Bride Valley Vineyards: Steven Spurrier's British sparkling wine project; an update

Steve Spurrier has been one of my wine heroes ever since I first read George Taber's Judgment of Paris. Spurrier had created the arena, and brought the combatants together, creating the conditions wherein the Davids of Napa could vanquish the Goliaths of French wine; and then stood firm when the pillars of the French wine establishment sought to erase the evidence of their participation/contribution.

He was so much my hero that I traveled to London 10 years ago to attend a Bordeaux seminar that he led, said seminar held at Decanter's Blue Fin headquarters building. During the post-seminar lunch, it came to my attention that he was planting a vineyard in England with the intent of producing a sparkling wine. I sat with him to gain additional insight and, based on that info, plus material collected in subsequent emails, published a blog post on the topic.

Steven Spurrier and attendees at post-seminar
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Author and Steven Spurrier at Decanter
lunch

Fast-forward 10 years and in my travels on the interweb, I see a notice from Vintage Conservatory for an upcoming online event with Spurrier wherein he would be discussing his recent book (the first edition of which was panned by critics for shoddy writing and editing) and Bride Valley Vineyards. I saw an opportunity to update my decades-old knowledge of the vineyard so I signed up.

Vintage Conservatory online Steven Spurrier event

Following is an update of my initial reporting on the vineyard and is a mix of material obtained in the online session as well as subsequent secondary research.

Steven and his wife had moved from France to Dorset and, soon after their arrival, his wife bought an 85-ha plot of land at the edge of Litton Cheney Village for the purpose of sheep-farming. As I had stipulated in my earlier piece, the plot is a bowl-shaped farm located in South Dorset, approximately 40 minutes from Kimmeridge, the village which gives its name to the geologic time period when the chalk soils stretching from Chablis to the south of England was laid down.  

There is a lot of chalk on the lower slopes of the farm, prompting Steven to show some of the rocks to Michel Bettane at L'Academie du Vin in Paris. Michel thought that the rocks were from Champagne. Investigating further, Steven had the Chablis producer Michel Laroche take some rocks back to his region for analysis. His conclusion? The area where the rocks were found would be perfect for growing Chardonnay and other white grapes and, if the climate allowed for their ripening, even Pinot Noir.

By early 2000, Spurrier had begun to take note of the improving quality and acceptance of British sparkling wine in the marketplace, as evidenced by the experiences of Nytimber and Ridgeview. By this time also, the sheep-farming venture had begun to stumble so he recommended to his wife that they convert the farm to a vineyard. She agreed upon the condition that he would pay for the conversion.

They initially sought a joint venture with Duval-Leroy in 2007 but that did not pan out. They next approached the Boisset family who sent their top sparkling wine expert, Georges Legrand, to explore the feasibility of the property. After detailed soil and climate analysis, he concluded that only 10 - 12 of the 85-ha would be suitable for classic champagne vines. The remainder was either too steep or too exposed. 

Vines for the plantings were acquired from Papinières Guillaume, supplier to such formidable names as Bollinger, Roederer, and Pol Roger. At the time of our conversation, a total of 12,500 vines had been planted in 2009 at a density of 4100 vines/ha. Special care was made to ensure that clones and rootstocks (Fercal and 41B) were matched with individually suited parcels. A total of 1200 vines had been planted so far in 2010 and an additional 6000 had been planned for 2011.

At the end of 2011, five of the 10 targeted ha would be under vine with a distribution of 50% Chardonnay, 28% Pinot Meunier, and 22% Pinot Noir. The overall planting program concluded in 2013 with the full 10 ha planted to 42,000 vines distributed 55% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir, and 20% Pinot Meunier. 

The vigneron of record at the time of our conversation was Steve's wife Arabella. She was assisted by wine consultant Ian Edwards, co-owner and winemaker at nearby Furleigh Estate, a regional sparkling- and still-wine producer. The wines are vinified at Furleigh Estate. Graham Fisher joined the team as Vineyard Manager in 2012.

The initial plan called for Bride Valley Vineyards to produce two wines: a cuvée (40% Chardonnay plus Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier) and a vintage Blanc de Blanc. The first vintage was scheduled for 2011.

 

The 2012 harvest was washed out due to intense summer rains. The 2013 harvest was better but only yielded 200 cases. 2014 was the first proper harvest, yielding 3000 bottles of Rosé, 6000 bottles of Blanc de Blanc, and 11,000 bottles of Brut Reserve. This was also the first year in which the Pinot Meunier really performed up to expected levels.

In terms of styling, Steve has a preference for lightness and elegance. He is most hands-on with assemblage and dosage and favors 9 g/l for the latter.

The Bride Valley stable of wines has expanded beyond the planned two wines to encompass four sparkling wines (including a Crémant) and three still wines (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Rosé). I tasted one of the early examples of the estate's Blanc de Blanc, the 2013 edition.

By the time I tasted this wine in 2016, I had become a fan of Nyetimber and this wine lacked its power and presence. As noted above this was the vintage after they had been completely washed out the year before and the production volume was exceedingly low. In her review of the wine, Anne Krebiehl MW states thusly: "The crisp nose conjures up shades of green meadow and fresh apple peel, fresh foliage and lime, but also some honey and oatmeal. The palate remains crisp but has a toned lithe note of pure lemon that sings. This is taut, shows backbone and rounds itself out wonderfully on the palate, finishing with harmonious notes of apple and shortbread" (Winemag).

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Before the Judgment of Paris, there was the Battle of Versailles: Different industry, same result

Before the Judgment of Paris, three words -- and an event -- of moment in the wine world, there was the Battle of Versailles, another event which pitted an upstart American industry against a dominant -- and domineering -- French counterpart. And once again the results were tectonic; and provided the protagonists with the fuel that drove them to previously unimaginable heights.

The industry of record in the Judgment of Paris was Wine; the industry of record in the Battle of Versailles was Fashion. The story of the Judgment of Paris is told in a book of the same name written by the only reporter present, George M. Taber. The story of the Battle of Versailles is recounted in a tome of the same name by Robin Givhan, Fashion Critic of the Washington Post and 2006 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fashion Criticism. Information about the Battle of Versailles used in this post is gleaned from an interview of the author by Renee Montagne on the March 19th edition of NPRs Morning Edition.

Prior to 1973, as was the case for the US wine industry prior to 1976, "Paris was everything" in the fashion industry and the American industry took its marching orders from the Parisian designers. "Whatever the French designers said was fashion, ... the Americans said, OK, that's fashion ..."

The Judgment of Paris (the event) took place at the Paris InterContinental Hotel on May 24, 1976 and pitted six Napa Chardonnays (vintage 1972 - 1974) and six Napa Cabernet Sauvignons (1969 - 1973) against four White Burgundies (1972 and 1973) and four Red Bordeauxs (1970 and 1971). The wines were tasted blind. Attendees, based on Taber's account, were the judges, Steven Spurrier (the event organizer), two unofficial observers, Taber, and the wait staff. Spurrier had secured the room at the hotel as a favor granted by the Food and Beverage Manager with the proviso that they had to be out before 6:00 pm as the room was committed to a wedding at that time. At the conclusion of the tasting, a California wine had been judged to be the best in each of the two categories.

The Battle of Versailles was held on November 28, 1973 at the Palace of Versailles and was at once a fundraiser to help in the restoration of the palace and a competition pitting five French couture designers against five up-and-coming American designers:

• French designers
• Yves St. Laurent
• Hubert de Givenchy
• Pierre Cardin
• Emmanuel Ungaro
• Marc Bohan (of Christian Dior)
• American designers
• Halston
• Oscar de la Renta
• Bill Blass
• Anne Klein
• Stephen Burrows

The setting is described by the author (Hint: It differs a bit from the Judgment-of-Paris setting):

... there are men in, like, full livery with the white wigs and the uniforms. And people are arriving and they are the jet set of the time. And the theater where this took place is gilded and filled with blue velvet seats and fleur-de-lis, you know, embroidered on the curtains and the chandeliers.

The French presentation at the Battle of Versailles lasted two hours while the American portion lasted 30 minutes. The French had constantly changing backdrops and a full orchestra to flesh out their effort while the American set was a sketch of the Eiffel Tower and its music was a taped Al Green and Barry White soundtrack.

The disparity in time and setting notwithstanding, the show was a huge success for the Americans. According to Givhan, "It was a predominantly French crowd and they went bonkers ..." for the Americans. One of the keys to the American success was their models, 10 of whom were black. Again, the author: "There was a context of black chic that made the models particularly attractive. It was cool. It was progressive to use black models."

According to Robert Parker (a 2001 comment reproduced in Taber's book), "The Paris Tasting destroyed the myth of French supremacy and marked the democratization of the wine world. It was a watershed in the history of wine." According to Givhan, things also changed significantly after the Battle of Versailles, especially the way that American designers saw themselves. "... their success at Versailles convinced them that no, what they were producing wasn't less than, it was different, but it was just as good and in many ways more relevant to the way that women lived their lives."

It must have been traumatic to have lived in Paris in the mid-1970s. The persons responsible for the maintenance of French superiority took blows in that timeframe that they never fully recoverd from. And I am still waiting for Napa to build that richly deserved statue of Steve Spurrier right in the heart of its revitalized downtown.


©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Mastering the Medoc and Graves: Tasting the White Wines

A total of 10 wines were tasted at the Steven Spurrier Mastering the Medoc and Graves course which was held at Decanter HQ on October 8th, 2010.  I covered the tasting of the reds in a prior post and will cover the whites in this one.  The whites tasted at the course were Vieux Chateau Gaubert, Graves 2008 and Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Blnc, Graves 2007. 

Vieux Chateau Gaubert is a 6-hectrare estate with a dry, pebbly topsoil layered on a clay-gravel subsoil.  The wine is an equal blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon which was fermented in 225 liter oak casks and then aged on its lees with batonnage for 9 months.  According to Steven Spurrier, the tartness of the Sauvignon Blanc coupled wih the roundness of the Semilon generally results in a well-balanced wine.  The wine was lemony-yellow in color and showd medium legs.  The nose was very attractive with lemon-lime citrus and white fruit aromas.  The wine was very crisp on the palate with a metallic minerality and flavors of lemon, lime, and gooseberry.  According to Stephen, this wine could be drunk now or cellared for 3 to 4 years and would pair well with oysters, fish, chicken, or cheese.

The 2007 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc is a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris and 5% Semillon sourced from  38-year-old vines and fermented in barriques.  2007 was a good vintage for Bordeaux whites, not so much for reds.  This wine had a rich, lemon-yellow color and richer legs than did the Gaubrt.  On the nose aromas of yellow fruits along with a richness and spiciness.  On the palate a masive richness, hint of sweetness, acidity, a stony mineraity and a pleasant weightiness.

All in all the course and tasting was a great experience: it allowed to me the opportunity to meet and break bread with Steven Spurrier and to take advantage of his expertise in a learning environment; it provided a basis for a deeper exploration into the Medoc and Graves; and it led to what one should expect to cover in a course with the word "Mastering" in the title.

A Framework for Wine-Region "Mastering" Courses using Steven Spurrier's Decanter Medoc-Graves Class as a Case Study

On October 18th, 2010, I attended a course titled Mastering the Medoc and Graves.  The class was held at Decanter's London HQ and was led by noted Bordeaux expert, and Decanter Contributing Editor, Steven Spurrier.  In my October 13th review of the course, I commented thusly: "There was something missing though, and after giving it some thought, I arrived at the conclusion that it was context.  While the course is titled: Mastering the Medoc and Graves, we were not provided an overarching framework at the beginning of the class; and how tasting these specific wines would allow us to attain those objectives." I will, in this post, propose a framework that can be applied uniformly to all mastering courses and, in a series of supporting posts, provide the relevant contextual input to the framework.

In my opinion, mastering a wine region intimates a comprehensive understanding of the elements that contribute to the making of fine wine in that region (theory), the construct of a "strawman" of the characteristics of fine wine from that region (application), and the ability to taste through a sample of the wines  to identify the characteristics included in the strawman (practice). If these criteria are applied to the Medoc and Graves course, we should have been identifying the characteristics of fine wine in these regions and then tasting the wines to see how/if they reflected those characteristics.  The first contextual element would thus have been met: an objective and a set of related tasks.

The elements that contribute to wine quality are location, climate, vintage, aspect, soil, grape variety, viticulture, vinification, and the winemaker.  Of the foregoing, all but the winemaker could be considered at a regional level.  That is, these elements could have been discussed as it relates to the Medoc and Graves and, in my view, are essential contributors to a mastery of the regions.  They were either mentioned anectdotally or in passing in the class.  I have filled that gap with a series of supporting posts on the Medoc, Graves, Medoc and Graves vintages, and viniviticulture in the regions.  This constitutes the first step in truly mastering the Medoc and Graves.

The next step is building a strawman of the characteristics of the wine.  Steven did provide a starting point in that he saw wines of the Medoc tending to austerity.  He also described Margaux wines as "charming and elegant," Pauillac as "sterner and tougher," and St. Estephe wines as "a little more rustic." To the Margaux description I would add aromatic and excellent ageing potential.  St. Julien wines exhibit power and concentration along with elegance and require ageing to demonstrate their true potential.  Pauillac wines are powerful, complex, and tannic. St. Estephe wines are balanced and elegant with a structure that lends to ageing.  With the charaacteristics of the regions in hand, the second step towards mastery of the region has been taken.

The final step is tasting the wines and one of two approaches can be taken: (i) taste the wines blind in order to attempt to identify the region of origin based on the identified characteristics; or (ii) tasting the wines non-blind to determine if they match up with the defined regional characteristics.  Upon successful completion of this step, masterey of the region is within grasp.

In retrospect, we utilized a modified version of the latter approach in our tasting of the wines from the Medoc and Graves.  I will discuss the wines and the tasting in future posts.

The Medoc sub-region of Bordeaux

On October 8th, I attended a class at Decanter HQ in London led by Decanter Contributing Editor Steven Spurrier and titled Mastering the Medoc and Graves.  In a previous post, I reviewed the class as an event.  In this and subsequent posts, I will report on the regions, the houses, and the wines covered in the course.  I begin the series with a look at the Medoc.

The Medoc is a part of the larger (and storied) Bordeaux wine region which is concentrated around the Gironde estuary and its tributary rivers, the Garonne and Dordogne.  The region owes its winemaking prowess to a number of factors: (i) a temperate climate characterized by humid springs, hot summers, sunny autumns, and relatively mild winters; (ii) the warming influences of the Gironde and the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean; (iii) its soils (quartz and flint pebbles over a subsoil of marl on the left bank and clay, limestone, and some gravel on the right); and (iv) protection from the ocean winds by the Landes pine forest to the southwest.

The Medoc is divided into two sub-appellations, the Medoc to the north and the Haut-Medoc, with the Medoc covering 4700 hectares and the Haut-Medoc 4300.  The Medoc sub-appellation, called Bas Medoc in earlier times, has heavy, moisture-retaining soils which are much more suited to Merlot than the Cabernet Sauvignon which dominates in its neighbor to the south.  Many areas in the Haut Medoc have large deposits of gravel which were washed down from the Pyrenees thousands of years ago.  This gravel provides excellent drainage and ideal conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon which does not like "wet feet."  These gravelly soils also retain warmth and, in so doing, aid in the ripening of the grapes.

The Chateaux in the the Medoc have been ranked since the 1855 World's Fair and that 1855 Classification, as well as the Cru Bourgeois classification, have been covered in a previous post.

Within the Haut-Medoc appellation there are a number of communal appellations which are renowned for producing some of the finest wines in the world.  Beginning with St. Estephe to the south of Medoc, these communes hug the Gironde until ending with Margaux at the fork which heralds the beginning of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers.  St. Estephe covers 1200 hectares and its wines are considered to be rustic.  They are tannic, muscular, and long-lasting.  Pauillac is 1100 hectares in size with wines that are considered powerful, yet elegant.  There are 15 classed growths but three Premier Crus (Chateaus Lafite, Latour, and Mouton) in this commune.  St. Julien is the smallest of the communes with 900 hectares and has 10 classed growths.  Its wines age well and combine elegance with austerity.  Margaux covers 1300 hectares and its wines are thought to be the most "perfumed, feminine, and elegant."

I will cover the Graves region in my next post.

Bride Valley Vineyards: Steven Spurrier's British Sparkling Wine Project

In an earlier post, I wrote about the rise of the British sparkling wine industry and the “Judgement-of-Paris" moment experienced by Nytimber Vineyards when it won first place at the World Sparkling Wine competition over such luminaries as Bollinger, Louis Roederer, and Pommery.  A Wall Street Journal article of May 11, 2010, further highlighted this trend.  Another strong indicator that the British bubbly phenomenon might have legs is the fact that noted Bordeaux wine expert Steven Spurrier has jumped into the production end of the market with a venture called Bride Valley Vineyards.  I spoke to Steven about this initiative during a luncheon at Decanter HQ in the UK and this post relates the crux of that conversation, as well as follow-up communications.

Bride Valley Vineyards is a 75-hectare, bowl-shaped farm located in South Dorset, approximately 40 minutes from Kimmeridge, the village which gives its name to the geologic time period when the chalk soils stretching from Chablis to the south of England was laid down.  There is a lot of chalk on the lower slopes of the vineyard and while research has shown that 22 hectares are viable for vine growing, the estate has decided to concentrate on 10 of those 22 hectares for its wine production.  The vigneron of record for the vineyard is Arabella Spurrier, Steve’s wife. She is assisted by wine consultant Ian Edwards, co-owner and winemaker at nearby Furleigh Estates, a regional sparkling- (primarily) and still-wine producer.

Vines for the plantings were acquired from Papinieres Guillaume, supplier to such formidable names as Bollinger, Roederer, and Pol Roger.  A total of 12,500 vines were planted in 2009 at a density of 4100 vines/acre.  Special care was made to ensure that clones and rootstocks were matched with individually suited parcels.  A total of 1200 vines have been planted so far in 2010 and an additional 6000 will be planted in 2011.  At the completion of the planting program in 2011, five of the ten targeted hectares will be under vine and the distribution will be 50% Chardonnay, 28% Pinot Meunier, and 22% Pinot Noir.

Bride Valley Vineyards will produce two wines: a cuvee (consisting of 40% Chardonnay and the remainder a mix of the two Pinot varietals) and a vintage blanc de blanc.  The grapes will be vinified at Furleigh Estates and it is expected that the first vintage will be in 2011.

Review of Decanter Education's Mastering the Medoc and Graves course

Decanter (@Decanter, www.decanter.com) recently launched an education initiative (Decanter Education) designed to leverage its facilities, columnists, and wine experts to provide students “… unrivaled insight into the most fascinating and important wine regions in the world.” Decanter Education's offerings are divided into wine courses (£225; 10:30am – 3:00pm; three-course, wine-tasting lunch included) and evening master classes (£120; 6:15 pm – 8:30pm; welcome drink and refreshments included). The schedule currently provides for one wine course and one master class per month.

Launching an education initiative was a smart move for Decanter. It allows the company to take advantage of an existing base of experts, events staff, events facilities, and customers in a mutually beneficial manner. Further, by contributing to the increased wine knowledge of its customers, and being the source of that knowledge, Decanter aids customer retention on the magazine side of the business. Finally, students in this setting can be cross-sold on other Decanter products and services.

I first became aware of the Decanter Education program through decanter.com where concise, clear descriptions of the offerings, speakers, and schedules were provided. Registering and paying for a class was a simple process conducted on the website. I registered for the course titled Mastering the Medoc and Graves, a course to be led by Steven Spurrier who, in my opinion, has made an outsized (if, at the time, unwitting) contribution to the success of Napa Valley wines. Email confirmation of the order, along with an attached invoice, was received shortly after the booking. There was a slight glitch in that the invoice referenced a September course while registration was for an October course. Email correspondence with Decanter confirmed that the course was in October and that a system glitch was responsible for the September reference on the invoice. Tickets were received shortly before the course date.

I arrived at Decanter for my course on the morning of October 8. I was early but, after making my way to the reception area, was welcomed warmly by Emma Franc, Events Manager, who also has Decanter Education as part of her portfolio. This was only the third class given to date so senior management was still very much engaged. The Managing Editor, Guy Woodward, came over and spent time with the attendees, even taking us on a tour of the Persons of the Year vineyards on the 10th floor balcony. According to Emma, this initiative was one that had been bandied about for a bit but was only launched after she received some additional assistance (Joanna Przygoda, Events Executive) for the events side of the business.

The classroom setup was immaculate. A coffee and pastries table was set up towards the back of the room and a wine station – with all the bottles to be tasted -- was set up to the right of the entry door. Beyond that there were four rows of seating, each row consisting of two tables, each with two seats, and each angled in towards a dividing passageway. At each seating position, there were: two mats, each having named places for five wines; a bottle of water; course materials; and a tray with nuts, crackers, and grapes. The two seats shared a spittoon. At the front of the room was a large screen for the projection of presentation materials and, off to the right of the screen, a desk and chair and, studiously reviewing his presentation materials, Steven Spurrier.

The class started a little late to accommodate a few stragglers. Guy Woodward welcomed us formally before turning the class over to Steven Spurrier.

In his opening remarks, Steven mentioned that it was going to be a tasting course (new information to me) and proceeded to briefly introduce the course materials on our desks; material which, he said, would provide us with the required theory. At Steve’s direction the servers poured the initial two wines and continued to pour on his command for the rest of the class.

The wines which served as the basis for the class were drawn from a variety of producers and vintages in the Medoc and Graves. Steven walked us through the tastings, illustrating how each chateau and vintage was reflective of its region /commune of origin. He demonstrated a deep knowledge of the Left Bank and the families and corporations that make wine there. His presentation was peppered with personal anecdotes and tales of corporate battles over Left Bank properties, the telling of which took them from labels on a bottle to living, breathing personalities possessing the strengths and being prone to the petty jealousies that afflict us all.

I enjoyed the class and consider it a privilege to have tasted through this array of Left Bank wines with one of the world’s foremost experts on Bordeaux. I felt especially good about where we were tasting these wines; at the home of one of the leading wine publications in the world. There was something missing though, and, after giving it some thought, I arrived at the conclusion that it was context. While the course is titled: Mastering the Medoc and Graves, we were not provided an overarching framework at the beginning of the class; and how tasting these specific wines would allow us to attain those objectives. On a more personal note, I would have liked a mini-lecture at the beginning of the class. That being said, the material covered was of extremely high value.

At the conclusion of the session, we made our way to a large conference room, overlooking the Tate Modern, for lunch. Lunch was a spectacular affair with a gourmet menu and four additional wines and Decanter’s event experience was on clear display here.

The combination of excellent food and aged wines made for a very collegial atmosphere and the establishment of potentially valuable contacts. Steven was a gracious host at lunch as he continued to talk us through the wines that accompanied the meal. At lunch I conversed with him about his sparkling wine initiative and I will report on that in a future post.

All in all, a very informative and socially rich event. The unique melding of high-quality, expert-led education and insightfully facilitated post-course socialization – which included the speaker, event coordinators, and students – made for a very fulfilling day.

Keep doing this Decanter.