Cecile Tremblay in a Few Words
4/16/11 -
(Cecile in her vines)
One of the highlights of my recent trip to Burgundy was a visit to a relatively new producer, the upcoming and soon to be famous Cecile Tremblay. She is very bright, energetic, athletic, and the first member of her family to become a vigneronne. Cecile’s great-grandfather, Edouard Jayer, was a cooper in Nuits-Saint-Georges and uncle of the renowned Henri Jayer. Over the years, the Tremblay family has amassed a very impressive collection of vineyards in the Cote de Nuits.
Though the Tremblays had been investing in vineyards for generations, until 2003 they had been leasing them out as sharecrops to different producers. Domaine Cecile Tremblay has almost ten hectares spread across 11 different appellations between Nuits-St-Georges and Gevrey-Chambertin, including the Grand Crus Chapelle-Chambertin and Echezeaux-du-Dessous. In 2003, the family’s sharecropping agreement expired and Cecile regained control of 3 hectares of vines. She now farms a large part of the Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru “les Feusselottes;” her grandfather purchased this vineyard land with his good friend Dr. Georges Mugneret. Cecile will acquire even more vineyards when a series of leases expire with Domaine Hudelot-Noellat, including vines in Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru “Beaumonts” and Clos Vougeot. She has adopted eco-friendly practices (she is presently in conversion to organic viticulture and is certified accordingly by Ecocert). The soils are ploughed mechanically and with a horse. She believes in a reasonable use of treatments, using copper sulfate to prevent mildew and other fungi, complemented by herbal preparations. The winemaking is very traditional; grapes are pressed with an old fashioned vertical press and the wines see a moderate amount of new wood. Based on how fantastic Cecile’s wines are now, one can only imagine how great this Domaine will be five or ten years down the road.
On March 11th, I had the good fortune to taste at Cecile’s cellar in the heart of Gevrey -Chambertin. She told us she will build a cuverie "somewhere between Vosne-Romanee and Gevrey-Chambertin", but she would not reveal the exact location. This is a woman who plays her cards close to the vest in true Burgundian fashion. We rang the bell and she appeared at the second story window with her dog Cacao, a frisky, three-year-old, milk chocolate colored dog who looked ready for anything. Cacao was bursting with vitality and was as energetic as Cecile Tremblay herself. -jbt
