Pushing up the pink granite hill

Pushing up the pink granite hill – literally and figuratively @domainechapel

I felt like I had been catfished when I drove into Beaujolais last week. The rolling hills were carpets of orange (the color of grass freshly killed by herbicide), as in the entire vineyard floor was sprayed, not just under the vines. The low, goblet-trained vines looked like zombies reaching up out of grave. The monocultural landscape was unnerving, a lone tree here or there, otherwise an uninterrupted expanse of zombie vines.

Then came the breath of fresh air that was my visit with Michele and her family, to witness their awe-inspiring efforts at Domaine Chapel. Michele and David have 4 children, 7 hectares of high density organic vineyards, and they only just added a tractor to the mix this year. That’s some madly motivated vigneron math. They used to plough the vineyard with a cable plow, which is basically a winch set up at the top of the slope that helps bring the plow and the human (who is walking, pushing, steering) up the rows. All sprays were done with a backpack. They will continue with these methods for some blocks that are too dense for the new tractor!

Michele estimates only about 10% of Beaujolais is organic. She has grave concerns about the overuse of herbicides and fungicides, coupled with the fact that most of the region is planted with only a handful of Gamay clones. I share her concerns...it’s an awful lot like another region close to home *ahem*.  For new or replacement plantings, the Smith-Chapels will only propagate vines via massale selection, which Michele sees as non-negotiable for genetic diversity. Luckily, they have a 75 year old block (pre-clonal material) to begin sourcing from. There are also abundant amenity areas of forests and ponds adjacent to their vines, a beautiful sight to behold.

I left feeling hopeful for Beaujolais, knowing there are people like the Smith-Chapels fighting the good fight.  Merci, Michele, for being so generous with your time and your wine, I’ve already cracked the Aligote and it is fabulous. Merci, @amoisewines for facilitating this connection, the Fleurie is coming home to share over a debrief with you and @gregallinson