Séléné (Sylvère Trichard)
WINEMAKER
Sylvère Trichard
TYPE OF AGRICULTURE
Organic, certified
VINEYARD AREA
8 ha
COUNTRY, REGION, SUBREGION
Sylvère Trichard took over his Grandmother’s four hectares of vines near the Beaujolais commune of Blacé in 2012. Working with biodynamic principles in mind, in accordance with the lunar calendar; but not pursuing strict certification. Vines are between 20 to 80 years old and planted on sandy clay soils over granite.
It was Sylvère’s uncle who first showed him the ropes in the winery whilst running the family domaine back in 1998, just as he was beginning organic conversion on their four hectares of Gamay and Chardonnay in the Beaujolais commune of Blacé.
Sylvère went on to study agriculture before stints working with Dominique Belluard in the Savoie and Jean-Claude Lapalu back home in Beaujolais. He started Séléné in 2012, working loosely with biodynamic principles in mind, in accordance with the lunar calendar; but not pursuing strict certification.
Vines here are between 20 to 80 years old and planted on sandy clay soils, with a vein of granite running underneath. Fermenting only with native yeasts, the reds all undergo carbonic maceration. Ageing is mostly done in concrete vats, with the exception of his grandmother’s favourite plot- the oldest vines- picked for a cuvée named for her and aged in old barrels.
Sylvère has been working hard on the family farm to encourage biodiversity, planting an orchard in 2020 and trees between the rows of vines. The trees will also help greatly with adding shade for the vines as temperatures continue to climb each summer.
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Wines
Fresh, bright Rosé with lovely acidity from a newer parcel that finished organic conversion in 2021.
A perfect Spring red assembled from the organic negociant parcels Sylvère & Mathilde supplemented their low yields with in 2021.
Beaujolais Rouge 2021 is picked from a parcel mostly over silty clay and broken sandy granite, and in this low-yielding vintage includes the 90 year old vines usually picked for Gisous.
From a parcel over solid granite, with crunchy structure and well defined fruit.
A beautiful, deep expression of Gamay, from a parcel on the Mt.Brouilly hill (just next to neighbours Pierre Cotton & Marine Bonnet) planted over granite and the famous blue diorite. Long, supple and with real depth.
Using fruit purchased from four neighbouring organic vineyards, here’s a lively and bright Primeur with more acidity than the 2018 or 2020 despite the heat!
Snatched from the jaws of defeat, a brutal drought in Beaujolais through 2022 was broken by rains right before harvest. Plump and on the fruit, Sylvere is pleased they retained more freshness and acidity than the 2018 and 2020.
Purchased from neighbouring organic parcels. On the fruit but bright and balanced with a lifted freshness and nice crunch of tannin.
Beautifully soft, with a fine tannic structure and a nice crunch. Incredibly enjoyable Primeurs.
Saline, with fine zap of acidity, cool length and a twist of chalky bite, lively with autumnal bruised fruit.
A co-fermented field-blend named for an incident with a bird-scaring kite and an overhead powerline, bright aromatics, gentle structure, great length and an electric acidity that lives up to the name.
A vein of chalk runs beneath the Pinot Gris rows, and lends the wine a wonderful salty lick that strikes directly through its delicate fruit and heady aromatics. Immediate, but develops beautifully.
Battles with birds, hail and a backpack sprayer led to slightly smaller yields than anticipated in '22, particularly in the Pinot Noir rows, but the fruit retrieved has proven beautiful. Opens with a nicely integrated reduction, quickly opening into ripe, juicy fruit and an elegant mineral line.
Two barrels of the 2020 field blend, tucked aside for 24 months under flor, half of each assembled together to be bottled as this very limited release, the other halves combined as reserve for a future blend.
Rare as they come.
A warm, dry vintage with a little more fleshy fruit to its frame - but Vincent is becoming adept at picking early in the heat to retain freshness, here in spades.
The second-lightest cuvee of the family, the 2021 is a particular beauty - sappy, brambly fruit is lifted with a livewire acidity, a salted-liquorice core hums beneath. Quite something.
Always the lightest of the family, with very short maceration. The 2021 packs extra Cinsault and is bright, bouncy and fresh in equal measure, almost like a deep rosé with good structure, very versatile and enjoyable.
A proper skin-maceration in 2022 as Lori waited for his new press to arrive but wanted to pick early to retain acidity. Great results, a lovely fleshy, stone-fruit orange lifted with great acids.
Picked early in the morning to retain freshness, Vé is Provençal summer-drinking refreshment manifest: bright, easy, with a pleasing salinity thanks to adjacent salt marshes.
Lifted! Electric, brooding fruit, little sour berries and crushed rocks, the finest etching of tannin, happy with a spring chill.
Powdery tannins frame dark hearted fruit, lifted with its bright nose of cherry and a freewheeling zipwire of volatile acidity. Fresh and crunchy.
A beautiful vintage for the Pinot Gris, managing to be both concentrated yet fresh and energetic. Incredibly long, textured. A triumph.
The 2022 Baraka has the profile of a Blanc de Noirs with just a little colour: waxy, generous and long. Pithy citrus with a very fine line of tannin, beautiful texture and finish.
Xaviere's assemblage of three Grolleau vinifications continues to be a hugely successful exercise in balance: light, soft, lovely integrated tannins, bright fruit that plums the depths. A little of everything in happy harmony.
Incredibly fine, beautifully pure and expressive. Deep fruited with a brilliant delicate line of tannin.
An upgrade for Copains Blanc, Gratte Conil is the new label name (but historic vineyard name) for the co-planted parcel Lori cherishes, picked for this wine. Direct, saline, with layers of developing complexity.
A new one from Lori, a tart, dark fruited and supple red, its perfumes lifted with the lightning bolt of Bourboulenc.
A wine so moreish Lori decided to bottle it as a litre format for 2022. Giddy on its cocktail of bright fruit and acid. Juicy cherries, parma violets, pink elephants.
Alive & direct for the ‘21 vintage, back to its usual iteration of Pinot Gris & Muscat as equal partners. Heady, vibrant and delicious.
From the Bernstein slope on solid granite. A one-off cuvee, that Max can probably only make once every 5 years when conditions are correct. There's a double-etymology pun here about malolactic fermentation, and the paw of Max's cat: Malo. What else does one expect from the Alsace school.
The first time we've received the brothers' free-run rosé, lively, heady and long.
A serious rosé that will be great with food, strawberry and watermelon bolstered by a mineral core, finishing long, generous and open.
An instantly crushable zero-sulphur, 5-day whole bunch winner. Béa jokes that she scolds French cavistes when they call it a rosé: “It's not a rosé! It's a very very light red!"
Dark fruited Gamay with a nervy mineral edge.