Reporter | Shi Chunlei
Edit | Yan Zhijun
"If we drink some wine, we can see the starlight of our dreams in the dark night." British novelist David Herbert Lawrence (D.H. Lawrence) said so. Indeed, throughout the ages, wine has been regarded as the inspiration of countless literati and politicians, and Voltaire, Rousseau, and Hugo have all fallen for it.
In his masterpiece "The Story of Wine", Hugh Johnson, the world's leading wine connoisseur, traces the origin of wine to the "end of the world" - the Caucasus Mountains, a region in what is now Armenia and Georgia. With the development of wine culture, European wine regions have expanded to Burgundy, Bordeaux, Alsace and other places in France.
Among them, domaine Leflaive, a famous winery in the Burgundy appellation of France, is famous for producing the finest Chardonnay white wines, and is loved by wine lovers as "Double Chicken Château" because of its two eye-catching cocks on the label.
<h3>Four generations of Rifevi winery</h3>
The Riffevi winery dates back to 1717, when the Riffevi family had been deeply involved in the Puriny-Monhache region of Burgundy for generations. In 1920, Joseph Leflaive founded Château Riffevi, during which time he received help from his close friend François Virot, who together selected the grape varieties that best suited each plot.
After Joseph's death in 1953, his four children, Anne, Jeanne, Joe and Vincent, decided to keep the winery intact and in 1971 founded the company to manage it effectively.
In 1990, Anne-Claude, along with Olivier, was elected by the family as the new manager of the winery. Beginning in 1996, Anne Claude took a bold step to transform the winery into a biodynamic farming. In 2004, seeing the great potential of the terroir of the Maconne region, the winery chose to purchase 9 hectares of vineyards in Wesze. In 2013, an additional 11 hectares of vineyards were purchased near Wesze and Sollut. In the same year, the winery built an above-ground egg-shaped cellar whose temperature could be maintained naturally.
Unfortunately, Anne Claude died of cancer in 2015, and today the winery is taken over by the fourth-generation head, Brice de la Morandière. Previously, he served as a director of large multinational companies around the world. After taking office, Bris decided to continue to implement biodynamic methods in vineyards and cellars, carefully considering the choice of fertilizer and grape racks, and replacing natural oak stoppers with Diam synthetic stoppers during the sealing phase of the wine, hoping that the winery would continue to improve in cultivation and winemaking.
Currently, Riffevi winery has a vineyard area of about 23 hectares, of which 5.1 hectares are Grand Cru, 10 hectares are Premier Cru, 4.64 hectares are village gardens and 3.24 hectares are Burgundy regional vineyards.
<h3>Biodynamic cultivation that respects nature</h3>
At Rifevi Winery, the quality of the wine depends on the vineyard. Spraying, whole branches pruning, spring sprouting and planting management all determine the quality and yield of grapes.
Prior to Anne Claude's takeover of the winery, Riffevi Winery had been organically grown, but after taking over, Anne Claude insisted on biodynamic cultivation at the winery. She believes that the true meaning of biodynamic methods is to reduce human intervention as little as possible, to affect the vines and soil through very low amounts of chemical composition, so that the vines can cultivate their own immunity to resist the invasion of viruses, while the soil produces beneficial bacteria, forming a virtuous circle.
François Boucher served as a biodynamic consultant to Château Riffevi from 1989 until his death in December 2005. "Thanks to special agents made from yarrow, chamomile, nettle, dandelion, valerian, fertilizer and energy catalysts (silica or sand), biodynamics is able to create a perfect ecosystem where all living things can grow," he explains. It is through the plant that the whole organism gains vitality, and through its deep roots in the soil and the leaves that absorb the energy of the sun, the resulting wine is the most direct manifestation of the balance between the terroir and the environment. ”
The positive effects of biodynamics on the health of the vines are indisputable, and the organic treatment allows the vines to build up their own resistance while respecting the natural balance of flora and fauna, and the wine thus gains a sense of balance, structure and depth.
<h3>A veritable "king of white wine"</h3>
Chardonnay white wines from Château Riffevi are the most admired by white wine lovers all over the world and are often considered the "king of white wines", rivaling Romani Conti (DRC) and Domaine Leroy in both quality and price. The château has four Grand Gardens, namely the Grand Prix of Monhache, the Grand Prix of Knight-Monhache, the Parta-Monhachet Grand Prix and the Bivenas-Bata-Monhachet Prix, producing distinctive Chardonnay white wines.
Montrachet Grand Cru, made from Chardonnay grapes from Monhachet Grand Cru, is listed by WS (Wine Spectator) as the world's most expensive dry white wine, with an average price of $5,807 per bottle and a maximum price of $11,343 per bottle.
The vines of the Monhachet Grand Prix were planted in 1960 and the wines are fermented alcoholicly in new oak barrels after a long period of gentle pneumatic pressing, maturing in new oak barrels for 12 months before bottling, and then transferred to once-used oak barrels for 6 months. Aromas of lemon, peach and almond are rounded and have excellent ageing potential.
Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru is Château Riffevi's signature flagship wine, a fresh and powerful wine with aromas of nectarines, lemons, apricots, roasted nuts and white flowers, accompanied by rich mineral and wet stone notes, balanced, full-bodied and very concentrated. Even after a few hours of decanting, its sense of structure and layering is still very distinct, the aftertaste is long, and the aging potential is strong.
Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is made from Chardonnay grapes from the Bata-Monhat vineyards. The wine has a lemon yellow with aromas of lemon, apricot, butter and brioche, and when spoken, it has flavours of vanilla, lemon and hazelnut, with a crisp palate, fresh acidity, a supple texture and a smoky and mineral finish.
Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru produces white wines from the Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, which exude delicate stonefruit flavours such as apricots and peaches, as well as gravel, lemon blossoms, honey and white pepper, with a smooth and harmonious taste.
Image source: Provided by the brand