Sébastien Bobinet, organic and natural wines in Saumur (Loire)

The philosophy of the Sébastien Bobinet estate

To produce without harming living things or causing harm to people, using the simplest and healthiest methods.

This production philosophy is inspired by a text by the philosopher and agroecologist Pierre Rabhi, known, amongst other things, for his ‘Terre et Humanisme’ movement. Sébastien Bobinet and Emeline Calvez aspire to strive towards this ideal by cultivating their vines according to the principles of organic farming. That is to say, following a virtuous approach that respects the ecosystem. Pesticides are, in effect, banned.

The Terroir

The estate is situated on the outskirts of Saumur, in the hamlet of Beaulieu. Most of the vineyards are just a stone’s throw from the winery, on the Saumur hillside (the Hauts de Dampierre), and a little further afield between Dampierre and Souzay.

In the vineyard

Constantly adapting to the environment by finding solutions within what is already available.

• Pruning and debudding: to reduce the yield in order to promote concentration of the berries and ensure consistent, long-term growth of the vine.
• Pruning and suckering: maintaining healthy foliage to ensure effective photosynthesis, thinning it out to allow good air circulation and prevent the development of diseases.
• Soil management: encouraging the vines to develop deep roots, maintaining good organic soil health through shallow ploughing, and managing grass growth in line with changes in soil moisture (removing stones, mowing, etc.).
• Sulphur and copper treatments (Bordeaux mixture): to combat fungal diseases such as downy mildew and powdery mildew, amongst others. Applications are carried out at very specific intervals and at carefully calculated doses in order to optimise the treatments for limited use.
• Any other plant protection product is systematically banned
• A well-preserved ecosystem holds many solutions to vineyard problems. But to follow this path, one must be prepared to accept some loss of yield. The animal world is also entitled to its share of the harvest!

In the cellar

Grape harvest

Sébastien Bobinet and Emeline Calvez decide for themselves when the time is right to harvest! The healthy, ripe grapes are harvested in 20-kg crates to prevent them from being crushed and to keep them intact until they reach the winery.

Vatting

The fermentation vats are made of concrete or fibreglass. The grapes are vinified separately by plot (single-vineyard vinification).

• The white grapes are pressed immediately after harvesting. The juice obtained is placed in a vat to be racked 48 hours later; racking involves separating the clear juice from the sediment that has settled at the bottom of the vat. This clear juice is then transferred to another vat where alcoholic fermentation (AF) will take place.
• Red grapes are either destemmed (using a mechanical destemmer) as gently as possible and then placed in vats, or placed in vats whole, depending on the type of maceration chosen.

Macerations

Two types of maceration are used at the Bobinet estate: skin maceration and carbonic maceration.

• Skin maceration: Skin maceration involves immersing the grapes in their own juice to extract colour, tannins and aromas, amongst other things. The Bobinet estate favours gentle extraction, proceeding with care and adjusting the intensity according to the quality of the harvested grapes.
• Carbonic maceration: Carbonic maceration involves macerating whole bunches of grapes in a tank filled with carbon dioxide. Extraction takes place within the grape, through an enzymatic process, and focuses on the aromas.

Fermentation

We use only indigenous yeasts to ensure a range of aromas that truly reflect the terroir and the vintage. This means that the duration and pace of alcoholic fermentation vary depending on the vintage and the cuvée. Fermentation begins a few days after racking, but may continue into the ageing process for the slower-maturing wines. Malolactic fermentation is carried out on all wines

Livestock farming

Each cuvée is made from a blend of plots or from a single plot. The wines are aged in ‘used’ barrels, with the exception of Piak!, which is left in vats. The duration varies depending on the character of each cuvée, ranging from three months for our young wine Piak! to over a year for the Echalier cuvée. Racking is carried out only once, if necessary.

Sébastien Bobinet’s flagship wines

• Hare's Hair
• The sky is blue
• The weather is fine
• Hanami
• Amateur Bobi

History of the Sébastien Bobinet estate

The Bobinet estate has been in existence since 2002, when Sébastien took over the vineyards (1.8 hectares) and the winery from his maternal grandparents. He is the seventh generation of a family of winegrowers from Dampierre-sur-Loire (a commune associated with Saumur).

The decision to adopt organic farming methods soon became clear, as did the move towards ‘natural’ winemaking – that is, without the use of chemical additives during the winemaking process – largely under the influence of Olivier Cousin, a winemaker in Anjou.

Sébastien cultivates 1.5 hectares of Cabernet Franc and 0.3 hectares of Chenin, harvests the grapes by hand, and then vinifies and ages his wines in the tuffeau stone cellar carved into the Saumur hillside. These wines are the Amatéus Bobi and Echalier vintages.

In 2007, having developed an interest in carbonic maceration, he met Bernard Pontonnier, who helped him gain a better understanding of this winemaking method; Pontonnier himself had learnt from Jules Chauvet, Marcel Lapierre, Jean Foillard and many others whilst working as a bistro owner in Paris. He was, in fact, one of the first to champion natural wine. Using grapes from a small, specific plot, Sébastien and Bernard work together to produce the Greta Carbo cuvée.

Then came the time to expand and diversify: in 2010, Sébastien took over two hectares of Cabernet Franc and decided to make wine from Pineau d’Aunis, Gamay and Côt grapes to experiment with other varieties. And so Du rififi à Beaulieu was born!

In 2011, he was joined by his partner Emeline Calvez, a trained sommelier. Together they created the Ruben cuvée, made from the new plots acquired in 2010. Their collaboration has given the estate a new dimension, and it continues to grow and establish itself, whilst remaining committed to sustainable and ethical practices. The Hanami and Piak! cuvées followed.

Some photos of the Sébastien Bobinet estate