Les Montils Mafia!

8/29/15 -

(All photos (except of Pierre-O Bonhomme) by Isaac Rosenthal (www.ikesight.com))

For decades now, the Loire Valley has been a hotbed of unconventional wine practices, with a history of winemakers turning away from the heavily prescribed use of pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers in favor of organic and biodynamic treatments, compost, cover crops, biodiversity in the vineyards, and healthy living soils. Attempts to convince these renegades to control their wines with industrial yeasts and chemical manipulation in the cellar have been completely unsuccessful. There is now a vast network of winemakers who have attained a kind of autonomy in the region, with the thirsty denizens of Paris, the Americas, Japan, and across Europe providing the demand for their unique (and undeniably more natural) wines.  It would be nearly impossible to present a who’s who list from the growing number of winemakers in the Loire and elsewhere in France who work with this shared philosophy of non-intervention, but we will take the opportunity today to focus on one group in particular… the group we call the “Les Montils Mafia.”

Nestled in the Loire-et-Cher (a deparment of France that surrounds Blois and covers most of the area from the Loire River to one of its tributaries - the Cher), in and around the appellation of Cheverny, there is a tiny commune known as Les Montils. To an unsuspecting tourist, Les Montils might seem like any other quaint French village, but it is in fact host to a posse of winemakers who have a reputation for refusing to comply with modern-day trends that stress control, manipulation, and the use of chemicals in vineyard and cellar. The underground network includes two families with ties to the area - the Puzelats and Villemades - and two talented individuals who proved they were loyal to the cause: Olivier Lemasson, and Pierre-Olivier Bonhomme. Although there may be the occasional stylistic differences throughout the years, the members of the Les Montils Mafia share a unwavering commitment to healthy, chemical free vineyards, and an approach to wine-making that is much less about creating or “making” a wine, and more the careful observation of a natural process, with no alteration and sulfur typically just at the bottling, if added at all.

​Clos du Tue-Boeuf - Thierry and Jean-Marie Puzelat

Their destinies forged at an early age, Thierry and Jean-Marie Puzelat became involved in the wine world as teenagers, as they were gradually introduced to vineyard work and winemaking by the elders of the family. The brothers developed a passion for the family business and eventually took over the activities from their father in the 1990’s. The Clos de Tue Boeuf vineyards were always worked with a minimum of chemical products, and the tradition of hand harvesting and vinifying with indigenous yeast was long standing. Over time, Thierry and Jean-Marie took the extra steps to eliminate chemicals in the vineyard completely and begin making wines with minimal or no sulfur added. Their wines are consistently some of the purest and most enjoyable “natural” offerings from the Loire valley, and the legacy they’ve created has inspired a younger generation across the country. Their sphere of influence is so wide, in fact, that Puzelat is literally a household name in the corners of the world where people speak of natural wines.

​Hervé Villemade and his father

Hervé Villemade hails from a farming family that originally settled in the Loire valley in the 1930’s. Hervé’s father took over in the 60’s, focusing the polyculture on vines, vegetables and grains. Wines were bottled under the Villemade name since the 1970’s and in the late 90’s, Hervé and his sister Isabelle took over, taking the estate organic, and only using natural treatments in the vineyard. Grapes are hand harvested and sorted, juice ferments with indigenous yeasts, and the wines typically receive a small dose of sulfur at bottling. Hervé has always been a firm believer in soil health and biodiversity in the vineyards, and his unwavering commitment and family ties in the area have helped to solidify the reputation of Les Montils in the region.

​Eben Lillie, Olivier and Cecille Lemasson

Perhaps the scruffiest of the bunch, Olivier Lemasson is known for his négociant project: Les Vins Contés, which was originally a joint effort between Lemasson and Hervé Villemade. Lemasson is in fact the one responsible for corrupting Villemade and luring him into the world of no-sulfur wine making over a decade ago. From his humble beginnings as a sommelier and retailer in Brittany, Olivier became enmeshed in the shady world of natural wine, studying for several years with one of the godfathers of the movement, Marcel Lapierre. After a short stint as a retailer in Paris, Olivier teamed up with Hervé Villemade, who was searching for a partner for a new négociant project. They began the project (code name: Les Vins Contés) in 2002, working with organically farmed vineyards around the Loire Valley, and producing wines from Côt, Gamay, Pineau d’Aunis, Grolleau, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Romorantin, Menu Pineau, and Chenin Blanc (to name a few). Olivier took over the Vins Contés project in 2006, and has expanded the operation, while maintaining close ties with farmers and vineyard owners in the region. His wines have always been some of the wildest (aromatically and otherwise), but with age and experience, Olivier has finally hit a stride, consistently producing pure, clean natural wines, and using small amounts of sulfur when needed (though he prefers to add none). His 2014 releases are a prime example!

​Pierre-Olivier Bonhomme, aka Pierre-O, was brought into the Les Montils family at an early age. He got his start working with Thierry on a négociant project many years ago, under the code name: “Puzelat-Bonhomme.” Although they were never caught, Pierre-O and Thierry engaged in various illegal activities, bottling a Sauvignon Blanc/Menu Pineau blend and calling it Cheverny, producing Pet-Nats from Cab Franc with no sulfur added… the rap sheet of “unconventional” practices is so long we don’t have space to list all of the offenses in this email! Over the years, Pierre-O has stayed loyal to the tenets of the Les Montils group, and has earned the position as head of the Puzelat-Bonhomme project. He has been in charge of vinification for the Puzelat-Bonhomme label since 2011, and as of 2014, the label has been changed to “Bonhomme,” to signify that Pierre-O is now a made man. Though he may look young, don’t be fooled by his baby-face! Pierre-O is an astute and dedicated winemaker with a long history in the region and an intimate connection to his vineyards. His most recent offerings - which are just arriving to New York shores – are a testament to his skill and passion, and an indication that we have plenty to look forward to in the years to come!

And now, the wines!

New arrivals are aplenty, mostly from the 2014 vintage. Across the board, wines are lively and balanced (almost all of the reds here are under 12% alcohol). Light chills are recommended and we’d advise drinking these now, though certain of these wines can definitely improve with time. During a recent visit with Olivier Lemasson, for example, I had the great pleasure of drinking a 2003 Côt – the first vintage that he and Hervé Villemade bottled under the Vins Contés label. It was pure, structured, long, mineral, and quite evolved with dried fruit, earth and mellow leather notes … At one moment I looked at Olivier in awe as I meditated on the wine. He raised his finger with a smile, winked, and reminded me: “no sulfur!”

Eben Lillie