The once-underappreciated wines of Marc Deschamps are experiencing an overdue explosion of sommelier-community buzz, critical acclaim, and high demand. As the fever of excitement around Marc’s single-vineyard bottlings continues to sweep the wine world, we are committed to showcasing this producer’s impressive diversity and depth.
Last August, we offered a rich and layered barrel-fermented cuvée with six years of age that evoked both vintage Vouvray and white Burgundy. Now, we present the opposite end of Marc’s stylistic spectrum: a mouthwateringly youthful, sublimely mineral, classic interpretation of Pouilly-Fumé. “Les Vignes des Berge” is a small parcel of extremely chalky soil which, thanks to Marc’s deft touch in the cellar, offers a convincing explanation of why, along with Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé makes the Loire Valley the undisputed champion of terroir-driven Sauvignon Blanc. If you crave the exotic minerality of top-tier Grüner, the bracing freshness of Sancerre, and the appetite-whetting grip of young Chablis, this is the bottle for you.
Until recently, when he enjoyed an extremely flattering series of reviews, many wine professionals had never heard of Marc Deschamps. Marc is a low-key, bespectacled fellow who has spent the last four decades quietly working the same small cluster of vineyards in the sleepy Loire Valley hamlet of Les Loges. As mainstream global tastes have pulled this region’s style further toward stainless steel sheen and the jolly rancher-like thumbprint of synthetic yeast fermentation, Marc has kept his heels firmly dug in, stubbornly adhering to the traditions of yesteryear. Marc farms a modest 8.5-hectare collection of Kimmeridgean Marne (a.k.a. terres blanches in the local vigneron dialect) planted predominantly to Sauvignon Blanc and a small amount of Chasselas. Four of his parcels in the village of Les Loges are labeled under the Pouilly-Fumé appellation—“La Cote,” “Les Griottes,” “Champs des Cri,” and finally, the vineyard that produces this wine, “Les Vignes de Berge.” This small, 3.5-hectare site has noticeably more stones and less clay than Marc’s other parcels; it produces the most pure, mineral, classically styled wines of his lineup.
The Autumn crush at Deschamps is 100% manual and definitively old school. There are no mechanical harvesters; just a few sets of hands methodically picking and sorting into small baskets. Fermentation of this wine occurs in a mix of stainless steel and neutral french oak barrels and only with the aid of the indigenous airborne yeasts in Marc’s vineyards and cellar. Unlike most neighboring properties in the Pouilly-Fumé AOC, there are no additives or packaged yeasts used here. This is an overtly humble and understated property and, for Marc, time and patience—not technique or modern technology—are the two most important ingredients in his “recipe.” So, while the majority of this region’s wine is fermented and bottled quickly after harvest in a rush to be first to export market, Marc waits many months before even racking his wine off its lees(transferring the wine from tank to separate it from its yeast sediment). Les Vignes des Berges is typically bottled in June of the year following harvest and rested in bottle until its release in the US two to three years later.
In the glass, the 2013 Marc Deschamps Pouilly-Fumé Les Vignes des Berge has a concentrated yellow/gold core transitioning to a translucent green rim. As is Deschamps’ signature, the nose begins conservatively before revealing the more exotic and expressive elements of its character. In the case of Les Vignes des Berge, one first encounters classic aromas of underripe apple, kaffir lime, honeysuckle, and crushed oyster shell—textbook Pouilly Fumé. Still, as the wine warms on one’s palate, it begins to release successive waves of mango skin, pineapple core, green papaya, quince, yellow flowers, and citrus blossom honey. This is not to say it is a soft or “fruity” wine; on the contrary, this is a deeply tart, textural, mouthwateringly dry wine that begs for food. Still, it is always a wonder how Deschamps coaxes such vivid and three-dimensional aromatics from a single variety in a cool climate like the Loire Valley. This bottle is in top form and requires no decanting—simply serve at 50-55 degrees in large Bordeaux stem. Here in Napa we’ve just about had enough of the winter weather so while it’s perhaps more conventional to suggest this wine be paired with an iced plateau or oysters or a few paper-thin slices of chilled sashimi, I’m personally doing everything I can to conjure the spirits of Spring and Summer. That means a crispy platter of fresh-from-the-grill Pork Satay skewers. If you’ve never tried making this simple recipe at home, now is the time. The trick is marinating a mix of loin and shoulder cuts first thing in the morning so the coconut milk breaks down and tenderize the meat in time for dinner. By the time you fire up the grill in the evening, you will find perfectly moist and succulent slices to skewer. It’s a delicious recipe that requires very little effort; with this wine as your sous chef, the rest is easy!
