated with the juice. In recent years, the Papin family have also added eight 10-hectolitre sandstone jarres to the mix as well. A little stainless steel is also used. As you would expect there is no role for added sugar, enzymes or yeasts. Thereafter there are no further sulphite additions during the élevage, so many of the wines, not just red but white, undergo malolactic fermentation. Some dry whites are influenced by botrytis as well (not that unusual in Anjou – it requires a huge amount of effort to produce a botrytis-free wine), another factor which can make for a very distinctive style which might not, in some cases, be to everybody’s taste. The élevage takes place in the same range of vessels employed for the fermentation. The wines see a second dose of sulphites before bottling.

The South-West orientation of the vines in the Coteaux du Layon, combined with the natural morning mists that come off the Layon leads to a natural onset of botrytis. Papin harvests continually over two months, taking only the grapes that are at their peak of botrytisation on each of several passes that he makes for each row of vines. He then naturally ferments as slowly as possible, without the addition of sugar, in order to keep as much purity of expression as he can. This gives wines that have a great balance of sweetness and acidity without any of the bad Chenin odours that can be seen in other less carefully cared for wines.

In late 2011 Papin’s ongoing efforts to see greater recognition of the sweet wines of Anjou were rewarded, with the approval of Grand Cru status for Quarts de Chaume (making it the first Grand Cru in the Loire) and Premier Cru status for Coteaux du Layon.

Where in the World is Pierre-Bise?

Pierre-Bise is based in Anjou with significant holdings in Savennières.