Crème de Tête 37,5cl - 12 ans de barriques

Exceptional Crème de Tête! A great terroir wine, biodynamic, aged 60 months in barrels of rare complexity, with dominant notes of irresistible quince paste and candied grapefruit. Dense, fat, with an incredible finesse, it surpasses the greatest in the sector...

Crème de tête : expression applied to Sauternes wines, which designates a wine made from the first sorting of the harvest, where the grapes are harvested almost "candied" as they have dried, either by over-ripening or by the action of botrytis.

Alain Déjean defines himself as a winegrower. A man with a wealth of experience and an anthroposophical approach to agriculture, understanding the Earth-Vine processes is his hobbyhorse.

He runs his 10.3 hectare biodynamic estate, which is certified by Demeter and Dynamis.

GEOGRAPHICAL SITUATION

10.3ha of which 6.3ha is divided into 33 separate parcels on the very special terroirs of the greatest Sauternes. His vines border those of Château d'Yquem, Suduiraut, Rieussec and Lafaurie Peyraguey!

GEOLOGY

- Soil predominantly sand and pebbles. Very little clay, trace of humus

- Subsoil on Sauternes: alios cobalt blue clay, non-active limestone, active limestone at 20m depth

- Subsoil on Barsac: clay-silt on non-active limestone slab.

SOIL CULTURE

- Biological activity of the soil preserved thanks to the absence of herbicides.

- Spreading of composted manure

- Biodynamic preparation

- Seeding with lactic acid bacteria

- Permaculture

VINES... ENCEPAGEMENT

- Average age of the vines : Over 50 years

- Blend of 3 grape varieties:

80% Semillon, a reserved and refined grape variety that gives roundness and fullness through discreet notes of yellow and white fruits

15% sauvignon brings vivacity and aromas mixing citrus, acacia and broom

5% muscadelle, which gives fullness and modulates the profile of the wine with aromas of flowers and fruits reminiscent of muscat

- Massal selection by grafting on site

BIODYNAMIC TREATMENT OF THE VINES:

Following Demeter and Ecocert specifications

Little copper, important use of flower teas, essential oils and minerals, all dynamised.

HARVESTING:

As late as possible, by hand, selection of grapes by successive selections (noble rot).

WINE MAKING:

- Non-interventional vinification and long fermentation without the use of oenological products (yeasts, enzymes, glues).

- Aged in old oak and acacia barrels for 4 to 6 years.

WHY DO THESE WINES SOMETIMES HAVE A DEPOSIT?

These deposits in the wine are due to protein breakage, in order to preserve the quality and diversity of the aromas. Indeed, our wines are neither filtered nor fined and they respect the specificity of our soil, as well as the noble yeasts of our terroir.

It would seem that filtration consists of sending the wine with force over chlorinated cellulose plates, glue, diatomaceous earth powder and siliceous quartz powder, which becomes highly carcinogenic in contact with the air... an excellent "slug killer" (until 5 years ago, this powder was asbestos).

Thanks to the work and understanding of anthroposophical* biodynamics applied in the vineyard and in the cellar, our wines receive only volcanic and mineral sulphur in small doses.

BIODYNAMIC PREPARATIONS

Biodynamic preparations made from medicinal plants in an animal envelope, which collect the activity of cosmic influences and manage the vineyard.these preparations create favourable conditions on the farmland where they are used, so that plant and animal life can flourish naturally.

Life develops in this way, under the influence of forces that radiate from the far reaches of the cosmos through earth, water, air, heat and light. Rudolf Steiner called these forces formative forces.

They constitute a body imperceptible to the physical senses, permeate every organism, and generate forms and metamorphoses. They link all the phenomena of growth and development, encompass all the processes of building a being (human, animal, vegetable) and also emancipate themselves during the processes of deconstruction that occur between birth and death.

The forces that condition the production of living matter are referred to as growth forces.
The forces that concern the evolution of the form of this matter, its organisation, its structuring, are referred to as organisation forces.

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE DYNAMIS CHARTER

Cultivating - Vinifying - Natural volcanicsulphur . What is it about?

Dynamis Vertu des Plantes is not a new commercial brand.
Dynamis responds to the simple idea that a natural wine should not undergo any artifice or make-up, in order to offer consumers its most intact truth. Its creation is the fruit of human will.
Dynamis is a way of taking responsibility: each wine producer towards himself and others.

Natural purified sulphur

Will the addition of chemical bisulphite still be accepted by consumers in organic wines? To persist in this direction is to be open to criticism.

Dynamis, proposes a vinification with natural purified sulphur, not triturated, which goes in the direction of our practices and our way of life, so that the society of the wine growers consciously feels the need.

To this end, 5 analyses by sensitive crystallisation (at the winegrower's expense) will be carried out throughout the year, at each sensitive stage, in order to obtain the keys to improving the life of the soil (and consequently the life of the sap).

As a direct commitment to this voluntary approach, each winegrower will have the possibility of purchasing natural purified volcanic sulphur (analysis provided) in the easy form of 5.20g tablets in a 1kg jar.
The selling price per kilo is not based on a commercial logic (margin gain) but on a mutualisation of the costs necessary to obtain it (hypotheses, reasoning, experiments, organisation of this knowledge, analyses, travel-contacts, product-manufacturing, construction of the site for marketing development).

This sulphur is derived from living organisms and has not been chemically crushed.

Its use will be reduced in quantity in the wine compared to potassium sulphide, although its effectiveness in stabilising wines is no longer in question.

A crystallisation of the bottled wine will be carried out and we must go as far as a complete analysis by an external laboratory on the search for pesticides in the wine. In this way, there will be no more ambiguity.
Every consumer will know what he or she is buying with complete confidence.

Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, chemist, agronomist and physician, was responsible for the first trials of the sensitive crystallisation method around 1960.

Christian MARCEL (with whom we work) has been applying this method of sensitive crystallisation for more than ten years in the field of agricultural production, agri-foodstuffs and more specifically in viticulture.
To begin with, he tested samples of wines obtained from micro-vinifications made with pure grape varieties grown on different terroirs. He correlated the images of sensitive crystallisations with the analytical data provided to him on the nature of the soils and geological subsoils, on the chemical and organoleptic constituents of the wines obtained. He then followed different plots on several estates by "crystallising" the soil, the leaves, the shoots, the berries, the softness, the vatting, the finished wines and the wines during their ageing.
These images of sensitive crystallisations have made it possible to describe the main characteristics of a wine, its organoleptic qualities, or even its ageing process.these sensitive crystallisation images have made it possible to describe the main characteristics of a wine, its organoleptic qualities, or to identify its dominant grape variety, the nature of the terroir, its pathologies, or that of the vine, as well as the way in which the wine evolves. They also make it possible to visualise, for any agricultural production, the influence of environmental factors such as the different cultivation techniques, whether intensive, organic or biodynamic. They therefore highlight the positive effect of horn dung and horn silica preparations.

Why sensitive crystallisation?

It is an extraordinary tool for a better understanding of the living world (soil, vine, wine).
The important steps of this work allow

• access to a knowledge of the geology of the soil (limestone or active minerals or not)
• improve the life of the soil (humus and especially aerobic bacteria)
• to understand the role of limestone and silica
• improve the quality of the mineral and plant kingdoms (growth forces / organisational forces).
• to improve the aromatic potential of the grape and its richness
• stabilise wines with volcanic sulphur

Sulphur in wine - The Dynamis point of view

Let's start with the basics, what is sulphur in wine for?

Sulphur dioxide (SO2) is an anti-oxidant and anti-septic that prevents wine from tasting like apple cider (oxidation) or from fermenting in the bottle due to yeast or bacteria that are not inhibited by sulphur.

It is also important to know that sulphur is present in all living organisms and that yeasts produce it naturally during alcoholic fermentation.

But why does this sulphur cause a headache?

Most of the sulphur currently used in winemaking comes from oil. Petroleum is nothing more than a mineral oil of organic origin.

The problem is that sulphur is extracted following the refining of oil with sulphuric acid (90% sulphur, formerly known as vitriol, which is used in lead batteries...). The elements hydrogen sulphide (H2S) / carbon dioxide (CO2) / hydrocarbons >> are separated by countercurrent bubbling-hydrogenation of the gas in an amine solution, which makes it possible to fix the hydrogen sulphide (H2S) / carbon dioxide (CO2) / hydrocarbonsthis allows the sulphur to be fixed with cobalt molybdenum (a catalyst for the reaction, used in particular in dental alloys, but increasingly under suspicion because it is also an environmental toxin!).

Then the hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide undergo a catalytic operation at 300°C using aluminium. The gases are brought back to 200°C under a pressure of 70 bars and mixed with diethylamines (synthesised from alcohol and ammonia, also used as corrosion inhibitors and in the manufacture of dyes and resins). These gases are sent to the top of a regeneration column (60 to 100 metres). The H2S-CO2 mixture is recovered at the top of the column and then passed through a horizontal rethe H2S-CO2 mixture is recovered at the top of the column and then successively passed through a horizontal reaction furnace and contact with activated bauxite (raw material for aluminium, purified and dried at 600°C). It is only during the second cycle that the conversion of H2S into sulphur is activated. By reducing the temperature, the gases obtained previously become liquid, they are sent to concrete storage areas covered with metallic elements and the sulphur solidifies.

This solid material is taken back to be distilled, the vapours are collected and condensed in lead chambers. The liquids obtained contain SO2, iron and arsenic, which are difficult to get rid of, and are kept at 120°C. Sulphuric acid is obtained by beading with water and we have our sulphur dioxide in the gaseous, liquid or solid state (sulphite, bi-sulphite, meta-bisulphite).

If mixed with potassium salts, it is the basis for the fungicides, herbicides and other -cides of the modern world!

I thought that sulphur was extracted from volcanoes?

When the Romans used sulphur to preserve wine, it came from volcanoes, especially Etna. But due to the massive demand for sulphur, industry has taken advantage of oil refining to produce almost all the sulphur found in food preservation (including wine) and in industry (sulphuric acid). The new fuel standards that have forced industry to extract sulphur from fossil fuels has accelerated the process because once burnt, the sulphur is found in the atmosphere and combines with water and falls back as acid rain.

At present, a major reconsideration of the use of sulphur in wines is in full discussion, with some winegrowers significantly reducing the doses or even no longer using sulphur. However, white wines do not keep well after opening or transport in warm conditions, which reduces the quality of these wines. Red wines keep better because the tannins present are natural anti-oxidants that prevent the wine from oxidising, but in particular transport conditions it is possible that the wines have aromatic deviations.

Are there alternatives?

Well yes!!! At the moment, a group of winegrowers in the Bordeaux region, led by Alain Déjean, are returning to the practices of the Romans.

Well, not quite, but the main principles are to use natural sulphur, from the volcanoes.

It took the Dynamis team almost two years to figure out how to compress the volcanic sulphur with an ecological blotter, in order to burn it in the barrels without the sulphur sinking to the bottom.

This sulphur is burnt in the barrels before the wine is tapped, the sulphur in its gaseous state is released naturally into the wine. It is a sulphur that does not combine very much, it remains mostly in its free state, which is the most active form to limit oxidation and the deviations of yeasts and bacteria.

This sulphur has very few effects and remains very digestible, unlike chemical sulphur which causes nausea and headaches with advanced symptoms of vomiting.

So there are solutions, but you have to know about them and accept that extracting sulphur is not a very fun thing to do.