producer profile
06.12.2019
Mathieu Apffel Producer Profile
<p>Originally from the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="560">Jura</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> Mathieu Apffel has been producing wine in <glossary title="925">Savoie</glossary> since 2013, making small amounts of <glossary title="1211">Apremont</glossary> with a friend before striking out on his own in 2017. That year, he was able to acquire land and a <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> from a retiring <glossary title="1089">vigneron</glossary> and produce a first <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> under his name. In 2020 he was joined by wife Camille, and together they work roughly 4.5 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of land.</p>
<p>Located in the village of Saint-Baldoph, the majority of Camille and Mathieu's land consists of <glossary title="555">Jacquère</glossary> vines planted outside the winery: a serene three <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> surrounded by quaint houses and, not too far in the distance, the imposing Massif de Chartreuse. The vines are 30 to 70 years old, 250-350m in altitude, <glossary title="430">exposed</glossary> southeast and planted on <glossary title="301">clay</glossary> and <glossary title="596">limestone</glossary> soils heavy in fragmented <glossary title="655">mica-schist</glossary> and <glossary title="842">quartz</glossary> brought by ancient glaciers. The rest of the vines are planted in the nearby village of Saint-Alban, where <glossary title="555">Jacquère</glossary> grows alongside <glossary title="96">Altesse</glossary> on a steep, <glossary title="504">gravelly</glossary> hill. Though 80% of the production consists of white wine, a small amount of <glossary title="478">Gamay</glossary> and <glossary title="484">Mondeuse</glossary> is also produced.</p>
<p>Though not abusive in his farming, the prior owner worked <glossary title="331">conventionally</glossary> and the couple are <glossary title="332">converting</glossary> the <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> to <glossary term="Organic" title="746">organic</glossary> <glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticulture</glossary> as well as using <glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamic</glossary> techniques to enhance the energy inside the farm’s <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Ecosystem" title="414">ecosystem</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> 100% of the work is done manually and 2021 marked the first <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> of superficial soil work between the rows.</p>
<p>In the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="254">cellar</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> Mathieu comes from the "<glossary title="1378">infusion</glossary>" school of winemaking: eschewing the traditional concept of <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="433">extraction</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> the goal is to slowly and subtly impart flavor to the juice with <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1124">whole-clusters</glossary><span>:</span></span></span> think of it as making tea instead of brewing coffee. The <glossary title="441">fermentations</glossary> take place in <glossary title="986">stainless</glossary> and <glossary title="445">fiberglass</glossary> <glossary title="1140">tanks</glossary> as well as <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary>; this is more by necessity than anything else, as he inherited the <glossary title="1160">vessels</glossary> with the winery and is at his very beginnings. Though not dogmatic, Mathieu firmly believes in making wine without <glossary title="447">filtration</glossary> or the addition of <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="993">sulfur</glossary><span>:</span></span></span></p>
<p><em>"Since I started making wine in 2013, I've always used <strong><glossary title="538"><em>native yeasts</em></glossary></strong>, but would gently </em><glossary title="447"><em>filter</em></glossary><em> the wines and add </em><glossary title="993"><em>sulfur</em></glossary><em> at <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="185"><em>bottling</em></glossary><span>.</span></span></span> At a certain point I started realizing that I loved the wine BEFORE it was <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="185"><em>bottled</em></glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The finished product felt like it was stripped of something essential. I think the solids in the wine are super important. So I started experimenting, failed quite a bit but now feel comfortable working this way."</em></p>
Article
producer visit
05.11.2021
A visit with Camille and Mathieu Apffel from August, 2021
<p><em><strong>Words and photos by Jules Dressner.</strong></em></p>
<p>One of the last visits of our 2021 summer tour was with Camille et Mathieu Apffel.</p>
<p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/dc/53/dc539de6dcb2a64beef82db08765b94c.jpg" /></p>
<p>The big news is that the couple got married over the pandemic and are now working together; they currently have no employees and share the entirety of the workload. In such, the 2020 <glossary term="Wine Label" title="573">labels</glossary> will now feature Camille's name along with Mathieu's.</p>
<p>We started our visit in the <glossary term="Jacquère" title="555">Jacquère</glossary> vines surrounding the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> in the village of Saint-Baldoph. </p>
<p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/e9/6a/e96a791e7882e32af04a62947fc7bf00.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/ee/34/ee345425fcb287f664d6882c04e38df4.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/d5/29/d5296f7a3c670a1c9f44f4bf14f1ce46.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/d3/a2/d3a295ac7e784e873565c7c6bbf12dd5.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/b5/1b/b51b9a09efaf21af3d6348676251e96c.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/f8/2e/f82e070f2397ff38d857d4dcf5fe6c52.jpg" /></p>
<p>Unlike so many of the producers we visited over the summer, Camille and Mathieu avoided major issues and there wasn’t much <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Frost" title="1135">frost</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p><em>“It’s the first year the vines are being vigorous since the disastrous 2019 </em><glossary term="Hail" title="1136"><em>hail</em></glossary><em>.”</em></p>
<p>Mathieu estimated that if August went smoothly without too much rain, they would actually have a good crop in 2021. The day we visited started overcast but eventually became sunny and clear, a rare moment of sunshine in an endlessly rainy spring and summer. </p>
<p><em>"We had good weather the week of </em><glossary term="Flowering" title="1179"><em>flowering</em></glossary><em> and this is the first nice week since April. "</em></p>
<p>2021 was the first year the couple started working the soils, just superficially and between the rows. When Mathieu took over the land it had been worked <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Conventional Farming" title="331">conventionally</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> so he didn't want to shock the vines which were already going through a <glossary term="Conversion" title="332">conversion</glossary> to <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Organic" title="746">organics</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>The next big project for 2022 is to start replanting a lot of missing vines of <glossary term="Jacquère" title="555">Jacquère</glossary> in this main sector of vines.</p>
<p>From Saint-Baldoph we agreed to visit Saint-Alban, a small sector where the Apffel produce a wine of the same name. </p>
<p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/a8/ef/a8efd3e7dc9e09c3b28bc568b12f34ea.jpg" /></p>
<p>To get there from the winery, you have to drive through the town center and by its four hair salons (seems a bit much to me). It's very quick to get there by car but on a tractor it's a bit of a trek. Camille mused:</p>
<p><em>"It's slow but really fun and I get a kick out of people looking at me driving through normal streets on this big machine."</em></p>
<p>Due to construction, we got stuck in traffic and had to find an alternate route. In the end a five minute drive took almost half an hour. But it was totally worth it. </p>
<p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/52/12/5212be641628dcfd146ef279a1169d02.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/e3/f7/e3f7ac1115403cd913dcdcde955dd60e.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/5b/31/5b313b52706ed60c4e0b4186e9798e7a.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/a9/1c/a91cea23e459bec1faddc4123432ac51.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/37/7e/377e5af9c5fad8c11e5e4286f04fd586.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/b8/ee/b8eed284074cc815f30a987cddb6ebde.jpg" /></p>
<p>In total Camille and Mathieu cultivate about one <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectare</glossary> of vines in Saint-Alban, mostly in <glossary term="Jacquère" title="555">Jacquère</glossary> and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Altesse" title="96">Altesse</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The soils are are pure <glossary term="Limestone" title="596">limestone</glossary> and the <glossary term="Acidity" title="71">acidities</glossary> are always very high. There is also a tiny bit of <glossary term="Persan" title="1450">Persan</glossary> and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Douce Noir" title="1451">Douce Noir</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> an old red variety.</p>
<p><em>“It’s unique but very sensitive to </em><glossary term="Mildew" title="1137"><em>mildew</em></glossary><em>. When you see what happens to it, you understand why past generations have progressively phased out grapes that suffer from illness.”</em></p>
<p>Saint-Alban is <glossary term="Exposition" title="430">exposed</glossary> full south and as you can see from the pictures, is completely surrounded by woods and forest. Well, sort of... For years, there has been a huge push to build houses on this hill and constructible terrain is now worth much more than its <glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticultural</glossary> equivalent. </p>
<p><em>“The whole area is under big pressure; people want houses and not vines. Ironically they want to live here because of the landscape. But then they go and destroy it, making it a little less beautiful.”</em></p>
<p>Case in point: in early 2020 Mathieu served us a 2019 <glossary term="Nouveau/Primeur" title="725">primeur</glossary> of <glossary term="Gamay" title="478">Gamay</glossary> made from a <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> on Saint-Alban. Dubbed "Couleur d'Automne" (I was obsessed with it), it ended up being a one and only <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottling</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Shortly after <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> it was announced the vines would be ripped out to build this:</p>
<p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/82/14/821415d540c94c609bba16340d16d5e9.jpg" /></p>
<p><em>"We were renting the vines. They only needed to tear out maybe half of the </em> <glossary term="Parcel" title="760"><em>parcel</em></glossary> <em>for the house but the owner insisted everything should be ripped out. It's a shame because </em><glossary term="Gamay" title="478"><em>Gamay</em></glossary><em> vines with a bit of age are very rare here at this point."</em></p>
<p>We then drove back the the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> to taste the 2020's, some <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottled</glossary> and others as <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Tank Sample" title="1008">brut de cuve</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/d4/9d/d49d6d677eb7763912db37f302293db7.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/3b/7d/3b7d55cecf5b38c38ac9ec2d66972fa0.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/19/cb/19cb0ccecb22bf360da686101d634747.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/39/e2/39e247f5f785cf27337fe97215be771f.jpg" /></p>
<p>Familiar wines included "Avant la Tempête", "Terroir en Saint-Alban" and their <glossary term="Mondeuse" title="484">Mondeuse</glossary> which has been renamed "Ô Narcisse" in 2020. We also tasted two new <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuvées</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> a white and a red both called "Soleyane". Soleyane is the name of a small <glossary term="Bugey" title="208">Bugey</glossary> <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary> that made its last wine in 2019. They retired after that <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> and have let Camille and Mathieu pick and <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinify</glossary> the grapes in 2020. The vines are an hour away from Saint-Baldoph and the <glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroirs</glossary> are totally different, more heavy <glossary term="Clay" title="301">clay</glossary> and <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Limestone" title="596">limestone</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Everything was tasting great, and we all agreed on the drive back how talented a winemaker Mathieu is.</p>
<p>Over lunch we also got to try two <glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuvées</glossary> that never made it to the US, "Rouzan Blanc" and "L' Ami Francis". Both are one-off wines, the former being from <glossary term="Vat/Tank" title="1140">tanks</glossary> that didn't make "Avant la Tempête" in 2020 and the latter literally from a <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> from their friend Francis who'd just started his project but wasn't in capacity to make wine in 2019. Both were delicious. </p>
<p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/52/d5/52d5580f08097349cbda231ead22f0e2.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/77/8a/778a6275a1ebd9a1f4907e459ab0c14c.jpg" /></p>
<p>Over a lovely lunch, Mathieu opened up one of his last bottles of "Couleurs D'Automne" because we'd gushed about how special a wine it was. I didn't think I'd ever get a chance to try it again, making the visit all the more special. </p>
<p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//887/d3/27/d3271fadd676f9eb1e579ffff27a93f2.jpg" /></p>
Article
harvest report
06.11.2024
2024 Harvest Report from Mathieu Apffel
<p>2024: a year we won't soon forget.</p>
<p>To start, it was extremely rainy all year long: non-stop from October 2023 to October 2024, with a total cumulation of 1500 mm in 12 months. You could say we had no seasons for a full year. Very little sunlight, constantly humid, cold in summer, mild in winter. The coldest week of the year was in late April/early May, with negative temperatures and a snow storm (the one time it snowed all year).</p>
<p>The vegetative season began with a consequent episode of frost that did variable amounts of damage depending on the sector: 10 to 15% in Saint Baldoph for Avant la Tempête, 30 to 50% in Les Abymes for Pandaemonium and 80% in the Bugey for Soleyane white and red. The heavy rainfall that followed created a strong mildew pressure on vines that were already fragile from frost. The result: out harvest was very low: 265 HL in 2024 versus 330hl in 2023 and 440H in 2022. </p>
<p>Thanks to a lot of patience and time spent in the vines, we were able to safeguard the quality of the grapes. Surprisingly, rot did very little damage and we were able to harvest beautiful bunches at optimal maturity. As always, the harvest was a moment of relief, spend in the company of a wonderful team. A great way to end such a demanding year...</p>
<p>The fermentations have been fast and smooth, with a large population of native yeasts and no issues. This vintage is making us once more understand that humid, difficult years in the vines can still result in very positive results in the cellar. The wines are very pure this year, with nice minerality and transparent expressions of terroir. We'll see how they evolve with elevage but the quality is frankly honorable considering how difficult the viticultural conditions were. </p>
<p>Here are some photos of our harvest as well as our new plantation of Mondeuse in the Abymes sector. </p>
<p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//1031/a2/06/a20662b2034f16a9adc57e09cc562643.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//1031/76/fd/76fdefa167bb12898e4e0b7c6d49722b.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//1031/6c/a7/6ca76152462ef1f9f2d3ea5a47ceee6e.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//1031/27/82/2782d2d1b2b1a5f4c0519d9ca48705f8.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//1031/3e/e8/3ee80184988e13a7aae5916bb81f60e4.jpg" /></p>
Article
harvest report
03.01.2023
2023 Harvest Report from Mathieu Apffel
<p><strong>November 20th, 2023:</strong></p>
<p>Our 2023 started with a particularly dry winter. The rain we did see came only in very moderate amounts. Bud break was relatively precocious and we did not see any Spring <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Frost" title="1135">frosts</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p>
<p>Spring was rather dry but punctuated with the occasional storm. Despite the very little rain we received, very early on we began to feel a very strong <glossary term="Mildew" title="1137">mildew</glossary> pressure, with spots were appearing on the leaves and the berries. In Saint Baldoph, we successfully protected our vines. The newer vines in the Abymes sector (which produce "Pandaemonium") suffered more, and we estimate having lost about 20% of our crop in that sector. <strong>One aside that is important to note:</strong> in 2023, we decided to stop working the vines in Saint Alban Leysse. 2022 will therefore be the last vintage of the "Terroir de Saint Alban" <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuvée</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p>
<p>Summer was marked by very intense and successive heat waves. Unlike 2022, where the heat and <glossary term="Drought" title="1167">drought</glossary> remained uninterrupted, 2023 was punctuated with alternate episodes of stormy weather followed by cooler temperatures followed by extreme heat. The sector of les Abymes suffered three <glossary term="Hail" title="1136">hail</glossary> storms: on June 27th with little impact, then again on July 24th in two waves, this time deeply damaging the vines. We estimate having lost at least 50% of our crop there.</p>
<p>We began <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvesting</glossary> on September 4th with the <glossary term="Pinot Noir" title="805">Pinot Noir</glossary> of Soleyane, then on September 16th with the whites from Soleyane, Saint Baldoph and finally les Abymes. The last grapes we picked were the <glossary term="Mondeuse" title="484">Mondeuse</glossary> in Soleyane on September 29th.</p>
<p>The sanitary state of the grapes is globally excellent. We had nice <glossary term="Maturation" title="639">maturities</glossary> and feel the wines are quite balanced. The <glossary term="alcoholic potential" title="1381">alcoholic potential</glossary> remains low and the <glossary term="Acidity" title="71">acidity</glossary> high. The <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermentations</glossary> were also very good this year, with strong populations of <glossary term="Yeast" title="1128">yeasts</glossary> and no bacterial infection. A huge contrast to the very complicated <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermentations</glossary> in 2022!</p>
<p>In their early stage of <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Elevage" title="418">elevage</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> the wines seem to be in a very good place. </p>
<p>It will be interesting comparing the wines of 2023 with those of 2022. They are actually very close from the analyses (alcohol, total <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="Acidity" title="71">acidity</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="PH" title="783">PH</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>..) but the <glossary term="Native Yeast" title="538">native yeasts</glossary> that <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermented</glossary> the wines are evidently night and day: bacterial yeasts in 2022 and much cleaner yeasts in 2023. We <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinified</glossary> 330<glossary term="Hectoliter" title="524">hl</glossary> in 2023 agains 490<glossary term="Hectoliter" title="524">hl</glossary> in 2022 (which include 50<glossary term="Hectoliter" title="524">hl</glossary> of Terroir de Saint Alban that weren't <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvested</glossary> in 2023).<br />
<br />
In conclusion, we are globally very satisfied with this <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> despite it being lower in quantity. It was a year rich in emotion with the arrival of our new-born Timothée, who accompanied us through the viticultural season right through the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p>
<p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//996/78/2c/782cbaaf3bbf9c746182eb77e2fa7034.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//996/b4/82/b482da4544d14e1805a882584aac2457.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//996/3a/8e/3a8e5d7a781ef19d3fb7675cadb0280c.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//996/7d/9e/7d9ef31a56ebf9fba5f4943be01ebe1a.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//996/c5/1b/c51b9af5a1548de82bec1492c9c7a8fa.jpg" /></p>
Article
harvest report
16.12.2021
2021 Harvest Report from Mathieu Apffel
<p><em><strong>October 15th, 2021.</strong></em></p>
<p>We just wrapped up our <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Everything is <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermenting</glossary> happily in the <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p>Globally we are very happy with the 2021 <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> given the climactic hardships we had to endure. The quantity is solid and the quality is excellent. It was a late ripening year so we got beautiful autumnal <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Maturation" title="639">maturities</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The <glossary term="alcoholic potential" title="1381">potentials</glossary> are low, <glossary term="Acidity" title="71">acidity</glossary> is high and there is already a lovely balance in the juices. It's a bit early to really know what the wines will become but I'm expecting a result similar to 2019. </p>
<p>The only disaster of sorts: the new vines we started working in the <glossary term="Bugey" title="208">Bugey</glossary> in the 2020 <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> ("Soleyane" Blanc and Rouge) were devastated <span class="zalup"><span><span>-</span><glossary term="Frost" title="1135">frost</glossary> </span></span>for the whites, <glossary term="Mildew" title="1137">mildew</glossary> for the reds. Unfortunately we won't be producing either "Soleyane" in 2021. <br />
<br />
For the rest of the haul, the volumes are normal for "Terroir de Saint Alban", very good for "Avant la Tempête" and low for the <span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="Mondeuse" title="484">Mondeuse</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> </p>
<p>The <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> puts an end to a very peculiar 2021. In the end our time picking reflected to the rest of the year, as constant rain made working in the field difficult. We nonetheless finished under a magnificent October sun with magnificent grapes and a wonderful team. We shared great moments of friendship and good humor that will no doubt be transmitted to the future wines...</p>
<p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//922/25/d7/25d7ff293e7274494fdcf9fa9769c132.jpg" /></p>
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