Introducing the Superb Natural Wines Of "Balazu des Vaussières" in Tavel!
5/8/18 -
Balazu des Vaussieres, Christian and Nadia Charmasson in Tavel
After reading about an estate in Tavel that practices totally natural, more-than-organic vineyard work and vinifies without adding SO2, we made an appointment to visit Christian and Nadia Charmasson on the Chemin des Vaussières in Tavel. Our visit occured during a storm of howling winds and torrential rain and was cut short by a truck load of organic manure, but we found both the wines and the people to be extraordinary, and we are happy to offer Balazu des Vaussières to natural wine lovers in the US.
The estate was created in 1986 by the step-father of Christian Charmasson, named Balazu, with one hectare of vines which are now 90 years old, located on the Chemin des Vaussieres in Tavel. The family had been winemakers for many generations. Five hectares of Grenache, Bourboulenc and Clairette were added from Nadia’s family in This is not “laissez-faire” winemaking, but rather the work of intelligent, hard-working people who have the courage of their convictions to produce a pure and healthy wine from living soils. And while the wines may deviate somewhat from “conventional” norms, they can also be wildly delicious and elegant as we found on our visit last winter.
The 2015 “Vin Libre” is predominantly Grenache Blanc and Clairette with Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier and Bourboulenc. A complex and elegant wine of the south, at 14% alcohol, the wine shows dense, supple white fruits with a great earthy and mineral core – a very young wine, it is fresh, lively and delicious now but will certainly benefit from five to ten years of further aging. (Jean Gonon particularly admired the wine when we opened a bottle with dinner.) On the label of the Blanc and Rosé is the Berber Flag from North Africa (Nadia’s heritage) with the symbol of the free man and three colors representing Berbers who lived by the sea, in the mountains and in the desert.
The estate’s rosé, called “Sept Syllabes,” is made with Grenache Blanc and Noir, Carignan and Cinsault, depending on the vintage. It’s a direct press rosé with little or no maceration and no added SO2. While the wine is fabulously complex and utterly fascinating, it is very much a "sauvage" and natural wine that may not appeal to those who prefer conventional rosés - for the rest of us, it's highly recommended!
Though most of the estate’s vines are around the house in Tavel, there are vines in nearby Roquemaure (Lirac) especially for the reds, which are a different blend each year. The 2012 “Cuvée Millepertuis” is made from Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Carignan, which undergo an approximately two month carbonic maceration, followed by pressing and 3 years in vat (no wood.)
The 2013 Rouge “Dent de Lion” made with Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan, Cinsault and Grenache with 25% of Grenache Blanc and Clairette.is Less dense and earthy than the “Millepertuis,” this wine is exuberantly aromatic, with a beautifully complex and supple palate, just a joyful natural wine. "Our wine is more like a food (aliment)” says Christian, "fermented grape juice that nourishes the body and the soul."
We're proud and happy to have the wines of Balazu des Vaussieres at Chambers Street and we hope you will try them!
