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Château d'Epiré

I am sure that I first encountered the wines of Château d'Epiré on the shelves of a French retailer, and having picked up a single experimental bottle I ultimately found the wine inside rather underwhelming. Sadly for Château d'Epiré first impressions matter, and so since that disappointing meeting I have paid the wine and the estate scant attention, having found many more interesting avenues to explore in Savennières, avenues with names like Pierre-Bise, Bergerie and more recently Damien Laureau. And yet this seems at odds with Château d'Epiré's position within the appellation; situated at the very heart of one of the appellation's three communes, Epiré, with an unbroken seven generations of ownership by a single family, and with vines in some of the appellation's best spots, everything seems to be in place for Château d'Epiré to be one of the most dominating, reliable names in the commune. And yet somehow it seems to have missed this target.

The domaine is of ancient origin, its beginnings lost in the mists of time, although these mists do begin to clear with the arrival of the Bizard family during the 17th century. This family have remained at the estate ever since, and today onetime naval officer Luc Bizard, the seventh generation of this Savennières dynasty, holds the reins here, ably assisted by his wife Cecile. They arrived in 1990 to take over the running of the château and vineyards from Luc's sister who had been in charge ever since the death of their father, Armand, in 1984. Looking back to how the domaine has developed over the years, the château is of relatively recent construction, having been erected on the site of a pre-existing mansion house in 1850. The modern estate is impressive, and incorporates formal gardens and an orangery where fortunate visitors can dine, no doubt enjoying the wines of the estate with Cecile Bizard's cooking. The cellars are located within an ancient chapel acquired in 1882 when it was deconsecrated, following the construction of a new church just across the road from Château d'Epiré. It was Luc's grandfather who acquired the disused chapel, converting it for the purpose of winemaking in 1906.

Château d'Epiré: Vineyards and Vinification

Today the estate accounts for 11 hectares of the appellation, this total including 1 hectare of Cabernet Franc, whereas the remainder is naturally dedicated to Chenin Blanc. The largest portion of this vineyard is Le Parc, an 8-hectare lieu-dit of which the Bizards own 5 hectares. This plot of vines, effectively the heart of the domaine, lies very close to the château and has stony soils, predominantly schist. Then there are two further sites, the first of these being La Croix Picot, a plot situated on the back roads of the appellation. With 2 hectares the Bizards have the largest individual holding within this particular lieu-dit, as they do in Le Parc. Finally there is the less renowned Le Hu Boyau, effectively a monopole, as all 3 hectares lie in the ownership of Château d'Epiré. This vineyard is closely related to the Coulée de Serrant, sandwiched between this Savennières cru and the old Chamboureau vineyards.

Strangely Luc proudly declares himself as not being organic, eschewing what he seems to regard as fashion, and he follows a careful work programme that perhaps is more like la lutte raisonnée than anything else. There is some working of the soils on alternate rows, whereas other rows are grassed over to increase competition for water and, says Luc, to better support the passage of his tractor. The harvesting is manual, and generally involves three tries on each of the vineyards, not an uncommon practise for the Savennières appellation. The last of these three pickings is often three or more weeks after the beginning of the harvest to ensure maximum ripeness in the fruit.

The hand-picked fruit is transported to the cellars in small-volume crates. Here it is pressed using pneumatic equipment, followed by a 24-hour cold settling before going into a mix of stainless steel cuves and also wooden barriques, the exact details obviously depending on the cuvée, for the fermentations. These are overseen by winemaker Christophe Onillon. Some cuvées will undergo malolactic fermentation, a relatively new aspect to the winemaking here, introduced in 2002, and afterwards the wines will remain on their lees with some bâtonnage. This continues until the following June, when they will be bottled and moved into storage. This, says Luc, is to protect the wines from the high temperatures reached within the cellars, which are not underground, during the summer months.

The Wines of Château d'Epiré

The entry-level Château d'Epiré Savennières accounts for over 70% of the domaine's production, and is an assemblage sourced from across all three parcels, Le Parc, Le Hu-Boyau, and the vines adjacent to the windmill that sits at the edge of La Croix Picot. The fermentation is mostly in steel as might be expected, with a small quantity exposed to wood, and as noted above the wine is bottled before the arrival of the summer following the harvest. A certain step up is the Cuvée Speciale, a wine first released in the 1985 vintage, which originates from vines planted on phthanite-rich soils adjacent to the Coulée de Serrant. This cuvée is fermented in old wooden vats without malolactic fermentation but with regular racking, engendering a rather austere, old-school style of Savennières (even with the malolactic on board), and this acts as a good indicator of the Bizard/Epiré style which is traditional and in need of long ageing in my experience. The grand vin, in this style at least, is Le Hu-Boyau, which originates with the oldest vines in this particular parcel, planted in 1960. This cuvée is fermented in 400-litre barrels, with a percentage of new wood to replace old each year, and it passes nine months en barrique before bottling. It was first released in 2000; in prior vintages this fruit was blended into the Cuvée Speciale.

Two other cuvées deserve our attention here, especially the first, a rarely seen beast, a moelleux Savennières. These are not prodigiously rich wines, Bizard and Onillon producing this cuvée when the potential exceeds only 14º (many domaines renowned for sweet wines would be much happier with a figure over 20º), looking for a minimum of just 17 g/l residual sugar. Although this seems a rather lenient figure, in truth they typically have perhaps double this amount. Finally there is also an Anjou Rouge, the Clos de la Cerisiae, produced from the aforementioned hectare of Cabernet Franc.

Although more recent vintages of Château d'Epiré do seem to have a slightly more supple style to the palate, which may well be related to the introduction of malolactic fermentation in more recent vintages, the wines here remain rather restrained and upright in their character. As such, even though the style has evolved somewhat over recent years, Château d'Epiré remains within the spectrum of traditional styles that come out of the Savennières appellation. Those on the hunt for a tightly composed wine needing time in the cellar before it reveals its true character may well find exactly what they are looking for here. From my point of view, Château d'Epiré remains 'one to watch' rather than anything more exciting than that. (5/8/04, updated 31/5/11)

Contact details:
Address: Rue Thierry Sandre, 49170 Savennières
Telephone: +33 (0) 2 41 77 15 01
Fax: +33 (0) 2 41 77 16 23
Internet: www.chateau-epire.com

Château d'Epiré - Tasting Notes

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Château d'Epiré Savennières 2009: An assemblage from several different parcels, harvested in tries, part malolactic fermentation here, and bottled in July 2010. A very clean, pure style on the nose. Straight and rather minerally character here, with slightly papery, young-Chenin fruit to it. This purity and direction continues on the palate, showing a more substantial presence than I expected though, with good structure, but also with a very nicely poised shell of stony fruit sitting around it. Certainly some elegance here, with a very gentle polish, but a deeper structure too. 16/20 (January 2011)

Château d'Epiré Savennières Cuvée Speciale 2009: This is fermented en fut, with no malolactic fermentation at all, subsequently aged on the lees in 400-litre barrels, with bâtonnage, again bottled July 2010. A sweet and smoky although restrained character here, clearly referencing its oaky origins but there is not an overt presence of wood. It is rather more supple than the domaine cuvée, but then it unfolds very nicely on the palate showing a more characterful middle, but also lots of firm, minerally, acid-bound structure. Good overall, just a touch more generous than the preceding wine, and not overly marked with oak. 16.5/20 (January 2011)

Château d'Epiré Savennières Le Hu Boyau 2009: Harvested in tries, fermented en fut using wood of at least five years, with 100% of the cuvée undergoing malolactic fermentation and extensive bâtonnage. This has a wonderfully creamy, honeyed style on the nose, polished yet nicely mineral and expressive. All the same, in keeping with the house style it has a very straight and well-defined presence on the palate, showing its steely edges here, but with a softly polished cream as compensation in the finish. This has great structure in the middle, and overall a really attractive smoky style. Great potential; and a huge step up from the preceding two cuvées. 17.5/20 (January 2011)

Château d'Epiré Savennières 2008: An assemblage from several different parcels, harvested in tries, part malolactic fermentation. There is certainly some development here compared to the 2009s, tasted alongside. This has soothing face cream and lemon substance on the nose, overall a fresh, lively yet soft and welcoming aromatic character. A good supple start on the palate, gentle then showing a seam of minerality through the middle of the wine. Good substance and texture over the rather cold and smoky and almost bitter substance here. And the style on the palate is polished, defined, with a firm midpalate structure; this is clearly a wine that needs a little time in the cellar. A grippy-sappy finish. 16.5/20 (January 2011)

Château d'Epiré Savennières Cuvee Speciale 2008: This is fermented en fut, with no malolactic fermentation at all, subsequently aged on the lees in older wood. Aromatically the fruit has a crunchy-golden edge here. It is served incredibly cold, so probably isn't showing all it has to offer. A fresh profile though, with full and rather elegant substance on the palate. bolstered by some good midpalate acidity. This seems quite an elegant and very correct style. 17/20 (January 2011)

Château d'Epiré Savennières 2005: No malolactic fermentation here. Little notes of honey coming in with the crunchy golden fruit here, in keeping with a little in-bottle evolution, although it still has a very restrained character - as do all the Epiré wines. Good crunchy crystalline fruit notes. A very appealing start on palate, with a little oiliness to the texture, but a full substance underneath, cut through by firm acidity and lots of grip, but altogether it does work well. Elegant, pure, restrained and remaining remarkably. There are little tinges of richness that I find very appealing here. Still a very 'correct' style though. 17.5/20 (January 2011)

Château d'Epiré Savennières 2001: This has a richer hue than I was expecting, and this first impression continues onto the nose; aromatically it is open and expressive, but with a very soft, mellifluous suggestion. It has a ripe clean fruit style with a sweet edge, with a gently sugared, honeyed character. It suggests softly baked apples, with little organic suggestions of wool and straw. Then it tightens up showing green apples and seashells. The palate, however, is a complete contrast; there is none of the softness or flattery that the nose suggests. It starts off in an austere and upright fashion, with a slightly lean feeling, steely fruit, and a reserved weight. The acidity isn't so prominent though, so that it keeps a solid rather than bright feel on the palate, and rolls into the finish with a little twist of dry, salted (rather than sweet) caramel. Attractive wine, but no real outstanding features here. Long and slightly bitter in the end. From my 2001 Vintage Ten Years On tasting. 15/20 (December 2011)

Château d'Epiré Savennières 1996: A warm, golden hue in the glass. The nose offers fragrant floral aromas, with nuances of sweet straw and mineral laced honey. A demi-sec style on the palate, richer and with more residual sugar than other cuvées of Savennières from the likes of Baumard or Pierre-Bise. Nicely rounded, mineral and lime aromas, with honey-straw notes. Very clear, pure, focused wine with a soft, tender finish. 16.5/20 (June 2004)