Nature or Nurture in your glass of wine? A prompt by Chateau Lagrange

Chateau Lagrange, under the Blessings of Nature & Powers of Nurture;
how the two forces work for its coups?

Nature or Nurture?  It was a question that we discussed much when I was studying Psychology.  "Which is the inherent one... how and how much they interact with each other for human being...?" amid of doctrines and theories.  I do not recall those conclusions in great details but I tended to view that Nature (eg, genetic or physical attributes) came first, forming a base, a framework in which Nurture (eg, parenting or upbringing) manifested its effects – resulting ‘who we are.’  The possibilities are endless within the matrix between the two elements.  The variances would be within or not far away from the framework left by Nature, however Nurture was potent.

Matthieu strikes to express terroir at its best;
an unwavering defender of quality wine.

Is that true for wine?  A reflection has surfaced after a conversation with Matthieu Bordes, General Manager of Chateau Lagrange, a third growth of Grand Cru Classé 1855, at the annual Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair, 5th to 7th November 2015.  Matthieu was manning one of the 1,000 booths at the Fair, and Lagrange’s was one not too many people wanted to miss.  I stopped by, tasted some wines and had a chat with the winemaker, like I did at few other booths – something I enjoy to do.  

Matthieu served me, first, his second label Les Fiefs de Lagrange vintages 2010, 2012, and then main label Lagrange vintages 2008, 2009, 2012, as we talked.  Lots of flavours, in general; and “powerful” was the word for Lagrange – one of the key characteristics of wines of Saint Julien, where Chateau Lagrange is located at.

Among all, my winner wine was 2009 Lagrange – inviting nose of ripe blackberry, mellow on palate with good balance of all dark fruit, spices & smooth tannin, the pleasure carried on for long, firmly, after swallowing (93 points, my score).  It spoke very well of what Matthieu once had expressed, Lagrange wanted to produce wines that respect the style of Saint Julien – powerful and refined.

I told Matthieu of my verdict; he didn’t disagree.  He mentioned 2009 was an outstanding year and most wines were good; I thought he was just being humble, compliments going to the nature.  “So how much it goes to terroir when it comes to quality?” I asked.  He said 80% terroir; 20% the work in the vineyard and in other winemaking processes, about half and half spilt.  8 to 2, Nature vs Nurture, or, terroir vs human intervention.  I was amazed by his attribution, not that nature over nurture but the proportion of the former, and only accepting his modesty, again.  That, without doubt, left me point to ponder after our encounter.

Talking about vintages, the fermentation of this year was nearly complete and the wine would be pressed in a week, Matthieu told me.  Despite the numerous reports released for Bordeaux 2015, I did request his opinion of it.  “2015 is between outstanding and very good” was the answer.  Hey, listen up and start saving!

Soil types and demarcation at Chateau Lagrange

He went on to show me several geographic images of his vineyard, indicating altitude, relief and soil types; telling me which soil and gravel plots were best, which were for his second wine, and those lied near the perimeter of his vineyard were not superb.  Very scientific - and not romantic when you are drinking such enjoyable wine - the Japanese precision; not a surprise for a chateau owned, since 1983, by Suntory, one of the oldest companies in distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan and a Japanese whisky distillery.  

Grape varieties at plots of Chateau Lagrange

What's more to expect while still digesting and appreciating their extensive, intricate study on soil?  Matthieu told me that their fermentation and malo were performed together.  The benefits were 8.5% energy saving, Brett avoidance and more integration of flavours - all every drinker would love to know, even if you are not a huge fan of Bordeaux or stern supporter of Eco.
 
How’s about Biodynamics – a topic I personally love to delve into when meeting Bordeaux winemakers?  Well, Matthieu had made absolutely sense out of it.  He used the term “organic” and they started to test the idea in 2008.  Currently they have 4% of vineyard practising organic, and it was about 8% at the outset.  The reason of reduction was entirely quality consistency, Matthieu pointed out - you could tell from his face how resolute he was, as if a defender of his treasure chest, his beloved wine.   That’s understandable.  The stake would be enormous - if the unforgiving oceanic climate swayed its magic wand, there could come black rot, mildew and plausible damages to harvest - for the prestige Lagrange owns, and for a large single block estate with total vine area 118 hectares, second largest among all Classified Growths.

Back to the prologue: terroir (nature) or human influence (nurture)?  
Terroir, similarly I believe, is the inherent one and provides a framework for winemaker to demonstrate or showcase possibilities, what soil, climate and enviroment can transfer and express into wine, within boundaries set by terroir.  Winemaking, the "intervention," is yet powerful and serves an indispensable function in the matrix, a make-or-break.

80/20.  Having not forgotten these numbers, a rendition of them, I guess, would be:
They represent "scales", not scores, ie, extents of the two elements in making wines different (scales could be 6/4, 5/2, or better big/small).  Terroir dictates a bigger difference in wines; imagine reasons why Lagrange paid immense effort in understanding their gravels, landscape, topology.  That however doesn't mean winemaker is diminished; recall the endeavours and endurance - no short term luck for triumphs of 'fermentation-cum-malo' - constant vigilance in performing organic, steadiness in defending wine quality; even credits were ascribed respectfuly to terroir and winemaker was placed quietly at corner of a glorious wine picture.

As I write, Matthieu should be in the last week of his five-week business tour in Asia – starting from Hong Kong, to Japan (where 20% of his wines go), several cities in China, Vietnam and etc.  Wish him a good trip home next week!

#wines  #Bordeaux  #WineAsBeverage  #lifestyle

http://chateau-lagrange.com

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