In world of wine, German Rieslings from the Mosel River’s steep, slate slopes enjoy well-earned fame. But mention France’s Moselle A.O.C. winegrowing appellation, and even ardent French wine fans draw a blank. Not to worry.
Thanks to dedicated work from modern day winegrowers such as Rémi Gauthier, Moselle A.O.C. wines slowly are gaining international recognition. The region’s terroir is ideally suited to growing grapes for delicious bottles such as the 2019 Domaine Rémi Gauthier, “Les Rouges Terres,” Moselle A.O.C., a wine made from Pinot Noir grapes. Lyle Fass, the “rebel retailer” of direct importer of Fass Selections, provides American wine drinkers with limited access.
Reviewing a little history puts this excellent wine in context.
MOSELLE’S GRAPEGROWING HISTORY
If you track the Mosel River back up stream from Germany, it eventually arrives in northeastern France where it adopts the Francophone name Moselle. Here it lies in Lorraine, a French region over the Vosges Mountains to the west of Strasbourg, the capital of the better known Alsace region.
The Moselle A.O.C. features limestone-rich clay soils on sunny, south-facing slopes to create excellent conditions for growing grapes especially Pinot Noir. Recognizing these conditions, during the Medieval era the bishops of the city of Metz worked with the monks identifying the region’s best vineyard sites.
Through these efforts, Moselle (and much of the Lorraine region) became an important area for Pinot Noir grapes used in the production of Champagne. Later in 1872, Lorraine came under German rule after the Franco-Prussian War, and most of the region’s grapes went to Germany for use in producing inexpensive German sparkling wines known as Sekt.
Towards the end of the 19th Century, the Lorraine’s vineyards fell victim to the phylloxera catastrophe. This little mite virtually destroyed all grape production. To compound the difficulties, early in the 20th Century, the combination of the First World War and rapid industrialization depleted the Lorraine’s agricultural work force and prevented replanting most of the vineyards.
But by the end of the 20th Century, the wheel turned again. As the region’s industrial base diminished, landowners began turning again to viticulture. By 2010, about 170 acres of vines were planted. The French government officially recognized the modern Moselle A.O.C. encompassing eighteen towns whose vineyards enjoy favorable southern exposure to the sun. Vic-sur-Seille is one such town where Rémi Gauthier has his vines.
RENAISSANCE OF DOMAINE RÉMI GAUTHIER
Rémi Gauthier‘s father, Claude, produced wines professionally at Domaine Gauthier between 1993 and 2003 until health issues forced retirement. He sold his vines, since Rémi and his older brother Sylvain were too young to step in.
Even so, Sylvain went on to study winegrowing in Burgundy at Mâcon and Beaune before also studying in Tournon-sur-Rhône near the Saint-Joseph appellation. In 2007 he created Domaine des Pierres Sèches and works on 8 hectares of vines in Vin de Pays d’Ardèche and Saint-Joseph A.O.C.
Rémi also studied to become a professional winegrower.
“I studied in Beaune, and in 2014 I decided to come back to live in Vic-sur-Seille, in Moselle, where my father had started,” he says. “I recovered half of a hectare vines from an older winegrower to start my work. Since then I have been planting young vines.”
“Les Rouges Terres,” the name that Rémi Gauthier gives his Pinot Noir wine, comes from the character of the soils in his vineyards.
“This plot has the particularity of being very red in color in the marne soils very present in the area in various forms,” Gauthier says, “Vic-sur-Seille is predominantly clay marly soils.”
To make the most of these distinctive soils, Gauthier takes a certified organic approach in the vines.
“Organic certification is a whole,” he says. “On the one hand, it means being more respectful of the environment, but I also have the desire to obtain quality grapes. I am also extending my approach to include Biodynamics with the goal of DEMETER certification for the 2021 vintage.”
In the cellar, Gauthier aims to capture natural freshness, so he favors whole bunch fermentation depending on the maturity of the stems.
“The 2019 vintage was heterogeneous in the maturity of the stems, so vintage was fermented with 50% whole bunches and 50% destemmed grapes,” he says. “The freshness of 2019 is felt above all thanks to the vinification.”
He then aged the wine in oak barrels which had been used for either three or four vintages previously. This added some complexity and roundness without masking the Pinot Noir’s fruitiness.
TASTING NOTE
The 2019 Domaine Rémi Gauthier, “Les Rouges Terres” Moselle A.O.C. ($23) has a dark ruby color offering pure aromas of strawberries and raspberries with light herbal notes and a touch of smokiness. On the palate, sappy dark red currants and raspberries balance superb freshness and fine tannins. Decanting the wine for several hours brought the balance in better focus. Should age well for at least five years.
Gauthier’s wine delivers tremendous quality and pleasure for the price. Keep it in mind along with other Moselle reds going forward as a hedge against rising prices red Burgundies and German pinot noirs. Cheers!