{"title":"Conservatoire de Vignes Anciennes","description":"\u003cp\u003eA couple of years ago, 1.5 hectares of steep vines in Marchampt, Beaujolais were on the market, going some months without an interested buyer. The sloping parcels are home to almost 140 cultivars of vitis vinifera, and had been a conservatory for the grapes of Beaujolais for 50 years. Many forgotten and ancient varieties grow here, including several Lambrusques, wild ancestors to the cultivated vine. It was a unique opportunity for Cyril and Karine Alonso to work with old, ungrafted vines and explore the antique characteristics of overlooked clones and varieties. Now installed in Marchampt, the family hope to establish a Noah's Ark of vines and highlight unsung varieties that for whatever reason have not made the cut in the modern commercial vineyard. Their wines are truly unique, documenting a history of wine in the region outside the world of auction houses and 5 figure sums. They echo the world from which the Beaujolais of today has emerged, re-examining expressions in wine deemed unworthy by historical tastes or, perhaps more often, viticultural practicality. An enchanting, telluric power is woven through the wines and sensitive handling in the cellar allows them a clear, evocative voice. The grapes are harvested by family (one plot has 31 varieties of Gamay) and most often end up coming together in blended wines. The steep parcels are on hard granite, with grasses and weeds between vines providing a shallow humus that nourishes the vines. With twenty years experience as a negociant winemaker, this is the start of a new chapter for Cyril, Karine and the family. They have established a self sufficient living system in Marchampt, as dependent on the land as possible, making small releases of these wonderfully intriguing, esoteric wines. Across the valley from his vines, Cyril's cellar is as lo fi as it gets. A small press, which all the grapes of his tiny 7,000 bottle annual production pass through, sits right inside the entrance followed by a handful of small fibre vats. At the back of the cellar sit four eggs, half buried in gravel and this is where the fermentations take place. The cellar looks out onto dense biotope, protected wooded areas that seem to crown the hilltops along the undulating countryside. The parcels themselves are on steep and shallow granite soils with a southerly and easterly exposure. They don't really stand out, until you notice the vines growing in the midst of wild mint, thyme flowers and grasses. There are many, many varieties growing on this hectare and a half, in fact 108 and counting (not including the lambrusque vines growing on the verges of the cellar itself). As we walk, Cyril claps to alert the snakes to our presence, stopping briefly for some impromptu pruning or to point out a particularly rare or unusual variety. The red leaves belong to pinot fin, and the young vine is the Chardonnay Rosé, yet to be old enough to yield grapes for wine. A veteran winemaker with a mischievous sense of humour, Cyril has meticulously mapped the vines and where they grow.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"renaissance-de-loeuf-2020-cyril-alonso","title":"Renaissance de l'Oeuf 2020 - Cyril Alonso","description":"\u003cp\u003eSpectacular Gamay from a steep half hectare of ancient vines on pink granite in Marchampt. Ancient varieties co-planted in gobelet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMacerating in whole bunches for 5 days, the juice was then pressed into 2 clay 160L eggs to age over winter sur lie. From a solar vintage, a thread of granite minerality has found its voice after 5 years in bottle. A true taste of history. Best lightly chilled.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe producer\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA couple of years ago, 1.5 hectares of steep vines in Marchampt, Beaujolais were on the market, going some months without an interested buyer. The sloping parcels are home to almost 140 cultivars of vitis vinifera, and had been a conservatory for the grapes of Beaujolais for 50 years. Many forgotten and ancient varieties grow here, including several Lambrusques, wild ancestors to the cultivated vine. It was a unique opportunity for Cyril \u0026amp; Karine Alonso to work with old, ungrafted vines and explore the antique characteristics of overlooked clones and varieties. Now installed in Marchampt, the family hope to establish a Noah's Ark of vines and highlight unsung varieties that for whatever reason have not made the cut in the modern commercial vineyard. Their wines are truly unique, documenting a history of wine in the region outside the world of auction houses and 5 figure sums. They echo the world from which the Beaujolais of today has emerged, re-examining expressions in wine deemed unworthy by historical tastes or, perhaps more often, viticultural practicality. An enchanting, telluric power is woven through the wines and sensitive handling in the cellar allows them a clear, evocative voice. The grapes are harvested by family (one plot has 31 varieties of Gamay) and most often end up coming together in blended wines. The steep parcels are on hard granite, with grasses and weeds between vines providing a shallow humus that nourishes the vines. With twenty years experience as a negociant winemaker, this is the start of a new chapter for Cyril, Karine \u0026amp; the family. They have established a self sufficient living system in Marchampt, as dependent on the land as possible, making small releases of these wonderfully intriguing, esoteric wines. Across the valley from his vines, Cyril's cellar is as lo fi as it gets. A small press, which all the grapes of his tiny 7000 bottle annual production pass through, sits right inside the entrance followed by a handful of small fibre vats. At the back of the cellar sit four eggs, half buried in gravel and this is where the fermentations take place. The cellar looks out onto dense biotope, protected wooded areas that seem to crown the hilltops along the undulating countryside. The parcels themselves are on steep and shallow granite soils with a southerly and easterly exposure. They don't really stand out, until you notice the vines growing in the midst of wild mint, thyme flowers and grasses. There are many, many varieties growing on this hectare and a half, in fact 108 and counting (not including the lambrusque vines growing on the verges of the cellar itself). As we walk, Cyril claps to alert the snakes to our presence, stopping briefly for some impromptu pruning or to point out a particularly rare or unusual variety. The red leaves belong to pinot fin, and the young vine is the Chardonnay Rosé, yet to be old enough to yield grapes for wine. A veteran winemaker with a mischievous sense of humour, Cyril has meticulously mapped the vines and where they grow.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe place\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eNestled deep in the western hills of the Beaujolais vert, these vines from this 0.5 hectare parcel were planted in 1952 by the ampèlotheque that preceeded the Alonsos arrival. The soils are quite literally solid, pink granite bedrock, with a thin layer of humus, wild shrubs and grasses growing between the vines. The parcel is steep, growing in low trained gobelet, indeed you can barely distinguish the plants from the vines in the height of summer. We’re at about 450masl here too, protected from harsh winds by the biotope across the valley. The varieties tell a rich history of viticulture in the region, with noir a jus blanc Gamay present in several distinct clones, the teinturier Gamay vines - Gamay de Bouze from the Cote d’Or, Gamay de Chaudenay from Saone et Loire, and Gamay Fréaux, with the even more obscure Gamay de Troye also growing here. We also find Gamay Gloriod, Picard, Geoffray (which is grown widely today in the production of quality Gamay), Cibella, Direct, Malain, Ancenis, Piccolo, Figuette, and Plant-Robert, a variety identified in the 1920s as a distinct mutation of Gamay growing in Vaud soils in Lavaux, Switzerland. The clay eggs for which the cuvée is named stand upright in gravel as can be seen in the photo above taken during a cellar visit.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrapes:\u003c\/strong\u003e Gamay\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRegion:\u003c\/strong\u003e Marchampt, Beaujolais, France\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eABV:\u003c\/strong\u003e 15%\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Conservatoire de Vignes Anciennes","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54988704809298,"sku":"1700161","price":50.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1116\/0246\/7154\/files\/bw-renaissance-de-l-oeuf-2020.jpg?v=1793699098"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1116\/0246\/7154\/collections\/conservatoire-de-vignes-anciennes-cyril---i55.jpg?v=1793700324","url":"https:\/\/www.brianswines.ie\/collections\/conservatoire-de-vignes-anciennes.oembed","provider":"Brian's Wines","version":"1.0","type":"link"}