Clos des Lunes: Vineyards
The refocusing of this domaine on dry white wines as opposed to sweet is, to my mind, a clear response to the commercial crisis that has blighted Sauternes in recent years. Nevertheless Olivier Bernard expounds a philosophy regarding his direction of the vineyards which provides us with an alternative rationale for how Clos des Lunes is managed. Olivier, unlike a few characters in Bordeaux I can think of, is aware of the existence of other wine regions in France. He buys, cellars and drinks wines from Burgundy, Alsace, the Rhône Valley and beyond; he even has a good knowledge of the leading domaines of the Loire Valley. And although I don’t agree with every wine philosophy he holds, in particular his belief that great wine experiences only come through aging wine, usually for at least ten years, there is no doubting the breadth of his vinous knowledge and tasting experience.
“All great sweet wines come from vines from which dry wines are also made,” explains Olivier in support of his conversion of Clos des Lunes to an estate focused on dry wines, with sweet wines an occasional and secondary event. This is an interesting point and it is a novel belief in Sauternes, where the estates are orientated towards the production of sweet wine first and foremost, the dry wines usually a secondary activity carried out on a separate plot of vines cleaved off for that very purpose. Olivier cites the wines of the Mosel and the Rhine in Germany as examples, as well as Alsace and also the Loire of course.
