Fleurie and More from Julie Balagny

Julie Balagny Producer Profile

Quick Facts

Name of Estate	Julie Balagny
Region	Beaujolais
Country	France
Proprietor	Julie Balagny
Size	4.4 hectares
Farming	Organic (Not Certified)
Soils	Granite, quartz, basalt, clay
Grapes grown	Gamay
Fun facts	We secure our annual allocation of Julie's wines by offering her a pair of Converse each year.

We secure our annual allocation of Julie's wines by offering her a pair of Converse each year.

Name of Estate	Julie Balagny
Region	Beaujolais
Country	France
Proprietor	Julie Balagny
Size	4.4 hectares
Farming	Organic (Not Certified)
Soils	Granite, quartz, basalt, clay
Grapes grown	Gamay
Fun facts	We secure our annual allocation of Julie's wines by offering her a pair of Converse each year.

Get to know
Julie Balagny

producer profile 31.05.2019

Julie Balagny Producer Profile

Julie Balagny landed in <glossary title="454">Fleurie</glossary> in 2009 after many years heading the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> of <glossary title="160">biodynamic</glossary> pioneers Terre des Chardons. Originally from Paris, her first career seemed destined to be in psychomotricity, the process of teaching basic motor skills to the mentally handicapped. After heading the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> of a more "<glossary term="Chemicals" title="279">chemical</glossary>" <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary>, then Terre des Chardons, Julie decided it was time to start her own project. With her sites on either the <glossary title="151">Beaujolais</glossary> or the <glossary title="560">Jura</glossary>, she did some research, and with the help of Yvon Métras and Michel Guignier, was able to purchase her current property, an isolated <glossary title="305">clos</glossary> with 3.2 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines, two <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> of prairies and three <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> of woods. Inspired by her past experience at Terre des Chardons, Julie quickly saw the <glossary title="160">biodynamic</glossary> potential of this land: "The vines support the woods, the woods supply the livestock (Julie owns and tends sheep), the livestock supplies the soil: everything works together, everything is coherent." The <glossary title="454">Fleurie</glossary> site, apart from being idyllically beautiful, has proven to be a very interesting <glossary title="1026">terroir</glossary>. As mentioned above, the site is completely isolated and surrounded by woods. The vines themselves are on a very steep hill, making any <glossary title="645">mechanical</glossary> work impossible and forcing Julie to do everything by hand. The vines vary drastically in age (30 to 90) and are grown on three separate, distinct soil compositions: pure <glossary title="502">granite</glossary> mixed with <glossary title="504">pebbles</glossary> and <glossary title="909">sand</glossary>, <glossary title="502">granite</glossary> and <glossary title="842">quartz</glossary> and <glossary title="502">granite</glossary> with <glossary title="145">basalt</glossary>. In 2015, Julie was able to acquire a <glossary title="523">hectare</glossary> of <glossary term="Beaujolais (Appellation)" title="1310">Beaujolais</glossary> planted in <glossary title="301">clay</glossary>, <glossary title="504">pebbles</glossary> and <glossary title="909">sand</glossary> and 0.7 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> of <glossary title="691">Moulin-à-Vent</glossary>. The latter are old vines (50+) planted on a steep hill of decomposed <glossary term="Granite" title="502">granite</glossary>. In the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary>, every wine is made in the same way: the grapes are <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermented</glossary> <glossary term="Semi-Carbonic Maceration" title="942">semi-carbonically</glossary> in <glossary term="Concrete" title="325">concrete</glossary> <glossary term="Vat/Tank" title="1140">vats</glossary>, then moved to a gorgeous, old school <glossary term="Manual Press" title="1200">manual press</glossary>, where the process is intentionally slow and delicate. The juices are then <glossary term="Racking/Soutirage" title="843">racked</glossary> to old <glossary term="Barrel" title="142">barrels</glossary> for <glossary term="Elevage" title="418">élevage</glossary>. Julie's <glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuvées</glossary> tend to vary year to year; the recent trend has been giving each a new name or <glossary term="Wine Label" title="573">label</glossary> each  <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary>. Though she firmly believes in the <glossary term="AOC" title="108">AOC</glossary> system, she has in the past <glossary term="Declassification" title="383">declassified</glossary> some of her wines to <glossary term="Vin de France" title="1092">Vin de France</glossary>, including the entirety of the 2018 <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary>. The total production is bottled without <glossary term="Fining" title="449">fining</glossary>, <glossary term="Filtration" title="447">filtration</glossary> or <glossary term="Sulfites" title="993">sulfur</glossary>.

interview 22.05.2019

An Interview with Julie Balagny from 2012

This interview with Julie Balagny took place at <glossary term="L'Herbe Rouge" title="568">L'Herbe Rouge</glossary> in February, 2012. Tell us about the the estate. I settled in <glossary title="454">Fleurie</glossary> in 2009. Before that I worked in the South (between <glossary title="776">Perpignan</glossary> and <glossary title="730">Nîmes</glossary>) for about 11 years. In <glossary title="776">Perpignan</glossary> I got a <glossary term="BTS" title="205">BTS</glossary> working at a larger, more "<glossary term="Chemicals" title="279">chemical</glossary>" <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary>, where I more or less became the head of the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary>. After that I worked at Terre des Chardons, who work <glossary title="160">biodynamically</glossary> and with simpler <glossary title="1104">vinification</glossary> practices. When I decided it was time to start my own  <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary>, I had my mind set on either <glossary title="454">Fleurie</glossary> or in the <glossary title="560">Jura</glossary>. I was able to find my <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> through Yvan Métras, who put me in touch with Michel Guignier. I instantly fell in love with this 3.2 <glossary title="523">hectare</glossary> <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary>, all bunched together in the middle of the woods, next to the river... The property also included 2 <glossary title="523">ha</glossary> of prairies and 3 <glossary title="523">ha</glossary> of woods, and in the spirit of working <glossary title="160">biodynamically</glossary>, I knew this was a perfect place to start a <glossary title="815">polyculture</glossary>. The vines support the woods, the woods supply the livestock, the livestock supplies the soil: everything works together, everything is coherent.  Why Fleurie or Jura? Because it's what I like to drink, because it goes down easy, because the <glossary title="1026">terroirs</glossary> are rich and complex... When you drink <glossary title="151">Beaujolais</glossary> or <glossary title="560">Jura</glossary>, you know you're drinking something unique that can't be recreated anywhere else. They're something very French about them... How did you get involved in wine? I was born and raised in Paris. As a little girl, I was fascinated with wine; I'd see my mom spending all day in the kitchen cooking, then having my dad come home with a bottle, putting it on the table: how it was just as important as the food. This marked me. I was always amazed how people took such pleasure in drinking wine, and wondered how something so magic and special could come out of a bottle.  In college I studied psychomotricity, the process of teaching basic motor skills to the mentally handicapped, and at the time it seemed like it was going to be my career. But I changed my mind!  What's the work in the vines like? My vines are all on a steep slope, and it's impossible to work <glossary title="645">mechanically</glossary>. You can't even work with a horse because he'd have no room to turn at the top and bottom of each row. So everything is done by hand, by pick and winch.  And in the cellar? Cold <glossary title="236">carbonic maceration</glossary>, no <glossary title="850">remontage</glossary>, no <glossary title="795">pigeage</glossary>. <glossary title="1124">Whole-cluster</glossary>. I have a very old <glossary title="">manual</glossary> <glossary title="935">wood press</glossary> that I use, and then I have a few <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary>.  What's it like to not have any neighbors? Also, how did the choice of making several cuvées from the same parcel come about? The choice to make different <glossary title="363">cuvées</glossary> was an obvious one: there are three different soil types that are visually evident (if you're here you can actually see the difference), and <glossary title="1104">vinifying</glossary> them separately lets me get to know my vines better. The soils are: pure <glossary title="502">granite</glossary> mixed with <glossary title="504">pebbles</glossary> and <glossary title="909">sand</glossary>, <glossary title="502">granite</glossary> and <glossary title="842">quartz</glossary> and <glossary title="502">granite</glossary> with <glossary title="145">basalt</glossary>.  How old are the vines? The youngest are 30 and the oldest are 90.  Who owned them before you? It was owned by some guy involved in <glossary title="949">sharecropping</glossary>, and the entirety of the harvest went to the <glossary title="252">cave cooperative</glossary>. They were worked <glossary term="Conventional Farming" title="331">chemically</glossary>, so they are still in <glossary title="332">conversion</glossary>.  Where do you stand on "natural wine"? I don't feel integrated in it, or feel in any way like an extremist. I think the point is to be a <glossary title="1089">vigneron</glossary>, to work with each <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> and to use as little <glossary title="545">intervention</glossary> as possible. A wine has to be good, and everyone has to like it. Well maybe not everybody... But at least most! I can't stand <glossary title="453">flawed</glossary>, dirty wine. If I can work <glossary title="993">sulfur</glossary> free, I go for it. It's not so I can say I don't work with <glossary title="993">sulfur</glossary>, it's a choice based on ever changing circumstances. So far it's worked, so I do it.  Do you have any future plans for the estate?  I think it will remain as is in size. As I mentioned earlier, the real evolution I hope to achieve will come from working with livestock and the woods. If their were to be an expansion, I'd rather do it to help a young <glossary title="1089">vigneron</glossary> get started. There would be room to assist each other, to share tools, know-how and manual labor. Other than that... What do you like to drink besides Jura and Beaujolais? <glossary title="212">Burgundy</glossary>! I'm not against <glossary title="267">Champagne</glossary> either! I also love <glossary term="Alsace" title="95">Alsatian </glossary><glossary term="Pinot Noir" title="805">Pinot Noir</glossary>.

producer visit 05.08.2019

This visit with Julie Balagny took place in August, 2015

This visit with Julie Balagny took place in August, 2015. Words and photos by Jules Dresssner. Julie Balagny has a new house!  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//f9/25/f925bf72edeb81c292f1baff293ffd04.jpg" /> And a new <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary>! <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//72/ef/72efd971aa8dfce4bdc9e1de7339ed29.jpg" /> There is no <glossary title="1018">temperature control</glossary> in here, but there is foosball: <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//16/9f/169f62d2be94fa6542bb93aada6372f5.jpg" /> More importantly, she was able to transfer her beautiful old <glossary title="">manual</glossary> <glossary title="827">press</glossary> and <glossary title="325">concrete</glossary> <glossary title="1140">tanks</glossary> from the previous space she was renting. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//a7/af/a7affea7ffec587c4c7eb07ecf73b35d.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//2f/81/2f81418d83a7caae3f3ddfda4c4e2ce6.jpg" /> In what used to be a horse stable, a small enclave is reserved for Julie's <glossary title="142">barrel</glossary> <glossary title="74">aging</glossary>. This is for the 100+ year old vines only.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//9b/66/9b66b1b97786104c3c68404731d3b5b4.jpg" /> For some reason, Julie has a three month old sheep called George living in her backyard.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//b4/54/b454293c9ad9ff258f7287fc757c0ade.jpg" /> George thinks he's a dog. More on that later. On a totally unrelated note, did you know that for some reason, Converse sneakers apparently don't have the trademark™ Red-Stripe® in Europe? And cost like 60 euro? That's why I bring all our <glossary title="1089">vignerons</glossary> mint pairs upon request: <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//75/41/7541b3113fdd90f61a3726560239ce85.jpg" /> After checking out the new house and bribing Julie with shoes, we sat down to  taste the 2014 "Chavot".  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//67/e3/67e3775b4827b2aa382eb6ff97eee992.jpg" /> Loving that label. Plus it was going down like Grenadine. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//f5/d8/f5d8d47f3838c64f30a5ca40688f8526.jpg" /> Oh wait, that's actually Grenadine... <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//e8/18/e8180a9ede9841730b49cb1fd9b6260e.jpg" /> Hey, at least it's <glossary title="746">organic</glossary>... Ok, ok, this is what "Chavot" actually looks like: <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//aa/f1/aaf1519274561755910fd317a4112c5c.jpg" /> "Chavot", for those who have been following Julie’s past releases, is a <glossary term="Blend" title="168">blend</glossary> of 30 year old vines on <glossary title="145">basalt</glossary> that occasionally produce "Cayenne" and 40-70 year old vines on decomposed and solid <glossary title="502">granite</glossary> that occasionally produce "En Simone". For a reminder of what Julie's magnificent <glossary title="454">Fleurie</glossary> parcel looks like, reread my recap from three years ago.  The wine needed a moment to open up, but when it did it had deep and subtle berry tones on the nose and <glossary title="756">palate</glossary>, with spicy structure and a long <glossary title="450">finish</glossary>. It was so good it made Zaggy get the crazy eyes. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//cb/e4/cbe4ddc4ad170847a5a94b9f10d632bf.jpg" /> "Chavot" is named after the village drunk, Bruno Chavot. He would always be hammered and making a fool of himself, so it became insider slang to use his last name as a verb after a big night of drinking.  "You were so Chavot last night" "I love getting Chavoed while tailgating at the Giants game."  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//9b/4b/9b4b9c07c1aa0e8ee56a4edf15c9d64a.jpg" /> For the record, no one at LDM wines has ever been to a tailgate. EVER. Also, Bruno Chavot just moved back in with his mom at 55 years old.  Moving on... The big news for Julie is that she has acquired a <glossary title="523">hectare</glossary> of 40 year old <glossary title="108">AOC </glossary><glossary term="Beaujolais (Appellation)" title="1310">Beaujolais</glossary> between <glossary title="454">Fleurie</glossary> and Vornard, as well as 70 <glossary term="Are" title="1208">ares</glossary> of <glossary title="691">Moulin-a-Vent</glossary>! And we visited both! We started at the <glossary title="691">Moulin-à-Vent</glossary> parcel. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//73/92/73927ed1f347aabf1e9c166495d4fc36.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//a6/d1/a6d1a67fa8241b13e5c13a35ca098b6f.jpg" /> As you can see, it's quite steep. The soils here are decomposed <glossary title="502">granite</glossary> with fat chunks to go around as well: <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//48/e8/48e87364570410e8310c3099501eea7f.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//92/07/92074f2cb689ce1debc90cfab2791246.jpg" /> The vines here are pretty old, all over 50: <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//5c/04/5c0480cfe9622a53da519c5b3e382635.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//f2/fb/f2fbc90f2f468dc4d40aad88f573d64e.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//f5/af/f5afde603de8dd107ba7e301be0ffa72.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//b6/39/b6395954adcecf4f0205f8f137321116.jpg" /> A northwest <glossary title="430">exposition</glossary> and constant winds are, according to Julie, favorable to elegant, fresh wines. Though she is surrounded by <glossary title="331">conventional farming</glossary>, the <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> borders a large ravine so it's not too bad for second hand <glossary term="Chemicals" title="279">chemical</glossary> residue.  France went through a serious heat wave in 2015. Check out how dried all of this looks: <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//04/42/04426cb9a6aa7e15b2efdc1fe006a54f.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//c3/66/c36650f49200007f3391d25e79ce7745.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//1c/8c/1c8c87fd80e3a2a443319668a0b070f5.jpg" /> By now, we know that after almost three months of no rain, August showers saved the day for most of France. OUUFF! Next we visited the <glossary term="Beaujolais (Appellation)" title="1310">Beaujolais</glossary> <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary>: <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//54/d6/54d612ca6dac305d834ffe9c146e3e45.jpg" /> The hill you can spot in the back is <glossary title="559">Juliénas</glossary>. The soil here consists of <glossary title="301">clay</glossary>, <glossary title="504">pebbles</glossary> and <glossary title="909">sand</glossary>. As we walked around, Julie started ripping out these big plants from the ground: <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//e5/ad/e5ad9ffef74d45755f4f897db0d3f728.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//2f/84/2f841c3734b5a3ad25a082d32989aaab.jpg" /> “When you stop using <glossary title="526">herbicides</glossary>, the plants that inevitably come back are erigerons and morelle noire." <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//e4/bb/e4bba47d88bc1faf9aee070d67d4ced9.jpg" /> They two plants are hyper-invasive because they produce a ton of seeds.  Upon returning to the vines, we sat down to  taste a "Cayenne" 2013, a wine that never made it stateside. All of a sudden, George decided to show up! <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//23/96/239640da0acdc7545cfdb8503dbc044c.jpg" /> I guess George thinks he's a dog, because started sniffing all the other dogs' butts (as dogs do) and playing with them. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//d8/5b/d85b6ec6a5845024ed46b1b31e576bc1.jpg" /> Our dog Zaggy is terrified of everything, including sheep. She scurried away into the house while Denyse distracted George and Harrison.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//23/0a/230aac6566f0b019cb2ae077a2602d3e.jpg" /> When we sat down to finish the wine, George came under the table with the rest of the gang.

producer visit 05.08.2019

This visit with Julie Balagny took place in June, 2012

This visit with Julie Balagny took place in June, 2012. Words by Jules Dressner, photos by Maya Pedersen. Julie Balagny lives in the Hauts De Poncié, a <glossary title="519">hamlet</glossary> on the very top of <glossary title="454">Fleurie</glossary>. Her house sits on the top of a hill. She has no neighbors, as the house is completely surrounded by vines (that are not hers). <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//b5/43/b543602e25308a5b4ed6452922c32545.jpg" /> After Julie greeted us, we got to meet her pet rabbit Wiggles.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//18/42/1842bf237ef1d4b681893ba5804192c6.jpg" /> We were parched, so Julie offered to cool us down with this delicious rasberry nectar from Patrick Font.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//56/4c/564c30e15f5717896f7ae69a5ee93205.jpg" /> It was a good time to talk about how 2012 was going. Julie was spared from <glossary term="Hail" title="1136">hail</glossary>, but has been getting an average of 30-40mm of rain per week. She suffered a little <glossary term="Frost" title="1135">frost</glossary> damage, but nothing serious. As far as 2011, it was a great <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> quantity wise, but she suffered a few setbacks. Basically, she wanted to help two local new guys out, so she let them <glossary title="1104">vinify</glossary> their <glossary title="521">harvests</glossary> in the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> that she rents. Unfortunately, their inexperience led to some poor decisions, creating microbiological issues in the <glossary title="1140">tanks</glossary>. Barely dodging a bullet, Julie was able to salvage her wine with some quick <glossary title="843">re-racking</glossary>, and this improvised move forced her to consolidate some of the juices, thus affecting her usual lineup of <glossary title="363">cuvées</glossary>. 2011 will birth a new, perhaps one-off bottling called "Carioca". It should be <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottled</glossary> in late August/early September. The "Simone" <glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuvée</glossary> will be <glossary title="74">aged</glossary> even longer than usual.  After sipping on nectar and talking shop, it was time to hop into the 4x4 and check out the vines. Over the six kilometer drive to get there, Julie pointed out some vines that are part of new fad sweeping the <glossary title="151">Beaujolais</glossary>: ripping out one in six rows to make more room for a large tractor to spread (<glossary term="Chemicals" title="279">chemical</glossary>) treatments over the remaining five. Because of its horrible reputation in France, the <glossary term="Beaujolais" title="151">Beaujolais</glossary> is really struggling; the only people investing on a large scale are bigger companies who are quickly buying up large portions of land. In the process, they are furthering the <glossary title="645">mechanization</glossary> of the local <glossary title="1103">viticultural</glossary> landscape. We also passed by an abandoned <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> where the owners had killed all the vines with <glossary term="Roundup" title="877">Roundup</glossary>.  "It's obviously completely illegal, but it's a lot cheaper than ripping them out." After getting out of the village and maneuvering through some isolated paths through the woods, you find yourself in Julie's completely isolated <glossary title="305">clos</glossary> of 3,2 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> at 510 meters in altitude. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//0e/7b/0e7b82a70642303e26efcad9997d8e4b.jpg" /> Julie is about to add fences around the vines to keep wild animals out. She is also working on setting up a field for her cows and sheep to graze. This is part of a long term plan to create <glossary title="">biodiversity</glossary> around her vineyards via <glossary title="815">polyculture</glossary>. As she explained in her <a href="http://louisdressner.com/articles/julie-balagny-interview/">interview</a>: "The property also included 2 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">ha</glossary> of prairies and 3 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">ha</glossary> of woods; in the spirit of working <glossary title="160">biodynamically</glossary>, I knew this was a perfect place to start a <glossary title="815">polyculture</glossary>. The vines support the woods, the woods supply the livestock, the livestock supplies the soil: everything works together, everything is coherent."  There is no <glossary title="1044">treillisage</glossary>; everything has remained in traditional <glossary title="497">goblet</glossary> <glossary title="1039">training</glossary>. The youngest vines are 30: <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//1c/45/1c455a2cc5d11bcf6b1d5a7edef123f9.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//1a/e1/1ae1b0b073cd21189f0e33041d82ebb1.jpg" /> The oldest are 90:  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//2d/73/2d73040b40677b8cbf53496a4b9ca820.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//e1/e2/e1e2280ef5785572c4f8f1ea4c4dcd1a.jpg" /> Though all the vines are in one place, there are three distinct soil types. Here's some <glossary title="502">granite</glossary> and <glossary title="842">quartz</glossary>: <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//47/95/4795ab343295cc167374a026e7e312c7.jpg" /> And here's some <glossary title="502">granite</glossary> mixed with <glossary title="145">basalt</glossary>: <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//1b/74/1b74ebe964f2526d421a3d585f237703.jpg" /> The <glossary term="-Select term-" title="">old vines</glossary> in these soils are what end up in the "Simone" <glossary title="363">cuvée</glossary>. The vines are on a <glossary title="345">coteau</glossary> that progressively increases in steepness, making any <glossary title="645">mechanical</glossary> work impossible. By the time you get to the top, you're almost at a 60% incline: <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//e0/bc/e0bcf61f6ce491ade6e525c1a6d558cc.jpg" /> To work the soils, Julie has devised a system with this winch.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//cd/b2/cdb205d50d6c9035602c338ba6124986.jpg" /> She attaches it to this truck: <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//68/45/6845cd6cf745f69af3f467e4bb56e8f1.jpg" /> A mechanism then pulls it up as it plows through the soil. She then walks it all the way down through the next row, where she starts all over again.  Before tasting in the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>, Julie wanted us visit her sheep that will eventually live next to the vines.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//93/4c/934c369d4088cab32b51eab171f4aec4.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//61/cb/61cbf974e615ff1621dca64a5d23a0de.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//22/02/2202b7dada357c4e5aef32caab0ed9d2.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//3b/eb/3beb91b0182cca9f1bcf936c6783d7b4.jpg" /> After visiting the vines, we checked out the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary>, just a few kilometers away. Here we got to check out Julie's old school <glossary title="935">wood press</glossary>.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//b5/b8/b5b864787d9655179d197a0d0dbaccaf.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_05//24/ce/24ce1572c4ccb81f9eff1c5c6175de43.jpg" /> That <glossary title="142">barrel</glossary> on it is just there to save space. We got to taste the "Carioca": it was fruity, fresh and easy, but the extra <glossary term="Aging" title="74">aging</glossary> provided some <glossary title="990">structure</glossary>. It had a red fruit <glossary title="450">finish</glossary> and nice <glossary term="Acidity" title="71">acidity</glossary>. The "Jean Barat" and "Simone" (from <glossary title="142">barrel</glossary>) were also well on their way; they were both <glossary title="990">structured</glossary> but fresh. Julie might have had a tough time with <glossary title="1104">vinification</glossary> setbacks, but the wines are GOOD. In the end, she is thankful for the experience.  "I learned a valuable lesson, which is that you need to be patient with wine, to let it make itself."

producer profile 31.05.2019

Julie Balagny Producer Profile

interview 22.05.2019

An Interview with Julie Balagny from 2012

producer visit 05.08.2019

This visit with Julie Balagny took place in August, 2015

producer visit 05.08.2019

This visit with Julie Balagny took place in June, 2012