Rémi Sédès
France, Nantes, Coteaux d’Ancenis
Hailing from the Jura, Rémi studied agronomy when he arrived in the area to live with his Nantes-born wife. He worked for a couple of years with Vincent Caillé, and then spent time honing his red winemaking skills in Bordeaux before setting up on his own in 2013. Rémi started with a plot of 20-year-old isolated vines that he leases from local biodynamic ‘grandfather’ Jacques Caroge. In 2017 he added a small parcel of Melon and Chardonnay.
Part of winemaking for Rémi is a lifestyle choice; he wants to work outdoors, in the fresh air, and not with machines – his Shire horses are an important part of his winemaking process.
Rémi is a Gamay specialist, and this was a key factor in choosing to work in Ancenis – where half of production in the area is red. In the cellar Rémi works with minimal use of sulphur (only sometimes added on bottling).
Our chat with Rémi (May 4, 2020):
How has the pandemic affected you so far: Which challenges have you been facing? What became easier?
It's true that this year everything is different with the current situation, but for me personally, not much has changed. Actually, I like the way things are now. There is a lot less speed and stress, people have slowed down. I can concentrate better on my work in the vineyard and I feel calmer overall.
I find that working in agriculture I'm often under pressure placed on me by the outside world for various reasons, and now that most people were forced to stop what they are doing and stay at home, a big weight was lifted. I'm working by myself so it is not always easy to do it all at the same time.
Did the recent weeks also have an economical impact on you?
To be honest, it hasn't been too bad. About 30% - 40% of my wines go to Japan, which continued as usual. The UK seems to be doing well, as well as certain retailers in France. The current amount of orders suits me as I'd also like to keep some wines here on the side to let them age a bit further. Money wise, it is enough for me to live off so I'm happy. It is not enough to hire an additional person to help me out, but that is something for the future. Overall, I'm stable.
And climate wise, how has this year been so far for you and what are you predicting for this year's harvest?
We've had a very rainy winter. which is unusual here but it is great for the soil to build up water reserves for the hotter months to come. During the previous years the winters were quite dry, which led to the soil to dry up fast and made work very difficult.
We didn't have any frost, so that is also great. Now we just need to wait and see how the summer months will go, but overall I have the feeling it will be a great year with some really good results.
Are there any particular projects you are working on at the moment?
Yes, I am pursuing the goal of expanding my work with horses. Trocade, my Shire horse, will hopefully have a baby. She is getting old so it would be great to have a successor. I have more friends who work with horses, like Johan Chasse. We will be working together and joining forces on the field and help each other out.
Now in Stock
Rosé
Claire est Ni Rouge Ni Rose 2015 - Gamay
"In 2015 I've had one of my largest harvests to date. For this rosé, I wanted to try a method which I have experimented with previously in Bordeaux: 'Clairer' - which means to leave the juice to macerate for two days before pressing. The result is a light bodied, fresh and aromatic rose with bright acidity."
Samplemousse 2018 - Gamay
Hand harvested, Cold maceration for four hours, fermentation in cellar in fibreglass for two to three weeks. On lees until bottling.
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