• Search Brands

Make a Payment

Massanois

Fine Wines & Spirits

Farming Practice: Biodynamic

Biodynamic

Domaine Cazes

by

Cazes is located in the heart of Roussillon, South of France, within an amphitheater that faces the Mediterranean Sea, surrounded by the Pyrenees mountains. Since 1895, three generations of winemakers have been working with the same love of their craft. As pioneers and leaders in the French biodynamic winemaking industry, Maison Cazes bases their work on total harmony between grape varieties, climate, fauna and flora, environment, the land, and the men and women working on it.

Maison Cazes produces fine wines on numerous exceptional terroirs of Roussillon, between land and sea. On the land side, for over 25 years now, the 220-hectares single bloc estate of Domaine Cazes has been entirely certified organic and biodynamic. Their natural sweet wines, matured over time in their century-old cellars are found in some of the best restaurants in the world. On the seaside, the famous winery Les Clos de Paulilles, on Collioure and Banyuls appellations, extends over 90 hectares of schists valleys and terraces, facing the Mediterranean Sea.

Binario

by

About the Winery

Since 1998, the Serrano family have been pioneers of organic and biodynamic farming in Rioja and Navarra. While maintaining dry farming practices, over 70 hectares of vines have been certified biodynamic. Tucked between the Calahorra and Andosilla range, the balance of continental climate with Mediterranean influence allowed the Serrano’s to employ polyculture to promote diversity amongst their 30yrs old vines. Nothing is farmed out – traditional biodynamic applications are cultivated on site via homemade infusions and composts from the farm animals on property – both wild and domestic. The regenerative, certified organic practices are in place to ensure the next generation will be able to sustain the farm, no matter the challenges each vintage may bring.

The Wine & Winemakers

Biodynamic farming is echoed in the production of Binario – each vineyard is picked by hand – at night to retain freshness. Along with trained winemaker Ruth de Andrés, the newest generation of the Serrano family has taken the helm and is infusing a youthful dynamic into the farm and bringing their generational business into the forefront of exciting biodynamic Rioja winemaking.

LES CLEFS DU CALADAS

by

This historic estate began in 1920 in the small village of Piolenc, just north of Orange in the Southern Rhône Valley. Madeleine Ladret, whose mother Marcelle had been bequeathed the property of Château Simian, would marry Yves Serguier, a grower cultivating vines along with his father (Marcel) and grandfather (Hippolyte) in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Madeleine and Yves’s only son, Jean-Pierre, born in 1957, would eventually take over the family property in 1981, having studied enology at the University of Beaune in Burgundy.

The forward-thinking Jean-Pierre had early recognition of the effects of climate change on his wines and began purchasing vineyards inthe higher elevations of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the 1990s in effort to retain freshness. Additionally in 2008, the estate earned the esteemed Demeter biodynamic & organic certification. Jean-Pierre’s oldest son Florian and daughter Marion now work closely withtheir father running the estate.

The name “Clefs du Caladas” derives from two ancient Provençal words – “Caladas” which was the large stone path that ran from Orange to Châteauneuf-du-Pape in ancient times – and “Clefs,” or keys, meaning the keys to the estate.

SALCH

by

There should be a synergy between the earth and all growing things, man included. At Salcheto they try to respect this relationship on a daily basis, as they attempt to maintain a balance with nature through sustainable farming and winemaking practices. These include non-invasive organic and biodynamic growing methods, as well as systematic energy and water conservation.

[Salcheto Brochure – The Estate and Wines]

Ultimately, the goal is to work in an environmentally responsible manner to create the greatest expression of quality and authenticity in their wines. With this in mind, Salcheto hopes to bring romance and passion to the science of fine winemaking, blending time-honored tradition with modern technology. It is a life challenge that they take very seriously, or at least as seriously as young, passionate winemakers can.

Salco, (their most important vineyard and label designate) means willow tree in the ancient Tuscan dialect. Salcheto is the name of a stream that runs through the property where willows once grew in abundance. They have just begun to replant willow trees on the estate in areas not suitable for viticulture. Eventually Salcheto will use the wood for heating, with the goal of creating a sustainable green system at the winery that is 100-percent energy independent.

The 2009-vintage bottlings at Salcheto are the first bottles to appear in the market for which all the associated carbon dioxide emissions from their manufacture through the distribution process will have been calculated. Salcheto has obtained the CSQA certification no. 24378, the first in which a carbon footprint of a bottle of wine was created according to ISO 14064 standards (i.e. the inventory of Green House Gas emissions). The analysis, a true trailblazer for the industry, has produced an index of 2.02 kg CO2 equivalent per 750ml bottle, including not only the work in the vineyard and winery, but also the emissions from obtaining raw materials (glass in particular) and transportation to the final consumer.

This is a milestone of great importance for the wine world as the analysis of the environmental impact, measured in terms of CO2 emissions, is an essential tool to improve the ability to communicate it in a clear, transparent and certifiable manner to the consumer through a simple numerical index. At Salcheto, the path to reduce emissions is already underway and travels hand in hand with quality production of the wines. Starting with the 2011 harvest, in fact, Salcheto will rely on full energy independence, becoming, probably, the first “Off Grid” winery, in the sense of being completely disconnected from traditional power-distribution networks. This result has been achieved by combining, in an integrated way, water recycling and independence, energy savings, and renewable energy sources present in the countryside, not only Solar Photovoltaic but also geothermal and biomasses systems.

Video Courtesy of grapecollective.com

GIORDANO LOMBARDO

by

Nestled just outside the medieval village of Gavi among verdant woods and picturesque vineyards, the 20 hectares that make up the biodynamic vineyard of Giordano Lombardo straddle the border of the Piedmont and Liguria regions. The indigenous Cortese vines that are grown here give rise to an unadulterated wine that fully embodies the climate, soil and winemaking tradition of the region. Passionately committed to the idea that nature is a resource to be nurtured rather than exploited and misused, yields are kept low and the use of pesticides, herbicides, anti-mildew agents and fertilizers is strictly forbidden.
After the grapes are hand-selected, they are brought to the temperature-controlled cellar where both vinification (both in barrels and bottles) and fining take place at a consistent temperature of 14/16 °C year-round. What results is a wine that bears the intense fragrances and characteristic flavors of the Gavi terroir.

GRAV

by

As the Belle Epoch drew to a close at the dawn of the 20th century, Alphonse Pradelle planted his first vines on the desolate, undeveloped property of Domaine des Gravennes, which literally translates to “stony place” in old French.  It was here that Pradelle farmed Grenache and Syrah on the extremely sought after soil composed of alluvial and sandy clay, scattered with the picturesque galets (pudding stones) that the Rhone is known for.  He sold his wine locally until the 1960s, when his son Raphael, along with wife Marie-Louise, decided to breathe new life into the estate by replanting the vines and increasing production.  Fifty years later, Gravennes experiences great success with a newly modernized cellar and viticulture practices that emphasize the common values of the family (now in it’s fourth generation of winemakers): sustainability, protection of the soil and environment, conviviality, and a constant search for balance and elegance.

Domaine des Gravennes has been practicing biodynamic for over ten years and is in the process of U.S. certification.  With an average vine age of 30 years and a family history steeped in the classic wines of the Southern Rhone, Gravennes produces some of the finest examples of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre in the region.

Stay Updated About Our Offerings

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.