REYNALD HÉAULE (Orléans/Loire, France)
Well before the Burgundian monastics took vines and allocated them to specific pieces of soil, the local farmers had done so here, in the eastern corner of the Loire, where Reynauld has his roots. Reynauld does not come from that time, of course, being barely 30yrs old. His sense of connection to the earth though, would place him squarely there, sipping from any barrel for typicity of the grapes and soils. In his words, Reynauld 'likes to go against the tides' After a brief tenure with the French national football team (injury forced him to change that) he looked for vines in growing areas that stood well outside the more famous regions. He knew the history here would be returned to its former glory, if he invested his strength to recovering the soils and in only a few short years, has proven the potential. Reynauld is an energetic young vigneron, working his vines single-handedly. He began by replanting with extreme density of vines, which has produced outstanding fruit in only 2 yrs! He has done tireless research in the soils below him and replacing vines in the most expressive areas. He has discovered he has actually little soil, in the common sense of the term. His ground is mostly tiny pearl-like stones of silica, silex, tuffeuax chalk and calcareous old sea bed (fossils are decorating almost every large rock). The vineyards that existed there were heavily damaged from many years of industrial farming (chemically killed in a sense). Reynauld saw this as a chance to bring it back to life with natural methods. He feels this is how the ancients here cultivated before, not with a spoken choice of biodynamics but by natural observance and practice. He follows a lunar cycle that tells him the state his vines are in and operates in the vineyard or the cellar dependant on that rhythm. He allows herbs and grasses to help remove the previous damage and return the microbial diversity back to the soils. 'Living soils', as he says, are what makes for better wines in his barrels. In his ancient (300yr old) and tiny cellar (maybe 2 dozen barrels, floor to ceiling), below his home, he allows nature to run its course as well. There is little manipulation and nothing given or taken from the wines. He is as patient as he is arduous. He will allow his wines several years of rest, to reveal when they are ready to be bottled. This gives him time to tend to everything else around the winery. His vision is ambitious, with also a new young family to tend to. But with such a well-referenced past and such well-managed new plantings on some of France's best soils, he seemingly cannot fail. Perhaps, he misses his days as an athlete but he has certainly attained varsity status in the league of vigneron. It seems pulling a play out of the gamebook of the past, he is certain to be victorious for many matches to come.
A Contre Courant 2009

100% Pinot Meunier. All hand picked from old vines (some near 80yrs). Naturally fermented with wild yeasts at cellar temperatures. Aged in new and used barrels (tonneaux) until 'ready'. Racked and not filtered. Very low SO2 used while in barrel.