Hubert Laferrère
Domaine Saint Denis
71260 Lugny

Owner / wine maker: Hubert Laferrère

Background

There are 43 villages in the Mâconnais which currently have the right to attach their name to the AOC Mâcon. Domaine St. Denis has vines in two of these: Lugny and Chardonnay (it is unknown whether the latter gave its name to the grape variety or vice versa). These villages are found in a range of hills which stretches from Sennecey-le-Grand in the north to Fuissé in south. Here one finds the whole spread of different Burgundian terroirs. To the west the high granite hills protect the vineyards from the westerly winds. The preponderance of limestone and clay-limestone in this region produces classy wines with great keeping potential. In some areas there are higher concentrations of silica, which generally gives very fine wines, better drunk young.

Domaine St. Denis was created by Hubert Laferrère in 1986. Whilst his grandparents were land owners who rented out their vines, Hubert inherited nothing from them and hence has been piecing the estate together over the past twenty years. He knew from an early age that he wanted to be involved in agriculture, which led him to study as an agricultural engineer. When he set up the domaine he was forced to retain his sales day-job to keep his family, and work the vines in the evenings and at weekends. Initially he sold most of his grapes to négociants, making a little wine in the cellar of a friend. The proportion of what he produced himself gradually increased so that by the mid-nineties he was able to give up his job, build his own cellar and devote himself full-time to the business of making wine.

Hubert is one of those rare left-brain / right-brain people whose scientific bent drives him to analyse the underlying form of what he does whilst his “artistic” nature allows him to view the process from a more abstract point of view. He talks therefore with the same passion about the modifications to his new tractor, his joy at seeing the diversity of flora and fauna in the vineyards and his love of wine. He also states with some pride (echoing the sentiments of his fellow Mâconnais producer Jean-Marie Guffens) that not coming from a winemaking family means that he never learnt how to make bad wine!

Having an analytical mind, he clearly investigates in great detail every aspect of his work. Hence, when originally looking for parcels of vines, he travelled the length and breadth of the region, tasting extensively, trying to understand where the character of each wine came from. He would pull onto the side of the road and walk through the vineyards, studying the soils. This gave him the knowledge he needed to select the best sites, geologically speaking. Luckily for Hubert, those sites were often situated on slopes difficult to work mechanically and hence easier to come by.

The steepness of the various parcels means that the estate is one of the few in Burgundy not to possess an “enjambeur” (a large tractor with a high cabin which passes over the tops of the vines and not in between them) although it is evident that were the land to be more accommodating, this would still not be an option. Hubert started with a small “inter-line” tractor and has recently bought a new model with caterpillar tracks which he modified himself with the help of the manufacturers. This system leads to far less compaction of the soil and encourages the downward development of the vine´s root system. Whilst he is happy with his latest toy, Hubert is now considering the idea of investing in the some four-legged traction, with a view to ploughing part of the land with a horse.

Only one row in two is ploughed, the other row being left with a permanent grass cover which is mown regularly. Whilst Hubert does not use weedkillers he has no desire to adhere to any particular association or philosophy. His background has taught him to see the benefits of scientific progress, although any products used in the vineyards are studied at length. In this way he is, as he puts it “en logique avec ses convictions”.

His objective is to produce a vin du terroir and the same sedulousness found in his work in the vines is employed in the cellar. Each parcel is harvested and vinified separately (the harvesting date rather unscientifically being set when Hubert tastes the grapes and wants to eat the whole bunch!). It is only at the end of the ageing process, when the wines are assembled, that each individual cuve or barrel is selected or rejected for the final blend. Anything which does not pass muster is sold off to négociants – Laferrère does not believe in making an inferior blend. He does however occasionally make an oddity when the harvest permits: a Chardonnay Séléction des Grains Nobles.

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Vineyard Holdings

Commune	level*	lieu dit /Climat	wines made*	Area (ha)	Vine age	Status*
Chardonnay	R	les Busserettes		0.70	92	O
	R	le Clos		0.75	20	O
	R	les Perrières / le Rompoix		0.50	10	O
	R	les Clos		0.70	65	O
	R	Clos de la Coque		0.70	15	O
Lugny	R	les Beluses		0.25	75	O
	R	les Genièvres		0.70	55	O
	R	Mépilly		0.95	10	O
		Total Ha		5.25

*Key

R/W= Red or White wines made in this lieu dit / climat
R	= Regional appellation	O	= Owner
V	= Village	SC	= Share cropper
PC	= Premier Cru	TF	= Tenant farmer
GC	= Grand Cru