Clos Sauvage goes live with Les Grappes! - portraits

Marine had the chance to receive live David Devynck, winemaker of Clos Sauvage, to learn more about his vision of viticulture, organic, sustainable and in particular agroforestry at the heart of the project.

David and his wife, Sophie, settled in Leynes in 2019, on the border of Beaujolais and Burgundy. They took over 4 hectares of forgotten, wild vineyards, surrounded by dry stone walls, forests, heathland, and natural springs at an altitude of 450 meters. The vines are all planted on hillsides: Gamay on granite soils for their Beaujolais and Saint-Amour appellation wines, and Chardonnay on clay-limestone soils for their Bourgogne Blanc and Saint-Véran wines.

Sophie and David Devynck, winemakers who built their success from scratch!

David and Sophie are both from the North of France and do not come from winemaking families. David explains that his family has a background in the medical field, quite different from the wine world, indeed!

Before immersing himself in the world of viticulture, David was a skilled agronomist for whom agroforestry held a significant place. He explains that this term refers to all the practices that combine trees with different crops on the same agricultural land.

David and Sophie met six months before leaving for an overseas territory. David was there to work in agroforestry, while Sophie was going to work in communications. Upon their return from the islands, Sophie had a job opportunity in Toulouse, so they settled there and happily discovered this region, which was still unfamiliar to them.

David took on a series of small agricultural jobs, and one thing led to another, culminating in internships with various winemakers in the region. He entered the world of wine with an internship at Domaine Laubarel in Gaillac. These experiences allowed him to discover the fundamentals of viticulture and gain a comprehensive understanding of the wine industry. David eventually pursued formal training and earned his oenology degree!

Between Beaujolais and Burgundy, the ideal location for Clos Sauvage!

David and his wife decided to embark on a quest for the perfect vineyard, embarking on a year-long journey across France! After a year of searching, they were fortunate enough to find the ideal location that matched their aspirations. Situated between Beaujolais and Burgundy, it's a preserved estate nestled in nature, perfectly suited to organic farming. Although cultivated organically for 15 years, it had been neglected for several years. They restructured the vines, uprooting a large portion to plant new ones, and a new chapter began for this vineyard: Clos Sauvage.

By naming the estate Clos Sauvage, David and Sophie wish to preserve a part of its history while linking it to their winemaking aspirations: to complement the wine with the unique characteristics of its terroir, rather than suppress them. In keeping with this philosophy, they significantly limit their interventions in the winemaking process.

Clos Sauvage, an estate that strives for biodynamic practices

David and Sophie are always looking for freshness and lightness in their wines ; the altitude of the estate helps them to achieve this authenticity in their wines.

Their main objective is to work as naturally as possible. The only limit they impose on themselves is respecting the taste of the wine and therefore knowing when to add sulfites in very small doses when necessary; on average, they add 10mg per liter of CO2. They also allow themselves to filter the wine, particularly white wines. However, these are the only interventions they make.

The estate already incorporates certain biodynamic practices and is therefore considering certification. However, they remain mindful of the importance of respecting and valuing the environment; the objective of obtaining certification will never override their philosophy.

They also want to be completely self-sufficient by building a self-sufficient farm. It's worth noting that they already heat their home solely with wood from the forest, using the timber they harvest. David tells us he plans to introduce sheep to the estate this year to eliminate the need for machinery to mow the grass. Given his interest in agroforestry, David also wants to separate the vineyards from other trees, including peach trees if it's possible to grow them at an altitude of 450 meters!

What's the assessment of this first year?

David shares with us the biggest challenge he faces as a winemaker: “Time.” He describes how quickly the days fly by. Maintaining a vineyard requires a tremendous amount of work and, above all, time, and unfortunately, there are only 24 hours in a day!

But what he loves most about his new adventure is organizing his days, even though they fly by. Not a single day goes by where boredom sets in. He plans his schedule exactly as he sees fit and wakes up each day certain that it will be different from the last.

You can find the full exchange between David and Marine on our YouTube channel.