Carbonic Maceration Breaks Out of Beaujolais
Carbonic maceration is seeing a renaissance like never before.
The practice was long-synonymous with Gamay from Beaujolais but, over the past 10 years, winemakers across the globe have been experimenting. So what exactly is the reason for the popularity increase in the technique? Could the rise in global temperatures leading to riper, higher-tannin fruit be pushing the need for carbonic worldwide? Or could a simple shift in consumer preferences towards lighter-bodied, fresher wines be the reasoning? Winemakers across California and Australia are weighing in.
Brendon Keys, owner and winemaker of Adelaide Hills' BK Wines uses carbonic maceration on all of his red fruit, including Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Grenache. Keys has also experimented with whole bunch carbonic on Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Grüner Veltliner. "I am hearing a lot more talk about carbonic maceration everywhere I go," Keys reveals, despite the diversity in global styles.
At BK Wines, Keys uses a variation of carbonic maceration that incorporates skin macerations of 10-12 days, coupled with lower temperatures. "We don’t let the wines get above 28-30C whereas, classically, this should get up to 35," he says. "We want the plush aromatic spices [that carbonic creates] but, by leaving the juice on the skins longer, we create some tannin structure in the wine."
Elsewhere in Australia, Yarra Valley-based Behn Payten is also using carbonic maceration on all of his red fruit, specifically Pinot Noir, Syrah, Sangiovese, and Merlot. "After 15 years of work, we've found that Yarra Valley fruit responds best to this winemaking technique," he says, noting the prominent aromatics and solid structure that come from incorporating this vinification technique in his cellar regimen.
Carbonic maceration is also on the rise in warmer areas of California. Pete Stolpman has been implementing the technique on his Sangiovese and Syrah for quite a few years now. "Sangiovese is both high acid and high tannin, so by cutting down the tannin and not crushing skins [carbonic maceration], we could make a lighter, more approachable wine," he says.
Stolpman points out that main reason Tuscany's major DOCGs mandate barrel age is for tannin integration; however, through using carbonic maceration, this practice is no longer as necessary. "Sangiovese can be bright, fresh, and downright mashable if one doesn't have to wait all those months and years for the burly tannins to mellow," he says. Stolpman punnily names his carbonic Sangiovese Love You Bunches, which pays homage to the vinification technique used to produce it.
Stolpman also points out that Syrah from Ballard Canyon is much darker and more tannic than Syrah from the Northern Rhône, mainly due to the fact that the Rhône experiences higher levels of rainfall, leading to different canopy and grape bunch characteristics. In California, Stolpman chooses not to irrigate his Syrah for the sake of driving concentration and complexity – however, carbonic maceration helps to balance this out.
"We began experimenting with carbonic Syrah to see if we could make a more delicate, prettier version of it, more like our favorite wines of the Northern Rhône," he says. Fruit for Stolpman's carbonic Syrah is harvested earlier, and because there is less need for tannin integration, the wine is also bottled earlier. In addition to this, early bottling also gives Stolpman the freedom to not add sulfur. Additionally, Stolpman uses carbonic maceration on his Gamay, which he feels is essential for all Gamay coming out of the state.
Elsewhere in California's Central Coast, Eric Railsback experiments with carbonic maceration at all three of his projects: Lieu Dit (Cabernet Franc), Railsback Frères (Carignan), and Presqu’ile (percentages of Syrah and Gamay).
"I like the high-tone aromatics and juicy texture carbonic provides," he says, also noting the slight tension and backbone that come from interaction with the stems. "With all the natural fruit we get in the wines of California, it's nice to add another layer via carbonic maceration." Lyle Railsback, co-founder of Railsback Frères, shouts out the wines of Maxime Magnon and Kermit Lynch's Gang of Four as inspiration behind their experimentation choices. "We like the freshness, aromatics, and lift that carbonic brings," he says.
Patrick Cappiello is also a huge fan of carbonic maceration. At Monte Rio Cellars, carbonic is used on all of his red wines. He harvests most of his fruit from warmer, "lesser-appreciated" areas in Lodi and the Central Valley, and according to him, carbonic maceration (along with early harvesting) helps keep wines fresh and bright. "Using carbonic makes for easier-drinking, earlier-consumption wines," he explains, which is the main goal of his Monte Rio project. "It's a stylistic decision, but we feel like we can add more intensity and vibrancy to the actual end product, especially for wines that are made for easy, everyday drinking."
As global temperatures get hotter and fruit continues to ripen faster, could this potentially lead to a rise in the use of carbonic maceration? Not all winemakers are convinced. "If you look at the history of this type of winemaking, I don't think it was done in response to ripeness issues," says Cappiello, noting that even though he and his team harvest fruit from extremely hot areas, carbonically macerating it to tone down tannins and opulence isn't the only option to achieve that. "If people are looking to create wines that have freshness as it gets warmer, it's not a bad idea, but I think there are also a lot of producers who look at carbonic as a masking of terroir – which I don't agree with, of course," he says. "However, I would imagine there are plenty of producers who will never explore it because they think it's not classically 'serious' winemaking."
On the topic of market opinion, Stolpman does strongly feel that consumer palates are shifting towards this style. "I see the demand all over the USA, Europe, and Japan," he says. "The demand for fresh, bright, balanced wine with delicious fruit purity is certainly on the rise."
Stolpman reveals that Love You Bunches is his largest-volume wine and that he is consistently trying to produce more every year. In the Yarra, Payten also notices the demand for these styles, including wines with lower alcohol percentages. "Carbonic is an excellent way of achieving [these characteristics]," he affirms.
However, the opinion isn't unanimous. Lyle Railsback is a bit more skeptical when it comes to consumer desires. "The general public isn't quite there yet, but the tastemakers and sommeliers/buyers are all over it," he says.
Keys echoes this statement. "Just when I think [palates are shifting], we realize what a small percentage we are in the market," he says.
Cappiello feels that newer and younger consumers are appreciating these wines, partly because a lot of bottles in the entry-level price point are produced this way. "There's a new generation of wine drinkers who are stoked about this style of wine because this is there affordable wine," he says. "Back in the day, you could get a bottle of Bourgogne Rouge for $25 – not anymore. Young consumers that want to drink $25-30 bottles of wine are going to stumble into a lot of carbonic wines."
Cappiello also points out that the lovers of powerful, Parker-esque wines will never be the audience for carbonically macerated juice, and that's OK. "I think it's more about the new generation. We're not going to overthrow what people are doing in Bordeaux or in areas of Burgundy, those that are making wines with more intense structure, and that's great."
He sums it up by highlighting the importance of variety amongst viticulture and vinification choices.
"Diversity is great, it needs to exist. We shouldn't all be making carbonic wines, just like we all shouldn't be making wines in new oak or harvesting at 28 brix. There needs to be wines for all different palates."
Post Comment
No comments