Valentin Morel "Broken Hearts are for Assholes"
Only 2 in stock
Grapes: Chardonnay
Region: Jura, France
Vintage: 2020
Viticulture: Biodynamic
Soils: Clay Limestone
Vinification: Macerates grape skins (after they had been pressed) in the wine for two weeks
Aging:228-liter barrels for one year, without new oak
Fining or Filtering: None
Sulfur: None added
Notes from the Importer: "Broken hearts are for assholes" is a tribute to rock legend Frank Zappa, a complete artist whose fame was based, on sophisticated, orchestral arrangements and satirical, biting lyrics that often caused a stir and indignation in the music industry, which ill digested this freedom of expression of his, a fact that led Zappa to found his own production company very early on.
Wine has now reached Volume 2, and there are substantial differences in this vintage from the previous one. The opportunity in Valentin came when the Chardonnay "Les Trouillots" 2020 simply could not finish fermentation even after a year in barrel, hence the idea to restart fermentation by adding fresh pomace.
In Volume 2 he chose not Savagnin as a partner (as in Volume 1) but the skins of all his hybrid grapes on the estate: Souvignier gris, Sauvignac, Rayon d'or and Seyval blanc and the red variety Plantet to create a juicy and powerful rosé. The plan worked and the Chardonnay finished fermenting and after another year in steel was bottled. The wine is extremely fresh, has an appealing complexity of fruit and mineral hints that give different facets to each sip.
We don't know if it heals broken hearts, but it certainly heals bored tongues!
After earning a degree in international law, Valentin decided that he would prefer to make wine, and so travelled to Alsace to learn winemaking, where he was influenced by producers like Bruno Schueller and Pierre Frick.
In 2014, he took over the family domain and quickly introduced TCS (simplified cultivation techniques) in the vineyard. Valentin is looking after 6 ha of vineyards, Chardonnay and Savagnin for the white grapes, Pinot, Trousseau and Poulsard for reds. Soils here are typically Jurassic soil composed of Triassic Marne (marl). Valentin's vines are on average 40 to 45 years old except from the Bois d'Arnaux vineyard. The Bois d'Arnaux is a younger plot planted by Valentin, with massale selection cuttings from Philippe Bornard for the Poulsard, and Savagnin from Julien Labet. Minimum intervention in the cellar is a consequence of Valentin's desire to make 'true wines' that do not need any additions. His reds are destemmed, macerated and aged in stainless steel tanks, unlike the whites which are pressed, fermented and aged in barriques.
Speaking to Valentin is always about deep thoughts and great discussions - he is a highly political, intelligent human being who deeply believes that manual work (and in that the whole idea of a farmer) has been tremendously undervalued in the past, as academia and intangible work has become the new 'elite' work. To him, working his soil is as much of an intellectual process as is being a lawyer, and in that he is fighting for a political change in his region that sees small farmers take more control over their fields and farms. It's incredible to see his purpose, not just in making wine, but also in the greater impact and voice that he can have as a vigneron. We are very proud to have him as part of our portfolio.
