Aromas of toasted wood with tropical notes of ripe grapes. It has a mineral and salty taste and is recommended during meals. It goes well with a hearty meal such as meat.
"Frédéric Magnan has changed" / Bettane
With the ideal of Leroy wine making, the cultivation manager was transferred from Leroy. The Leroy-style cultivation method is introduced. It has changed from rich to delicate and stretchy burgundy.
Negothian near Domaine
Many Burgundy producers envy the success of "Frédéric Magnan". At the same time, I am surprised by the big changes in wine in recent years. Chablis heavyweight "Jean-Marc Brocard", who built the Domaine in his first generation, also praises the work and passion of "Frédéric".
"Work more in the fields than the vignerons of old. That's why he's always tanned. You seemed to be worried for a while, but now your focus is fixed. Drink wine and you'll understand
"Frédéric" knows every Burgundy vineyard, parcel and owner. For more than 10 years, I've been repeating the process of going out to the fields every day, finding fields that meet the conditions on my own, and negotiating with the owners. They are a new type of negociant who receive a commission from the owner of the field and dispatch a cultivation team to manage the field themselves. On paper, he is a négociant, but he does the same job as a domaine.
“The person in charge of cultivation is the person who introduced biodynamics to Leroy and has been directing the cultivation of Leroy for over 30 years. I would like to evolve into a wine that emphasizes the delicate and pure part of the fruit.”
In order to express the soil as a negociant, it is impossible to buy traditional grapes or barrels. If you can't get involved from cultivation, grow the ideal grapes, and harvest at the ideal timing, you can't make the ideal wine.
Evolution of Village Wine
"Frédéric" sticks to the expression of soil. It seems that they are not satisfied with the AOC, which was decided 100 years ago, and have started initiatives that do not fit within that framework. "Cours de Fer (iron)" for wine made from iron-rich fields. "Cours de Roche" (stone) for wines that combine fields with many stones. And, for wines from vineyards with strong clay, it was described as "court d'arziel (clay)".
“When making village wines, the individuality of the soil in each field sometimes outweighs the individuality of the village. In that case, I thought I should state the fact.”
Soil and tree age are the most important factors when choosing a field.
“Village wines must be at least 40 years old. In order to express the individuality of the soil, it is necessary to extend the roots to some extent, reduce the vigor of the tree, and reduce the amount of water in the tree.”
Leroy from D.R.C.
We have adopted organic farming for more than 10 years and have been cultivating and brewing according to the solar organic method. The recent 'Frederick' is moving towards a more natural and less human intervention.
“I like Leroy more than DRC. I prefer wines that are imperfect but free-flowing and cannot be measured with a ruler, rather than flawless, perfectly organized wines.”
Usually, when the bunches begin to form in the spring, the tips of the vines are cut off to allow the bunches to use the nutrients used to grow the vines. It is a cultivation method that promotes the growth of grapes, and has been introduced by almost all producers.
"I stopped picking the core in spring. The vines do their own distribution of nutrients. Humans shouldn't do it, and the stress of having the vine cut is greater.”
Winemaking wants to be a natural form that eliminates the tastes and trends of the maker as much as possible. The brewing process is basically the same for both Grand Cru and AC Burgundy.
Jar (amphora) aging
Frederick's wine was introduced to Japan for the first time through a method called "barrel selection." Importers bought barrels and distributed them in Japan.
“Maybe because of the fashion in Japan at the time, Japan only bought 100% new barrels. In fact, the ratio of new barrels was less than 50% even at that time.”
The first "Frédéric Magnan" introduced to Japan was only 100% new barrels, so many people still have the image of barrels in his wine. In addition, the 2002s were unfiltered and a bit hazy, and were harvested later and slightly overripe than they are now. And the maceration was also long. In the last few years, the reputation of “Frederick” has skyrocketed. Until the early 2000s, I think there were problems with wine. It may have been a transit point.
“Aging in jars (amphoras) has also started. Aging in thin unglazed Spanish jars allows some moisture to evaporate and some condensation.”
Use a jar that is not hardened with beeswax on the inside. There are no aroma or water-soluble ingredients, so it does not add tannins or aromas to the wine like barriques do.
“It brings out the individuality of the grapes themselves, but at this stage, we have determined that it lacks complexity on its own. Balanced by assemblage with barrique-aged wine.”
In the 2012 edition of Bettane Desseauve, it received 4 BD marks, the highest rating as a négociant, and was rated higher than a first-class domaine. Bettane's comments were impressive and accurate.
“Frédéric Magnan has changed. It must be distinguished from other negociants. After a difficult year in 2008, it turned out very nicely, and 2009 proved it to be the real deal. I'm looking forward to the future.』