The Estate
In 1985, Eddy Oosterlinck (Belgian by birth) and his wife Mileine moved to Coteaux du Layon to follow their passion of making natural Chenin Blanc. 7 hectares of 50+ year old Chenin Blanc vines (with the oldest planted in 1911) are planted on topsoils of clay and slate with a slate subsoil which create wines of intense minerality and complexity. The proximity to local rivers, augmented by the occurrence of morning mist or rain, stimulates the development of botrytis at Juchepie. Vintages rich in botrytis allow Eddy to make his beloved sweet cuvees. When there is less noble rot in the vineyard, sweet wine production continues, just with more passes through the vineyard, and the production of the dry whites naturally increases. The balance of dry to sweet wine produced here is thus determined by nature.
Juchepie is certified organic by Ecocert and also certified biodynamic by Biodyvin. Yields are controlled by pruning down the number of buds (6-10 per plant, depending on the age) rather than green harvesting. The vines are nearly all Chenin Blanc with a small bit of Cabernet Franc. The fruit is harvested in 4-8 passes, pressed early in the evening, starting very gently, giving just enough force to burst a few berries and allow the juice to trickle down through the pressed fruit. As the trickle of juice slows to a drip, Eddy turns up the pressure to encourage a greater flow, and in a process that takes perhaps 24 hours he gently teases about 85% of the juice from the grapes. Once extracted, the juice from each individual pressing is combined. The juice then goes into barrels, new wood for the best sweet wines and older for the other cuvees; there is minimal intervention after this point.
The cellar is humidified with a sprinkler hosepipe buried in the gravel, a necessary intervention as the impermeable concrete floor keeps the air in the cellar very dry. Eddy turns this on whenever he enters, sometimes allowing it to run for half the day in times of warmth and drought when the ambient humidity is very low. It also has the effect of modulating the temperature, which never rises above 18ºC. Otherwise there are no additions to the wine – no yeasts, no enzymes, and certainly no sugar, just a little sulphur before the wines go into bottle, and minimal racking along the way.
Les Monts De Juchepie Chenin Sec
Production Area: 7 hectares
Soil: Sandstone shales, spilite, rhyolite, phtanite
Average Age of the Vines: 50+ years old
Average Yield: 30 hl/ha
Grape Varieties: 100% Chenin Blanc
Viticulture: Biodynamic farming
Harvest: Manually done. Several consecutive pickings, selecting only the golden ripe grapes without any botrytis.
Vinification: The grapes are pressed manually in a vertical presser. No added yeasts or chaptalization.
Aging: 11 months in oak barrels plus one month in tank.
Le Rubis De Juchepie Cabernet Franc
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Franc
Average Yield: 20 hl/ha
Alcohol: 12.5%
Viticulture: Biodynamic farming
Harvest: Produced from old vine Cabernet Franc grapes, handpicked in small cases.
Vinification: Destalked by hand, vertically pressed after 3-4 weeks of maceration
Aging: Amphora fermentation for 12 months
Bottles Produced: 3,300 bottles
L'Amphore De Juchepie Pineau d'Aunis
Grape Varieties: 100% Pineau D’Aunis (Chenin Noir)
Average Yield: 30 hl/ha
Alcohol: 14%
Viticulture: Biodynamic farming
Harvest: Produced from Pineau d’Aunis grapes, also called Chenin Noir. Handpicked in small cases.
Vinification: Picked and destalked by hand; vertically pressed after 4 weeks of maceration
Aging: Amphora fermentation for 12 months
Bottles Produced: 1,420
Coteaux du Layon Faye Quarts De Juchepie Cuvée Emiel
Name: 1993 was the year that Eddy Oosterlinck’s father Emiel passed away, and so this cuvée was named in his honor.
Appellation: Coteaux du Layon Faye
Soil: Composed of green and purple slate and spilite (volcanic rock)
Style: Sweet white wine
Grape Variety: Chenin Blanc
Viticulture: Biodynamic farming
Harvest: Manually done
Vinification: The grapes are pressed manually in a vertical presser. Fermented in oak barrels without any added yeasts or sugars.
Bottling: After 12-18 months of barrel aging.
Average Yield: 10-15 hl/ha
La Passion de Juchepie Coteaux du Layon Faye
Overview: La Passion is produced from a selection of very concentrated grapes. Depending on the vintage, these may be very botrytized or not. If not, then the grapes go through the process of passerillage where they are air-dried and shriveled after harvest in order to increase their concentration of sugars.
Appellation: Coteaux du Layon Faye
Soil: Purple shales, sandstone shales, spilite, rhyolite, phtanite
Style: Sweet white wine
Grape Variety: Chenin Blanc
Viticulture: Biodynamic farming
Harvest: Manually done
Vinification: The grapes are pressed manually in a vertical presser. Fermented in oak barrels without any added yeasts or sugars.
Aging: 18-24 months in oak barrels.
Average Yield: 5-10 hl/ha