Portrait of a producer: Domaine Bersan, Saint Bris le Vineux
Pierre-Louis Bersan, the youngest vigneron in an unbroken line since 1453, is shaking up the family business. He’s in London to showcase his wines during Burgundy Week, and the labels draw my attention. In a sea of restrained Burgundian branding, the Domaine Bersan labels stand out. Colourful, with a prominent ammonite shell that guides you to the salty minerality within the bright, characterful whites they make in Saint Bris le Vineux in the northwest of the region.
There’s no mystery to the stellar connection between the white wines of Chablis and oysters (a heavenly pairing). Millennia ago the hills and vales of the region were under the sea. Which is why the limestone soils are so rich in the marine fossils and minerals that create the textbook flavour profile in the finished wine. The grapes are (mainly) Chardonnay, but in ice-queen mode, taut and steely (as opposed to rich, ripe, buttery chards from further south).
With plantings across several Burgundy appellations, are Bersan and his father, Jean-Francois, in agreement on the modern direction of the ancient winery? “He is a rugby player. I am a rugby player. We understand one another perfectly,’ says Pierre-Louis with a grin. Rugby is a metaphor for many things Bersan. “I like my wine with shoulders,” he says, “like a rugby player’s.”
The ‘shoulders’ (breadth) are obvious on the unusual Fyé Gris (a local clone of Sauvignon Gris permissible in the Saint Bris appellation) that has a whoosh of exotic aromatics, great texture and a discernible bite on the finish. P-L has had to increase the planting of this old variety to satisfy growing demand. The wine won a gold medal in Paris in 2019 and searches for it usually return the result: not available.
Domaine Bersan’s organic, wild-yeast fermented and unfiltered wines also include a fresh Aligoté (another white grape mainly found in Burgundy and gaining in popularity), a more classic Bourgogne Côtes de Auxerre, and an old-vines Sauvignon.
There is a Pinot Noir too, with trademark ‘shoulders’: the Irancy is delightful, dancing with summer fruit on the nose and palate, but with the pugnacious intent of a front-row forward. As a summer red, served chilled, this would pair very well with wild boar, game birds or duck.
Rugby and winemaking are clearly a match made in heaven (geddit?).
Some Domaine Bersan wines are available in the UK from https://www.vinatis.co.uk/
© Linda Galloway 2024