François Chidaine: Wines
Across the François Chidaine domaine the fruit is picked entirely by hand, before transport to the cellars. Here it is first pressed using pneumatic equipment, before transfer into 620-litre demi-muids (occasionally smaller barrels may be used) for vinification, using only indigenous yeasts. Here the wines undergo alcoholic fermentation, and malolactic fermentation is not encouraged. They then remain here for an élevage on the lees typically lasting twelve months, before bottling; I provide more details on the range of cuvées below.
On the use of sulphur dioxide in winemaking, François has shifted from his initial position when he started out in the 1980s, in parallel with his increasing adherence to organic and then biodynamic viticulture. Back in the later 1980s he would regularly add up to 50 mg/l, and as such wines leaving the domaine would often possess a total sulphur dioxide concentration in excess of 200 mg/l. Having realised that this was not how he wanted to make his wine, he began to reduce the dosage; nevertheless – and I applaud François for this consumer-friendly approach – he has not gone too far, unlike some of the more zealous, ‘natural’ wine crowd. His final sulphur dioxide additions are now down as low as 25 mg/l, but no lower than that. The total sulphur dioxide concentration is therefore typically 80 to 120 mg/l, depending on the cuvée in question, and on the vintage. François has experimented with zero-sulphur additions, but found that although the wine tasted very well from barrel, once in bottle it went off, and so he settled at 25 mg/l. He may revisit this in the future, however, as 2012 has seen the construction of new cellars across the road from his current chai. New facilities, with greater control over the temperature of the young wines, might allow him to use lower doses, he says.
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