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Domaine de Juchepie

It is a fascinating aspect of the Loire that so many domaines, some of which are turning out brilliant wines, have been created so recently. Yes, many appellations are characterised and indeed sometimes shaped by grand old domaines; in Vouvray, for example, we have Huet, although admittedly even that domaine only came to the Huet family in the 1920s. Somewhat closer and perhaps more relevant to the subject of this profile, around Anjou we have Domaine des Baumard, where Layon- and Savennières-doyen Jean Baumard did much for the development of viticulture in the region whilst pulling his own ancient domaine - established in 1634 - from the brink of post-phylloxera disaster in the mid-20th century. But in all these regions there are also innovators, sometimes home-grown, sometimes étrangers, newcomers to the region who are not prepared to remain obscured by the shadows cast by long-established domaines. Eddy Oosterlinck, of Domaine de Juchepie, is one such étranger.

Eddy Oosterlinck and the Domaine de Juchepie

Eddy Oosterlinck is Belgian by birth, and in the mid-1980s he was still working there as a hardware merchant. But his attention was being increasingly drawn to the Coteaux du Layon and its wines, and in 1985 he and his wife Mileine (below) took the plunge with the purchase of their first vineyard, a mere 0.35 hectares of vines. And so Oosterlinck the quincaillier became Oosterlinck the vigneron, although it was not until 1986 that he first produced any wine. That was his first vintage, although speaking to Oosterlinck he will tell you that 1997 was his true 'first vintage', as he regards everything before that date to be experimentation, a process of exploration and feeling his way, gradually moving towards the sort of viticulture and wines that he really desired. Along the way he acquired more vines of course, the domaine totalling 2.5 hectares by 1994 when he moved towards organic viticulture, 6 hectares by 2001. It was at this point that Eddy and Mileine gave up their hardware business in Belgium - they had up until now been travelling between their two homes - and settled permanently at their domaine situated between Faye d'Anjou and Beaulieu sur Layon, becoming full-time viticulteurs.

Today the domaine has expanded a little further, the vineyards now totalling 7 hectares, all situated within 1 kilometre of the Oosterlinck cellars. The terroir includes slate (red and green varieties) and also volcanic sites characterised by rhyolite and spilite, although the superficial soils are largely decomposed slate and clay. The vines around the Oosterlinck residence on the edge of Faye d'Anjou sit in a small depression open only to the west, with the surrounding hills and slopes protecting the vines to the north, south and east. To the south lies the Layon, about 1 kilometre away, and there is also a small stream running down alongside the Juchepie, eventually joining the Layon. It is of course the proximity of these rivers, augmented by the occurrence of morning mist or rain, that stimulates the development of botrytis at Juchepie. Anyone who has tasted the range of wines here knows that the domaine is very strong on sweet wines; vintages rich in botrytis allow Eddy to make his beloved sweet cuvées, although when there is less noble rot in the vineyard then sweet wine production continues, with more reliance on passerillage, and the production of the dry whites naturally increases. The balance of dry to sweet wine produced here is thus determined by nature, who "does not always make the most commercially sound decisions", says Eddy.

The Vines

The vines are nearly all Chenin Blanc, as we would expect, although there are seven rows of vines next to the house which are predominantly Cabernet Franc, also a few white vines mixed in. The soils are a poor slate (up to 40 cm of clay soil over a slate bedrock) which Eddy says is "not ideal for Cabernet Franc". The Cabernet vines tend to give small berries and his concern is a problematic tannic structure; he finds it difficult to achieve a sensitive backbone of tannin without a harshness in the wine, especially with his belief in low yields (the red comes in at less than 20 h/ha), as well as the substance and texture of the wine. In the past Eddy has macerated the fermenting juice on the skins for three weeks, although this is something he intends to draw out to five weeks in the 2010 vintage to see if he can achieve greater substance in the midpalate and finish; this lack of conviction and also the small production volume are reflect in this wine's distribution; the red is sold at the domaine only.

The oldest vines in the vineyard probably date from the 1890s, and are thus some of the oldest post-phylloxera vines in the region. The previous proprietor of the domaine assured Eddy when he purchased Juchepie that the vines were planted in 1911, but elderly inhabitants of Faye d'Anjou with long memories have persuaded him otherwise. Although clearly precious Eddy hasn't undertaken to keep the entire plot of old vines going, and about half a hectare - the section closest to the stream running down through the property - have been pulled up, to be replaced by a wildflower meadow to increase biodiversity. The surviving section has seen a little replanting taking cuttings from the elderly vines, although the new plants have taken 10 years to provide any fruit (the norm is widely touted to be three vintages, although I have learnt that very much depends on factors other than the vines, such as the weather and the soils). Those old vines still surviving are somewhat erratic in their production of fruit, many only yielding three bunches per vine, some less, some not at all, and a number of these centenarians only bear fruit every other year. The average age of the vineyard as a whole exceeds fifty years, including several thousand new vines, and as noted above Oosterlinck converted it to organic viticulture early on, more recently moving to full biodynamic methods, certified by Biodyvin. Yields are controlled by pruning down the number of buds (6-10 per plant, depending on its age) rather than green-harvesting.

Harvest and Vinification

The fruit is harvested in 4-8 tries, usually 6 (although there were 8 in 2009) then transported to the cellars where the pressing begins early in the evening, starting very gently, giving just enough force to burst a few berries and allow the juice to trickle down through the pressed fruit. What follows is essentially a very protracted and gentle pressing, which Eddy believes allows the juice to bring the elements of interest to the finished wine, minerality, acidity and as he puts it, "bitterness". As the trickle of juice slows to a drip he turns up the pressure to encourage a greater flow, and in a process that takes perhaps 24 hours he gently teases about 85% of the juice from the grapes. The problem with this approach, he has realised, is the risk of oxidation in the wine, which necessitates the use of some protection; the first port of call for many would be sulphur, but Eddy has taken - starting with the 2009 vintage - to collecting the juice in hoses and crates filled with carbon dioxide, thereby eliminating the need for sulphur at the point of pressing. Nevertheless he admits that he is "not in the no-sulphur business"; with much of his output being incredibly sweet Coteaux du Layon he is never going to eradicate sulphur from the cellar altogether, but he is steadily trying to reduce his dependence on it. He notes that other vignerons who stopped using sulphur altogether have come back to it (once they saw the destructive effect of oxygen on their sulphur-free cuvées, I would hope), and as sulphur use at Juchepie gradually falls he sees sulphur use at other previously "no-sulphur" and now "minimal-sulphur" domaines gradually rise, and he concludes that they will all meet in the middle somewhere, having found the ideal but minimal usage required, although having approached the solution from two different directions.

Once extracted the juice from each individual pressing is reunified, an important point as Eddy believes his biodynamic vines always give a "balanced" juice in terms of acidity and minerality, and so it is essential to keep the product of each pressing together. The juice then goes into barrels, new for the best sweet wines, older for the other cuvées, and thereafter there is minimal intervention. The cellar is humidified with a sprinkler hosepipe buried in the gravel, a necessary intervention as the impermeable concrete floor kept the air in the cellar very dry; Eddy turns this on whenever he enters, sometimes allowing it to run for half the day in times of warmth and drought, when the ambient humidity is very low. It also has the effect of modulating the temperature, says Eddy, which now never rises above 18ºC. Otherwise there are no additions to the wine, no yeasts, no enzymes and certainly no sugar, just a little sulphur before the wines go into bottle, and minimal racking along the way.

The Wines of Domaine de Juchepie

Starting with the dry wines, there are two cuvées, Les Monts and Le Clos, made from selected botrytis-free fruit, both of which see twelve months en barrique, using 1-2 year old wood, before bottling. Tasting the 2007 vintage, these wines seem vibrant and fresh, with floral elements, and are certainly worth tracking down. Perhaps a little closer to Eddy's heart - at least I sense this when I speak to him - are the sweeter wines. There are a number of cuvées, ranging from the lighter Les Churelles through the richer Les Quarts to the heady, sugar-rich La Passion, all excellent wines but themselves only tasters of what can be found in the Oosterlinck masterpiece, the Cuvée Quintessence.

All the sweeter cuvées see 18 months in oak before bottling, typically using a mix of new and older barrels (one-third new for Les Churelles and Les Quarts, half new for La Passion) although La Quintessence is 100% new oak. Of note, these various cuvées are broadly cellar selections, although Eddy knows which parts of his vineyard tend to go into which cuvée, the associations being repeated year after year. Once he has finished with his sweet wine barrels they are exported to Scotland where they are used by a well-known whisky distiller to apply a 'Layon-finish', akin to a Port- or Sauternes-finish to their spirit. If we know Eddy, then this relationship shouldn't surprise us; Eddy is a keen whisky acolyte and a not infrequent visitor to Scotland.

Of his wines, Eddy says "sugar should never dominate in a noble sweet wine". He believes in the importance of bitterness in wine for it to be 'noble', the wine possessing elements of savouriness to counterbalance the sugar. Bitterness is, in his opinion, required alongside the usual sweetness and acidity, making for a more 'digestible' drink and a more complex sensation on the palate. His beliefs reflect a passion for his product, a belief in its style, its authenticity and its quality. This passion certainly comes through in the finished product, wines which are certainly much, much more than simple sweetness and acidity. They are richly coloured, an impressive array of hues (Eddy has a habit of decanting his wines for tastings, which shows them off wonderfully) ranging from elegant and shimmering gold to a more burnished tone. The aromas are enthralling and evocatively complex. And as you might expect, they are handsomely structured in the mouth, svelte but linear, an intertwining of sweet botrytis character and a savoury, mouth-watering grip. These are wines that demand our full attention; they have certainly caught mine. (23/3/10, updated 15/9/10)

Contact details:
Address: Les Quarts, 49380 Faye d'Anjou
Telephone: +33 (0) 2 41 54 33 47
Fax: +33 (0) 2 41 54 13 49

Domaine de Juchepie - Tasting Notes

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Le Sec de Juchepie Anjou Blanc Les Monts 2009: This wine, unfinished at the time of tasting, remains in barrel. This sample has a rather broad, honeyed quality on the nose. There follows a rather bold and oak-influenced style on the palate, showing lots of dry, honeyed character. There is a lot of structure here, a very firm wine in terms of substance, rather broad and challenging in its composition, unyielding and very substantial. There is a raw character to this wine, but at this stage I don't find this distracting. There is promise here. From a 2011 Juchepie update. 15.5-16.5/20 (January 2011)

Le Sec de Juchepie Anjou Blanc Le Clos 2009: Another barrel sample. A similar aromatic profile here, and again the Chenin fruit is accompanied by a dry, woody character from the barrel. There is plenty of this substance coming through on the palate, which shows piles of structure, bold and showing overt barrel notes alongside some very dry, intense, well-framed fruit. Like Les Monts in this vintage, this cuvée also comes across as raw in style. Great concentration here too though. Another wine with great potential. From a 2011 Juchepie update. 16-17/20 (January 2011)

Le Sec de Juchepie Anjou Blanc Le Clos 2008: This wine is finished and now in bottle. It is much more composed than the rather raw and challenging 2009 barrel samples, showing a much purer, more honeyed style, having had some time in bottle to integrate I think. It has a very bold character though, with notes of dried honey and nut. A lovely start to the palate, which is composed, but showing a firmer structure through the middle of the palate. A big and grippy style, clearly in need of cellar time. There is a little edge of wood tannin coming in at the finish, and some intense beeswax character. Good. From a 2011 Juchepie update. 16.5/20 (January 2011)

Le CF de Juchepie Anjou Rouge 2008: The red cuvée, not actively commercialised, but sold at the domaine. There are perhaps 1400 bottles per annum. Rather appealing aromatics, warm and open with a hot-stone spice (a very 'Anjou' character), but with an attractive Cabernet perfume also. The palate is fresh and supple, the tannins nicely managed despite Eddy's fears, and an appealingly gentle substance at the start. Lacks flesh in the midpalate though, as he says. Nevertheless, a good effort from unfavourable terroir. Tasted during a visit to Juchepie. 14.5/20 (July 2010)

Le Sec de Juchepie Anjou Blanc Les Monts 2007: A polished yellow gold hue. The nose is certainly rather awkward at the very start, so this is a wine which needs to breathe for a little to allow these aromas to blow off. What is then revealed, as the wine relaxes and opens up in the glass, is just delightful; there are very pure fruit elements, miles from that early paint-like aroma, starting with sweet and pure pineapple, then bright golden pears. But this is not all merely sweet fruit, there is a much more waxy and savoury feel to it, giving the impression that there is a tannic, lightly oaky density behind it all. Lovely polished feel on the palate, with a fine weight running right through the middle and into the finish. Great grip in the centre of it all, with slightly dried fruit character here over a lovely, grainy texture. Very pure and fresh and grippy, the wine showing fine definition and some really good energy at its core. This is lovely, rather reminiscent of the wines of Richard Leroy, and is undoubtedly the best bottle of this yet. This latter comment may well reflect, rather than any change in the wine itself, a greater appreciation of what it has to offer when sitting and actually drinking it over the course of a couple of evenings - which is what wine is for, of course. For label images and more see my Wine of the Week write-up. 17/20 (April 2011)

Le Sec de Juchepie Anjou Blanc Les Monts 2007: A good colour here, which Eddy ascribes to the concentration in the fruit and the subsequent extraction of these characteristics, rather than botrytis. Richer on the nose than I recall from my last tasting, elements of honeysuckle and minerality and hints of dried honey. Despite that richness this is unquestionably dry on the palate, with crystalline fruit, fine freshness and lift, and a dry finish which possesses some length. Better than I realised when tasted in February. Tasted during a visit to Juchepie. 16.5+/20 (July 2010)

Le Sec de Juchepie Anjou Blanc Les Monts 2007: Lots of good colour here, and a lovely nose too, with notes of honey and flowers and beeswax. A very rich, broad style, yet I sense dryness here. Lightly mineral, and yes on the palate quite dry despite that evocative nose, nicely structured, with some quite punchy grip at the end. Floral character here too, and fresh acidity. Lots of finish and length. Good. 16.5+/20 (February 2010)

Le Sec de Juchepie Anjou Blanc Le Clos 2007: A beautiful nose here, creamy and elegant, with real lift. Broad and textured on the palate, more flesh here than in Les Monts, perhaps just a smidgen more residual? Certainly nothing other than sec though. A lovely feel to it overall, minerally and lightfooted, with the elegance found on the nose coming through nicely. Really good wine. 16.5+/20 (February 2010)

La Quintessence de Juchepie Coteaux du Layon-Faye 2007: The flagship cuvée here, this has an intense and golden hue. There is a rich aromatic complexity here, showing elements suggestive of star anise and cardamom, with a wealth of lightly baked fruit behind, all rolled together in an intense and very characterful whole together with a seam of dried toffee. Unsurprisingly it has a very rich presence on the palate, a very bold style, showing many of the elements seen on the nose. It is intense, packed with those spices, but still like all the Juchepie wines shows a very fine, defining spicy grip and phenolic bitterness in the middle. Long too. Lovely. From a 2011 Juchepie update. 18.5/20 (January 2011)

Les Churelles de Juchepie Coteaux du Layon-Faye 2006: The residual sugar is 57 g/l, the acidity 5.4 g/l. An attractively rich, golden hue. Despite this appearance it has a lovely freshness on the nose, alongside some very intense, golden fruits. The combination of depth and lift is really appealing. This continues on the palate, which is still bold and very structured. In the middle there is grip, an intense richness all around, with a concentrated layer of orange and apricot fruit, underpinned by a vibrant acidity, and a lightly mineral core. A rich and bold finish. This is really good. From a 2011 Juchepie update. 16.5/20 (January 2011)

Les Churelles de Juchepie Coteaux du Layon-Faye 2006: There is 60 g/l residual sugar here. A good colour in the glass, and a delightful nose, honeyed but also floral in style, with a twist of marmalade suggesting richness. The palate has a lively freshness, aromatic and lightly honeyed like the nose, nicely underpinned by good grip and lifted acids. It shows a firm and structured finish. This is a very good wine. 17+/20 (February 2010)

Les Quarts de Juchepie Coteaux du Layon-Faye 2006: Another richly coloured wine here. There is a honeyed sweetness to the nose, but this is nicely offset by a stony freshness. The palate has lovely substance, with notes of beeswax, oranges and honey, but it comes with a fresh and floral element, backed up by good acidity and grip. This is really very good. Tasted during a visit to Juchepie. 17.5+/20 (July 2010)

Les Quarts de Juchepie Coteaux du Layon-Faye 2006: This cuvée possesses 100 g/l residual sugar. From a half bottle. The nose is truly evocative, swirled with caramel and honey, and is very finely defined. So too is the palate, which has an elegant and linear style, and yet is very concentrated and polished. Very rich and ripe fruit here, a very faint high-toned whisp, leading into a broad, fanned out finish. Fabulous and long, a very fine effort indeed. 18+/20 (February 2010)

La Passion de Juchepie Coteaux du Layon-Faye 2006: This has a residual sugar of 152 g/l, and half of this cuvée has seen new oak. An intense golden hue in the glass. Aromatically, a rich and golden style, with a much more spicy element than the preceding wines. Lots of character here, nuances of cardamom and orange peel, all wrapped up in a very rich style. It is actually very restrained at first, then immediately relaxing in the midpalate, showing a dense structure through the middle of the wine. Golden and nicely polished, broad and very long too, and yet despite the size of the wine it maintains a freshness on the palate thanks to its bright and biting acidity. A really intense style though! From a 2011 Juchepie update. 17.5/20 (January 2011)

La Passion de Juchepie Coteaux du Layon-Faye 2006: A bronzed, golden-orange hue which is pleasing to the eye. A very dense, raisined, botrytised character here, with notes of shortbread and caramelised oranges, dense and sweet. A huge step up from Les Quarts, massive concentration and yet imbued with freshness and lift, and plenty of minerally, bitter, grippy elements. This is very fine and should develop handsomely in the cellar. Lovely. Tasted during a visit to Juchepie. 18+/20 (July 2010)

Les Quarts de Juchepie Coteaux du Layon-Faye 2005: Another great colour - something that comes in every vintage here it seems! A honeyed and floral element on the nose, beeswax, perhaps rather more open and expressive than the 2006, with hints of sweet oranges. The palate has a broad character, sweet and fatter than the 2006, an attractive and flattering style which has breadth but not the grip of the 2006. It shows the reliance on passerillage rather than botrytis in this vintage. Stylish but this needs time. Tasted during a visit to Juchepie. 16.5+/20 (July 2010)

La Quintessence de Juchepie Coteaux du Layon-Faye 2005: This has a residual sugar of 210 g/l. Not the first time I have tasted this vintage. It also has a very golden hue. There are some aromas here suggestive of botrytis, but also a little passerillé brightness. Eddy says that despite the dry vintage there was some botrytis on the fruit, although not before plenty of passerillage. It has a broader and fatter feel to the palate than the 2007, a very big and round style, with a very structured feel to it, supporting elements of baked fruit and nuts. A very full and sweet style here, broad and round, with a lovely grippy acid in the middle, mineral and a light phenolic bitterness. Again, very much a Juchepie wine, great quality although it does reflect the drier 2005 vintage. From a 2011 Juchepie update. 18/20 (January 2011)

La Quintessence de Juchepie Coteaux du Layon-Faye 2005: This is the crème de la crème here, a cuvée which in this vintage has 210 g/l of residual sugar. The nose as you might expect is incredibly rich, broad, with notes of caramel biscuit and honey, but scented with notes of wild flowers too. The palate has fabulous breadth, with real depth and tangible solid extract here. There are some dried fruit elements to it, and overall it is not so rich in botrytis character as the 2006 La Passion. Still an impressive wine though, just on different terms, and it will go the distance in the cellar. Tasted during a visit to Juchepie. 18+/20 (July 2010)

La Passion de Juchepie Coteaux du Layon-Faye 2004: A serious move up the scale now, this cuvée has 160 g/l residual, and is cask-fermented, using 50% new oak. A richer and deeper hue here, with an entrancing nose, with savoury complexities alongside the suggestions of sweetness. A very fine palate, starting off broad and impressive, structured but sweet, then more linear, and very well defined through the middle. Beautifully honed and stylish, minerally, yet very rich too. And very long. 18+/20 (February 2010)

Les Quarts de Juchepie Coteaux du Layon-Faye 2003: The residual sugar here is 102 g/l. Aromatically we have several layers of intensely concentrated fruit, at times golden at others more tropical, with a slightly oxidative streak running underneath. The palate shows a rather polished richness, very composed, with a baked honey character, then through the middle a good structure and bold composition. There is a lot of sweet, honeyed elements here. This is very true to the Juchepie style I think. Analytically the acidity here is a little lower, but there is plenty of vigour from the grippy phenolic backbone. Delicious. From a 2011 Juchepie update. 17/20 (January 2011)

Domaine la Juchepie Cuvée Quintessence 2002: This cuvée is fermented an aged in 100% new oak, barrels which then go on to be used for the other cuvées. The end result here has 200 g/l residual sugar. Restrained and reserved style on the nose, with a hauntingly elegant style. Beautifully liquorous on the palate, rich and broad, but not for a second cloying, more svelte than that, rather like velvet. Intense, honey-like, well-defined, almost light despite the gravity of it. A brilliant wine which will surely be long-lived. 18.5+/20 (February 2010)