Le Clos Des Quarterons, the condition of organic farming

A few days before the big jump in the 2019 harvest,Xavier Amiraulttells us the story of the Clos de Quarterons. With passion, he takes us to discover the riches of his terroir, on the terrace of Graviers and the slopes of Tuffeau, where he works his vineyard with enthusiasm and curiosity. It takes nothing less than the challenge of biodynamics to quench the thirst for learning of this family of winemakers, who associate the pleasure of wine with transmission and sharing.

On the terroirs of Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil, Xavier Amirault is the winemaker of Clos de Quarterons. This family estate has been passed down through the family for 6 generations. Xavier was not predestined to take over the estate: his studies in electronics, followed by a position in Paris in a sound and light company, kept him busy during the first years of his career. At the age of 30 and with the desire to see the country, he took off for the United States with a new international business degree in his pocket, for a large Loire wine merchant.

Meanwhile, in Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil, Xavier's older brother Thierry is in charge of the Domaine.

" In 2008, he was close to retirement and without a buyer. We wondered about the future of the Clos de Quarterons ," says Xavier. On the other side of the ocean, he and his wife Agnès decided to continue the family legacy. " We agreed to take over the estate on two conditions: three years later and once the vineyard was converted to organic farming. My brother was very enthusiastic about this project," says the winegrower.

Xavier and Agnès Amirault embark on the wine adventure

Xavier settled down in 2011 at Clos des Quarterons where he partnered with his brother for 2 years before taking over the business. " I was in charge of setting up the Déméter biodynamic certification ," says Xavier. It is a new impulse that is given to the domain of Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil and that starts on a solid base. "We launched a terroir study thanks to the "terroir cell" of the INRA in Angers. A colossal project: 400 cores and 24 pits opened during 2 years allowed us to study the vegetative and root cycles. From these studies, we have drawn thousands of data, maps and plans of water reserves, stoniness, ... ", says the winemaker.

Knowing your terroir to build your wine range

Until now, the knowledge of the terroir came from the knowledge transmitted from father to son and obtained by observation. " We have been able to complete them and understand them better. We have obtained a finer and more precise analysis of the terroir thanks to which we have reviewed our production ", says Xavier.

Enriched by this new knowledge of their terroir, the Amirault family decided to review their range of wines. " We now work in a more precise way, with different cultivation techniques, vinification and maturation adapted to the terroir ," explains the winemaker.

From the gravel soils at the bottom of the slopes, to the famous limestone called tuffeau to the more clayey terroirs on the higher ground, the winemakers have identified a potential of 5 cuvées. " We try to express the terroir through its climate every year. The wines from the gravel terroirs are round and silky. The limestone expresses itself more through horizontality, with beautiful and frank acidities at the end of the palate. As for the clays, they produce wines with a lot of depth. We often blend them with the limestone because they are very complementary.

Le Clos des Quarterons works with finesse and precision

The Clos des Quarterons is 12 units of terroir, 54 parcels, 37 hectares of vines. A vineyard as varied as it is fragmented, which is worked in order to extract the best from it. Each of the parcels is vinified and harvested separately.The winemakers build the vintages only after tastings: " We assemble the individual plots differently each year, depending on the vintage ". The objective is to produce wines of pleasure and emotion while expressing the richness of the climate of Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil. " All years are good if they are respected and we produce wine profiles that correspond to the climate. These are wines for people who are curious, who love wine and to experience new aromas .

Biodynamics to enhance the terroir

Thebiodynamicsallows the Amirault family to express the terroir in their wines. " I started analyzing biodynamics in the United States," says Xavier. " I met people and tasted a multitude of wines. Biodynamics can seem both complicated and esoteric, but once I got past its considerations, I found it to be a great way to learn more about it.But once I got past those considerations, I found a lot of common sense, I enjoyed tasting the wines, I liked the philosophy of the people.Biodynamics is not only about vineyards, it is about all agriculture, and it is also a real system of society ", Xavier enthuses.

In the vineyard, biodynamics means feeling, observing and taking care of the earth and the plants. According to Xavier, " Before starting to work in biodynamics, you have to be convinced, because it's a lot of work and a lot of pushing yourself. The winemaker learns to juggle between dung or silica horn, plays with plant infusions to revitalize the vine, brings silica to structure it ... ". To achieve this, you need a team that works with this philosophy," says Xavier, who has built a team of 12 full-time employees to do the necessary work.

Xavier and Agnès Amirault look towards agroforestry

Curious, Xavier never tires of learning, experimenting, understanding and building. While he has found in biodynamics the philosophy and thinking that allows him to develop the estate, he has no plans to put his final stamp on it yet. "I want to continue to refine on all subjects. In maturation, I want to understand how to use the different amphorae. In the cellar, there are a plethora of possibilities for simple winemaking: on macerations, whole bunches, cement or buried eggs, tuns of different sizes," he projects. But the biggest project is probably in the vineyard, with the introduction and agroforestry on the vineyard. " I want to reintroduce trees and hedges, bring back biodiversity and get out of the monoculture of vines. We are also in the process of reincorporating the farm on the estate, bringing back the cultivation of fruit trees, market gardening, cereals and livestock as we do now.We are also in the process of reincorporating the farm on the estate, bringing back the cultivation of fruit trees, market gardening, cereals and livestock such as geese, lambs, as well as mobile hen houses in the vineyards for the past two years. My magic idea is to create a real biodynamic farm as a whole".