We have new wines from Sylvère & Mathilde at Séléné!
Despite heavy losses from their own parcels thanks to the frost in April 2021, the pair work closely with a number of growers in the area, and were able to purchase fruit to supplement what could have been an otherwise disastrous vintage.
They spent most of 2021 working both their own plots and the negocé parcels with biodynamic preparations, spending as much time as possible to keep the nutrient populations healthy in the vineyards after the frost-shock.
Sylvère was particularly thrilled with the quality of fruit they ended up with, their hard work really paying off.
The first we'll release from the latest arrival will be their Rosé, and a new cuvee: Printemps. Both are as the latter's name suggests, perfect Spring wines.
Now Available
ROSE
NEW 2021 - Rosé - Gamay
RED
NEW 2021 - Cuvee de Printemps
Now farming 7 hectares of their own, the Rosé is from a newer parcel that finished organic conversion in 2021. A direct-pressed Gamay grown on granite over sandy clay, bright and fresh with great acidity.
For Printemps, Sylvère & Mathilde used fruit from the negocé parcels- 1 close to home in Blacé, and 2 further into southern Beaujolais. All the Gamay had 15 days of carbonic maceration in concrete before ageing for 6 months in the same.
These are a pair of lively wines that are a triumph in the face of adversity: being light on their feet, fresh, and pure.
When we visited in early March, Sylvère showed us how much work they were doing in the vineyards to prepare defences against the heat of the summers in Beaujolais now. They have been planting trees between the rows for shade, and using wires to take the foliage higher, despite the vines being goblet trained.
There's a sense of frustrating irony to the life of a Beaujolais vigneron in this climate: survive the frosts just to later battle the sun, but Sylvère & Mathilde are up for the challenge.
2021 was not an easy year in Beaujolais. That's a sentence that's starting to have a real sting of deja-vu to it. The years immediately prior weren't much easier, and the beginning of the 2022 season feels risky, with an early start to the growing season and colder weather in early April.
We're crossing our fingers that we don't see a repeat of 2021 at Séléné. Sylvère & Mathilde had only just finished pruning when we visited earlier this year, much later than usual to try and delay their bud break. Time will tell if they'll face any frosts this year, but this post was meant to be celebratory: we have new wines from them- and more than ever!
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