Etienne Bodet & Bodet-Herold

Etienne Bodet is an accomplished oenologist in his own right having worked with an amazing roll call of producers before striking out on his own in the last year. He is also the 5th generation of his family on the beautiful Jurassic limestone terroirs they own in Montreuil-Bellay in Saumur where the family has been producing both sparkling and still wines for more than a century.

His family are not only wine growers for the well known Chateau de la Durandiere label of still wines - his aunt also runs Louis de Grenelle the largest independent sparkling producer based in the heart of Saumur and his god-father is none other than Romain Guiberteau (who he has worked with) as well as 3 years recently on the winemaking team at Clos Rougeard. Having grown up in vineyards and cellars with his father and family Etienne describes his education and experience as follows -

These differences find their foundations in my training and my experiences that I have been able to undertake. Sylvain Pataille nurtured me for 2 years during my BTS viti oeno. His talent, his personality, and his ideas deeply marked me. He is for me my godfather in wine, an inexhaustible source of reflection. Subsequently, I was able to work within the Bernard Baudry estate to understand a little more about the materials of Cabernet Franc. My training also led me to work with François Dal, agricultural engineer, at SICAVAC in Sancerre. He opened my eyes to the dogmas of the milieu. He pushed me to become more alert, more rigorous in viticulture while being as much in tune as possible with my convictions. He, too, marked a turning point in my career. After these first experiences, I went to Champagne for the national diploma in oenology which I successfully obtained in 2020. I had the chance to work with Aurélien Gerbais, from Champagne Pierre Gerbais. With him, I learned precision, attention to detail. He instilled in me the perpetual search for excellence and precision. The Guiberteau estate and the Clos Rougeard are my last experiences, they allowed me to understand all the more our Loire grape varieties, our terroirs and our breedings (I cannot be moved by Cabernet Franc only after a long-term refining. The aromatic and angularity of this grape before aging disinterests me to the highest degree.). Today, I still work at Clos Rougeard. I was responsible for the last two vintages winemaking in 2021 and 2022, an eminently formative experience.

Viticulture

 I treat my vines only with copper and sulfur and I use biodynamic preparations 500, 500p and 501. The vines of my domain are attached to my father's agricultural company, my father does not work in organic, I cannot obtain the certification for the moment. I convinced myself of the relevance of certain biodynamic preparations. During my experiences with Sylvain Pataille and François Dal, I saw its effectiveness empirically and even scientifically in Sancerre. Despite everything, I do not want to belong to a fixed ideology and I would like to be able to sell my wines for what they are - the wines of a given terroir without artifice and in respect of the soil of my ancestors.

 I prune my vine using Guyot Poussard in search of the life path of the vine, I debud two to three times depending on the vintage, I split, I remove the secondary branches, I leaf and I carry out a green harvest if necessary, I work as much as possible with a pickaxe under the row of vines. I try to listen to my plot. I have the pleasure of having the help of my grandfather in these labors. The harvest is of course by hand and sorted.

Vinification-aging

Vinification and aging take place without sulphur, in native yeasts, with more or less whole bunches depending on the vintage to seek the elegant and spicy expression of an intracellular fermentation of the berries. I take a lot of risks in sulphur-free winemaking, but these are measured and considered risks. I taste my wines as much as possible and allow myself the use of organic nitrogen in my musts depending on the vintage, the only input used during vinification. I play on temperatures and carbon dioxide to control the alcoholic fermentation. The malolactic fermentation was made during maceration in 2021 and 2022.

Cabernet Franc is a raw material that takes a long time to polish. I age my wines for a minimum of two years in barrels new to three wines, then 6 months in vats and 6 months in bottles before selling. The temperature and humidity of the cellars are fundamental criteria in order to polish the tannins as much as possible. The objective is to obtain a refined, spiritual wine that is as moving as possible.

Dry whites

2022 Graippeaux Saumur blanc (Montreuil-Bellay) - extremely limited
100% Chenin Blanc planted 1953 + 1957 almost directly across the road from his Clos Durandiere vineyard near the family house and cellars in Montreuil-Bellay. From a cooler north-west facing vineyard in the village of Montreuil-Bellay this is the first vintage of this single vineyard white wine raised in barrel with no malolactic fermentation and no S02 during elevage. Etienne selects the heart of the pressings discarding the last press for this wine aiming for maximum elegance and finesse. Aged for 2 years in barrel and for another year in bottle before release in January 2025. The extra time in bottle has given more expression to this tightly coiled wine with beautiful aromatics giving gentle hints of tarragon and anise and Chartruese herbs together with bright apple and orchard fruit aromas. Excellent length and intensity on the palate yet so fine and restrained at the same time

2024 Taison Noire Saumur blanc (Montreuil-Bellay) - due 2027

Dry reds

I age my wines for a minimum of two years in barrels new to three wines, then 6 months in vats and 6 months in bottles before selling. The temperature and humidity of the cellars are fundamental criteria in order to polish the tannins as much as possible. The objective is to obtain a refined, spiritual wine that is as moving as possible.

2021 Clos Durandière Saumur Champigny (Montreuil-Bellay)
100% Cabernet Franc from vines planted 1983. This plot is based on a specific and unique geology in the Saumur area (only 20 ha of vines are counted on this type of soil). We are on hard limestone from the Bathonian stage of the Jurassic period. The vine rests on thin soil (30 to 60 cm) and is directly planted on this hard rock. The soil textures are clayey sands or sandy loams with the presence of iron oxide. We are on the same geological era as the Côte de Nuits. The geological component of the plot confers constraints and potentialities on the vine (low water reserve, earliness, good drainage, moderate vigor, active limestone) in line with high-flying viticulture. On this type of soil, my objective is to obtain the most aerial and elegant wine possible.

The resulting wine is as utterly distinctive as it is rivetting. Medium saturation of colour (less for 2021 than for his first 2020 vintage) with incredibly fine lifted aromas of lavender, pot-pourri, rose petal and delicate red fruits hinting at fraise des bois. Etienne’s principal goal is to soften the tannins of Cabernet Franc through non-extractive maceration with crushing of the grapes up to a week after harvest so that the first fermentation takes place within each berry. Low SO2 and extended elevage for 2 winters (3 winters for Les Clos des Vaudelles) brings extra finesse and stability to the wines and remarkable finesse to the tannins of the variety. Cabernet Franc is naturally prone to Brettanomyces and to this point he aims to have healthy amounts of nitrogen in the vineyard to ensure enough available naturally during fermentation to ensure sugars are fully fermented out naturally. Ample intensity and length of flavours on the palate with a frame of bright vibrant fruit and remarkably fine and sophisticated tannins carried through to a long and expressive finish with perfectly balanced freshness. The aftertaste is long and hauntingly fine and appetising drawing you back to taste again. Such remarkably well managed tannins and intensity of fruit within a fine and refreshingly balanced structure.

2023 Le Clos des Vaudelles Saumur Champigny (Varrains) - due 2027
100% Cabernet Franc from vines planted 1966. This Clos faces directly the “Clos Durandière” on the other side of the street. We are here on a geology-pedology in opposition to the “Clos Durandiere”, the vines rest on Oxfordian marls from the Jurassic era. The soil consists of heavy clay. We are on cold, deep ground, difficult to work. The particular geology of this parcel generates constraints and potentialities for the plant (high to moderate water reserve, bud burst later than average, slow maturation, active limestone). I love this plot, it is an exceptional terroir, it also has an experience since it was planted in 1966. Since 2021, I have been regenerating the plot and from 2023 I will vinify the entire plot. Again, the aging will be 3 years.

Tasted from barrel this looks incredibly promising with even more finesse which is remarkable given that 1/3rd of this cuvee had whole bunch ferment. This will be aged for 3 years in barrel then bottles before release in 2027. Even smaller vineyard than Clos Durandiere so quantities will be tiny.

Sparkling wines

The story of Maison Bodet-Herold

This house, we imagined it as a duo, as a couple.  We met in the United States in 2014 on Kim's front porch, when I was working with a wine importer in North Carolina.  Out of love, Kim followed me through all my wine experiences, whether in Dijon when I worked at Sylvain Pataille, in Sancerre when I worked at SICAVAC with François Dal, in Saumur and Chinon at Domaine Guiberteau, at Domaine Bernard Baudry, or at Clos Rougeard. She also followed me to Champagne. It was in Champagne that Kim acquired a great sensitivity and acuity for tasting sparkling wines. As for me, I acquired a knowledge of Champagne through my studies in oenology in Reims and my experiences with winegrowers in the region (4 vinifications with Champagne Pierre Gerbais).  I try to be the guardian of my wife's vision.  We have relied on the family history in the production of sparkling wines (sparkling maison founded in 1859, pioneer of sparkling rosés in the 1960s, 3 kilometers of galleries for aging wines) while emancipating ourselves (plot vinification, risk-taking during winemaking, long aging, very close collaboration with partner winegrowers). I am the 5th generation of winegrowers in the Bodet family. In parallel, I have my own estate, Etienne Bodet – Clos Durandière.

Our project is to highlight several terroirs in line with the production of sparkling wines. The chalk-based geology-pédology, locally called tufa, offers tension, elegance, and precision due to the preservation of a low pH of the grape must.  This same geology allows ideal breeding conditions with constant humidity and temperature (∓ 65% and ∓ 12 ° C) in the family galleries.  Then, the bicentenary history of the production of sparkling wines in Saumur is worth highlighting. Saumur had up to 20 houses specializing in Champagne methods at the dawn of the Second World War.  The Côte de Saumur Champigny was called the “Côte des Blancs” until the 1960s. Finally, the king grape, Chenin, is the last element to be taken into account.  Chenin can be rustic and with some greenness if the yields are too high and if the phenolic maturity is not controlled.  When viticulture and winemaking are in harmony, the resulting musts gain precision. Its aging “sur lattes” gives intense notes of bitter orange, chiseled by autolysis.  A great sparkling grape !  Grolleau is not to be outdone, with a low skin / pulp ratio, therefore a low concentration of astringent and bitter compounds providing a great deal of elegance and preservation of acidity.

The range of Loire wines is very wide. This diversity is its strength but also its weakness.  In the case of sparkling wines, winemaking and viticulture are too often seen under the spectrum of making a white wine or under the spectrum of the quantitative. However, the production of an effervescent requires great rigor to obtain elegant wines (keeping an optimal sugar / acid ratio, vinification only with the heart of the presses, vinification without sulfur, rigorous settling, avoiding astringency and vegetal tastes. etc.). It is on this rigor and on the selection of terroirs that we have focused.

Maison Bodet-Herold 2023 Ærlinn Brut Nature, Cremant de Loire
100% Grolleau Gris, zero dosage. Organic wine. Methode Ancestrale, disgorged December 2024.
Ærlinn is a reference to the first name of our daughter, born in the 2021 vintage. Ærlinn means “song of the sea”. My grandfather often tells me that every vintage is a new child.  We strive to raise our wine like our child in the same direction. It is a wine that we imagined for her.

For this wine, we are working with our partner winemaker in organic farming in the village of Durtal on a plot. Durtal is the northest vineyard of Anjou. This plot is located on the limestone hillock of the village, on the yellow chalk of the Cretaceous period.  We selected this plot for its southern orientation, its flush limestone, its good drainage and the quality of the viticulture.  For this wine we are looking for advanced maturities and the preservation of low pH that the limestone allows us. The Grolleau grape is known for its low alcohol content.  On this type of terroir, Grolleau oscillates between florality and white fruit.

This natural sparkling diverges since we disgorge at the end of aging. The desired goal is the freshness and accessibility of this wine while maintaining uprightness and elegance, the hallmarks of our house.

Wine protocol implemented
-          Maturity expected around 11% v / v of potential alcohol, pH around 3.00-3.10.
-           Overnight maceration in the press (extraction of color and primary aromas).
-           Beginning of alcoholic fermentation at low temperatures in indigenous yeasts.
-           At the end of fermentation, bottling for the fermentation.  Ancestral method.
-           No malolactic fermentation (dépend of the vintage).
-           Draw around 10 days after the harvest, short aging from 4 to 16 months to keep the primary aromas as much as possible.
-           Disgorgement for better clarity.
-           Brut nature: no shipping liquor.
-          15 mg total sulfur

Maison Bodet-Herold 2022 Ternay Brut Nature, Cremant de Loire
100% Grolleau Gris, 24 months on lees, zero dosage. Organic wine. Methode Ancestrale, disgorged December 2024.
We have put all the knowledge acquired in Champagne to obtain the most finesse while maintaining natural vinification. The search for a suitable plot and winemaker was long and laborious.This plot is located on the limestone mamelon of Ternay. The terroir is composed of white chalk rock from the Cretaceous period on silty clay. This cold terroir allows us to mature slowly. We are looking for sharp acidities and low alcohol content.  We are working with a winemaker in organic farming.

 For this cuvée we vinify without sulfur in barrels, without net. We want the patina of time but also the patina of winemaking without input while remaining in the uprightness and elegance of the house. It is our signature wine. 

 Wine protocol implemented
-          Maturity expected around 11% v / v of potential alcohol, pH around 3.00.
-          Hand harvested in open crates, grapes poured whole into the press, weighing the harvest and pressing at low pressure to avoid the greenness of the skin and the extraction of                       astringency while preserving acidity.
-          Vinification only from the heart of the cuvée. Press ends (“fins de presse”) are not used.
-          Alcoholic fermentation at low temperatures in indigenous yeasts.
-          Vinification and aging without sulfur.
-          Malolactic fermentation.
-          Aging “sur lies” in barrels for one year.
-          Bottling in june of the following year and maturing on slats for a minimum of 24 months in Saumur in the family galleries.
-          Brut Nature.

Maison Bodet-Herold 2021 Les Greffiers Brut Nature, Cremant de Loire
100% Chenin Blanc, 36 months on lees, zero dosage. Organic wine. Methode Ancestrale, disgorged December 2024.
Since 2020, we have worked with one partner winegrower in organic farming in Saumur to produce « Les Greffiers ». Because of our close relationship with this partner, we were able to select one specific terroir :
-          A plot on marl rock with eastern exposure with heavy clay soils.

 Wine protocol implemented
-          Maturity expected around 11% v / v of potential alcohol, pH around 3 - 3.10.
-          Hand harvested in open crates, grapes poured whole into the press, weighing the harvest and pressing at low pressure to avoid the greenness of the skin and the extraction of                       astringency while preserving acidity.
-          Vinification only from the heart of the cuvée. Press ends (“fins de presse”) are not used.
-          Alcoholic fermentation at low temperatures in indigenous yeasts.
-          Malolactic fermentation depending on the vintage.
-          Aging “sur lies” in stainless steel vats.
-          Bottling in April of the following year and aging “sur lattes” for a minimum of 30 months in Saumur in the family galleries.
-          Brut Nature
-          16 mg total sulfur.